Oddest of all

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Title:

Oddest of all

Alternate title:

Subtitle on dust jacket: Nine odd stories.

Added Title:

In our own lands.

What's the worst that could happen?

The ghost let go.

In the frog king's court.

The thing in Aunti Alma's pond.

The hardest, kindest gift.

The mask of Eamonn Tiyado.

Herbert Hutchison in the underworld.

The boy with silver eyes.

A note from the author.

Author:

Coville, Bruce, author.

Summary:

Contains nine fiction stories by Bruce Coville, telling of frog mutations, child disappearances, ghosts, and other frights and oddities.

Audience:

Young Adult Follett Library Resources

Edition:

1st ed.

Contents:

In our own hands -- What's the worst that could happen? -- The ghost let go -- In the frog king's court -- The thing in Auntie Alma's pond -- The hardest, kindest gift -- The mask of Eamonn Tiyado -- Herbert Hutchison in the underworld -- The boy with silver eyes -- A note from the author.

Physical Description:

235 p. ; 22 cm.

Genre:

Horror fiction.

Short stories.

Publisher:

Harcourt,

Publication Date:

2008

ISBN:

9780152058081

Publication Information:

Orlando : Harcourt, c2008.

Call Number:

M COVILLE

Holds: Copies:

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Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607002113788	Middle Fiction	COVILLE	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

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Summary

Fans of Bruce Coville's wonderfully weird storytelling will be thrilled to know that the expert of odd is back with a new collection of nine curious and thought-provoking tales. From stories about a girl who learns the horrifying secrets about what's really at the bottom of a murky, desolate pond, a strange chemical factory causing mutations in frogs, and a Halloween mask that becomes a gruesome clue in the disappearance of a child, the odd adventures in this new collection are filled with terrifying and ghoulish details. In the eerie, surreal tradition of Edgar Allan Poe, these reveries are sure to linger in the minds of readers.

Author Notes

Bruce Coville was born in Syracuse, New York, on May 16, 1950. He spent one year at Duke University in North Carolina. Coville started working seriously at becoming a writer when he was seventeen. He was not able to start selling stories right away, so he had many other jobs, including toymaker, gravedigger, cookware salesman, and assembly line worker. Eventually, Coville became an elementary teacher, and worked with second and fourth graders.

Coville married Katherine Dietz an artist, and they began trying to create books together. It wasn't until 1977 that they finally sold their first book, The Foolish Giant. They joined together on two other books after that, Sarah's Unicorn and The Monster's Ring, and followed them with Goblins in the Castle, Aliens Ate My Homework, and The World's Worst Fairy Godmother.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (1)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 6-8-A delicious collection of nine funny, frightening, and thoughtful short stories. Coville has a true gift for creating characters and setting, such as the creepy pond at her Auntie Alma's that Margaret is mysteriously drawn to, or the haunted mansion where young ghost communicators Nine and Chris find themselves stranded on a stormy evening. There is something for most readers-a bit of fantasy, a smattering of humorous reality, a dose of science fiction, and a dash of mystery. An author's note explains the origins of the stories. Teens are sure to find the author's insights entertaining and will certainly gobble up these eerie tales.-Shari Fesko, Southfield Public Library, MI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Excerpts

In Our Own Hands JULY 22 I am so totally freaked out. Of course, that is probably true for everyone on the planet. How could we not be, after what happened this morning? I was sitting at the kitchen table, sparring with my mother over how much sugar I could put on my breakfast cereal which is kind of silly for a guy home from college when it started. The telescreen on the wall made an odd sound. I looked up and forgot all about the sugar. The meat puppet who usually reads the morning news had been replaced by a woman who had scaly blue skin and close-cropped green hair. Her ears were much too small for her head, her eyes much too big. Despite all that, she was beautiful, in a weird kind of way. My first reaction was to laugh, because it was kind of cool. I figured some idiot at the station was playing a joke. "Someones going to be in big trouble for this," predicted Mom. "I bet whoever did it gets fired." We stared at the screen, waiting for the news to come back on. When nothing happened I picked up the remote. But before I could change the channel the woman said, "Greetings, people of Earth." I burst out laughing. Mom shook her head in disgust. "What a stupid joke. Change the channel, Johnny." I did. The woman was still there. I changed it again, and again, and again. No matter what channel I turned to and we get 208 of them the blue woman was still there. Moms eyes got wider, and she slid her chair closer to mine. "Johnny! Whats going on?" I shook my head. I had no idea. But a strange feeling some combination of fear and excitement was starting to blossom in my stomach. Finally the blue woman spoke again. "I assume most of you have now realized that this broadcast is on all channels. That is because the message I bring is for all people, and it is important that as many of you as possible hear it. However, what I have come to tell you will not make sense unless you know two things." As far as I was concerned, nothing made sense right now. "First, we are not here to threaten you." It was such an odd thing to say that I almost laughed again. But part of me was too scared for that. I wished that Dad was here. But he was gone, a victim of the air-quality crisis that had killed so many people the year I was thirteen. The blue woman spoke again. "Second, you must know that we can do what we say. I will now prove that to you. Please do not be frightened. This demonstration is just to help you accept the truth of what I have to tell you." Mom reached for her coffee. I noticed that her hand was shaking, which made me feel better about my own trembling fingers. Before she could pick up her cup, the light went out. Not the lights. The light. Darkness was everywhere, as if the sun itself had disappeared. "Johnny!" cried my mother. "Do not be afraid," said the voice from the TV which was also dark, of course. "We will return the light soon." I Excerpted from Oddest of All by Bruce Coville All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

In Our Own Hands	p. 1
What's the Worst That Could Happen?	p. 15
The Ghost Let Go	p. 37
In the Frog King's Court	p. 73
The Thing in Auntie Alma's Pond	p. 93
The Hardest, Kindest Gift	p. 115
The Mask of Eamonn Tiyado	p. 155
Herbert Hutchison in the Underworld	p. 187
The Boy with Silver Eyes	p. 205
A note from the author•	p. 231

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Bound With These Titles

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Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (1)

School Library Journal Review

Excerpts

Excerpts

Table of Contents