Welcome to the Guestbook!
I’m always eager to read your comments about my books and stories, so please feel free to pitch in. Here are a few things for you to know:
1) I answer the messages here personally.
2) No message shows up here until I actually answer it to prevent spam and other inappropriate postings. So there will sometimes be a delay before your message posts, especially if I am traveling.
3) Teachers, a gentle request: Please do not have multiple children send me variants of the same message. A group email is much easier to respond to and not such a drain on my time. My thanks in advance for being alert to this.
Sign the Guestbook!
944 entries.
I had a conversation this morning that reminded me of reading Into the Land of the Unicorns when I was a child and that led me on a quick google journey that brought me to this site. It made me smile so much when I realized how prominently you highlight your wife’s work, and it brought back so many fond memories of devouring your books as a kid who found comfort in fantasy lands. I hope 2024 is a year filled with as much joy for you and your family as you’ve brought people like me.
Reply by Bruce Coville
Hi, Connor -
Wow. Many thanks for this lovely note. It delights me to know that the books still hold a place in your heart. Thanks for taking the time to let me know.
Best wishes, from both myself and my wife!
BC
Wow. Many thanks for this lovely note. It delights me to know that the books still hold a place in your heart. Thanks for taking the time to let me know.
Best wishes, from both myself and my wife!
BC
Hi Bruce,
I bought a copy of Into the Land of the Unicorns at my elementary school’s Scholastic book fair in 1994. I was 8 or 9 at the time and was sold by the beautiful cover art. I loved books back then and read a lot but I think that was the first book that truly immersed me in its world and left a lasting impact on my life and imagination. I’m not a skilled writer like yourself so it’s hard for me to convey how special that book was to me at that time in my life. But just know it completely captivated me and gave me sense of wonder and magic in the world that I can still feel when I look at that cover today.
HOWEVER…
It also left a HUGE hole in my heart when I realized there wasn’t a sequel to read in the months and years to follow! It ate away at me for so long! And after several more years of searching (many in the days before the internet) I gave up hope of ever finding out what happened next. I figured maybe the series had been abandoned. HA, how wrong was I?!
Luckily, I kept that book fair copy for just about 30 years now…and this week, I started reading it to my four year old daughter. She gets so excited to read it each night, and so do I. Even my husband has found himself invested in the story. Well as we near the end of the book I decided to try one more search in hopes of finding a sequel after all these years. And to my delight I find that it is indeed a complete series! And now here I am reading these other wonderful comments from readers with experiences so similar to mine. It makes my heart so happy.
Bruce, to be able to complete this adventure after 30 years brings me such an odd sense of peace. And to share it with my daughter makes it so much more magical. Your story is something that is so instilled in my childhood and I am so enthralled that I get to continue the journey with her.
Thank you for bringing so much joy and magic and wonder into the lives of so many. You’ve left a lasting impact on this world and I hope you’re proud of your prolific career!
I bought a copy of Into the Land of the Unicorns at my elementary school’s Scholastic book fair in 1994. I was 8 or 9 at the time and was sold by the beautiful cover art. I loved books back then and read a lot but I think that was the first book that truly immersed me in its world and left a lasting impact on my life and imagination. I’m not a skilled writer like yourself so it’s hard for me to convey how special that book was to me at that time in my life. But just know it completely captivated me and gave me sense of wonder and magic in the world that I can still feel when I look at that cover today.
HOWEVER…
It also left a HUGE hole in my heart when I realized there wasn’t a sequel to read in the months and years to follow! It ate away at me for so long! And after several more years of searching (many in the days before the internet) I gave up hope of ever finding out what happened next. I figured maybe the series had been abandoned. HA, how wrong was I?!
Luckily, I kept that book fair copy for just about 30 years now…and this week, I started reading it to my four year old daughter. She gets so excited to read it each night, and so do I. Even my husband has found himself invested in the story. Well as we near the end of the book I decided to try one more search in hopes of finding a sequel after all these years. And to my delight I find that it is indeed a complete series! And now here I am reading these other wonderful comments from readers with experiences so similar to mine. It makes my heart so happy.
Bruce, to be able to complete this adventure after 30 years brings me such an odd sense of peace. And to share it with my daughter makes it so much more magical. Your story is something that is so instilled in my childhood and I am so enthralled that I get to continue the journey with her.
Thank you for bringing so much joy and magic and wonder into the lives of so many. You’ve left a lasting impact on this world and I hope you’re proud of your prolific career!
Reply by Bruce Coville
Dear Kari -
What a wonderful message! Though I must say, I am torn between my sheer delight at knowing your joy in having finally found the remaining books and my ongoing sense of guilt for how long it took me to finish the series to begin with!
Also, I am amazed that you held onto that first book or all these years, That you are now sharing Luster with your daughter truly warms my heart. Thank you for taking the time to tell me how much these books mean to you.
All good wishes,
BC
What a wonderful message! Though I must say, I am torn between my sheer delight at knowing your joy in having finally found the remaining books and my ongoing sense of guilt for how long it took me to finish the series to begin with!
Also, I am amazed that you held onto that first book or all these years, That you are now sharing Luster with your daughter truly warms my heart. Thank you for taking the time to tell me how much these books mean to you.
All good wishes,
BC
Hello, Bruce. I knew you had become a writer. How amazing.
Just saying hello.
Just saying hello.
Reply by Bruce Coville
Hi, Marion -
What a lovely surprise to hear from you. I hope all is well with you and yours. Best wishes for a grand and glorious 2024!
Cheers,
Bruce
What a lovely surprise to hear from you. I hope all is well with you and yours. Best wishes for a grand and glorious 2024!
Cheers,
Bruce
Dear Mr. Coville,
I still remember the trip I took to Barnes and Noble with my dad in 2005 when I was in 5th grade and saw Into the Land of the Unicorns for the first time. I read that book so many times, that my original copy is falling apart.
Shortly thereafter I bought the book titled the Unicorn Chronicles, which had Into the Land of the Unicorns and Song of the Wanderer combined. I remember doing a major book report based on the book. At that time, the two final books of the series had not been published yet and I was left hungering for more...
Fast forward into my adulthood, I was a nanny for two boys and decided I wanted to share my favorite childhood book with them and to read to them from my books. My hunger reactivated, I decided to go look to see if any more books had ever been published in the series. To my astonishment, two more books existed! The second two books were apparently out of print at the time, and were insanely expensive to buy used, so instead I bought the CD set of all four books, and me and the boys enjoyed them together.
(I really appreciated the fact that you recorded the books with your own voice and a full cast audio, it was amazing.)
Reading the books again as an adult, when at a point in my life I had transitioned from reading fiction into reading spiritual and self-help type books, I was so moved by the spiritual symbolism underneath the story. Especially the final two books, where I learned about the whisperer. The series nestled even deeper into my heart.
Now I am a mother, and beyond ecstatic to discover that you are selling it in a box set! I will be getting this for my daughter for Christmas this year.
I just wanted to say thank you for your amazing book series that has made such a major impression in my heart and soul. Recently at a seminar I was in, an ice-breaker question to answer and get to know the group was what super power would you have, and my answer was the Gift of Tongues that was Cara's boon from Firethroat.
I have been thinking of the book series for a while now and wanting to re-read it, but the reason I am here signing this now is because I just bought a book for my 30th birthday on 11/11 at the used bookstore called The Search for the Beloved, it's a book about sacred psychology, and in this book in the first couple of chapters she mentions the Centaur Chiron as the teacher of Asclepios... Legend has it that the Centaur Chiron trained Asclepios in the art of healing, and then Asclepios became the greatest healer known to ancient Greece. To say my mind was blown, is an understatement. Your book has been a major part of my spiritual journey. Then just last night while telling a friend about the book I'm reading and mentioning the synchronicity between the two books, she mentioned that Unicorns are a symbol of Christ Consciousness, and so I am excited to embark on a journey back into Luster as I share it with my four year old daughter this holiday season, to get an even deeper spiritual download as I interpret the story through a deeper symbolic lens.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, for these marvelous books and the inspiration they continuously give me in my life.
Much love,
Kelsey
I still remember the trip I took to Barnes and Noble with my dad in 2005 when I was in 5th grade and saw Into the Land of the Unicorns for the first time. I read that book so many times, that my original copy is falling apart.
Shortly thereafter I bought the book titled the Unicorn Chronicles, which had Into the Land of the Unicorns and Song of the Wanderer combined. I remember doing a major book report based on the book. At that time, the two final books of the series had not been published yet and I was left hungering for more...
Fast forward into my adulthood, I was a nanny for two boys and decided I wanted to share my favorite childhood book with them and to read to them from my books. My hunger reactivated, I decided to go look to see if any more books had ever been published in the series. To my astonishment, two more books existed! The second two books were apparently out of print at the time, and were insanely expensive to buy used, so instead I bought the CD set of all four books, and me and the boys enjoyed them together.
(I really appreciated the fact that you recorded the books with your own voice and a full cast audio, it was amazing.)
Reading the books again as an adult, when at a point in my life I had transitioned from reading fiction into reading spiritual and self-help type books, I was so moved by the spiritual symbolism underneath the story. Especially the final two books, where I learned about the whisperer. The series nestled even deeper into my heart.
Now I am a mother, and beyond ecstatic to discover that you are selling it in a box set! I will be getting this for my daughter for Christmas this year.
I just wanted to say thank you for your amazing book series that has made such a major impression in my heart and soul. Recently at a seminar I was in, an ice-breaker question to answer and get to know the group was what super power would you have, and my answer was the Gift of Tongues that was Cara's boon from Firethroat.
I have been thinking of the book series for a while now and wanting to re-read it, but the reason I am here signing this now is because I just bought a book for my 30th birthday on 11/11 at the used bookstore called The Search for the Beloved, it's a book about sacred psychology, and in this book in the first couple of chapters she mentions the Centaur Chiron as the teacher of Asclepios... Legend has it that the Centaur Chiron trained Asclepios in the art of healing, and then Asclepios became the greatest healer known to ancient Greece. To say my mind was blown, is an understatement. Your book has been a major part of my spiritual journey. Then just last night while telling a friend about the book I'm reading and mentioning the synchronicity between the two books, she mentioned that Unicorns are a symbol of Christ Consciousness, and so I am excited to embark on a journey back into Luster as I share it with my four year old daughter this holiday season, to get an even deeper spiritual download as I interpret the story through a deeper symbolic lens.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, for these marvelous books and the inspiration they continuously give me in my life.
Much love,
Kelsey
Reply by Bruce Coville
Dear Kelsey -
What a lovely and affirming message! It warms my heart to know that the books have stayed with you for so long . . . and even more to know that you are now plumbing their deeper meaning. I was astonished myself by how the tale grew in the telling. It turned out to be a far more complex and complicated story than I had originally imagined!
All good wishes,
BC
What a lovely and affirming message! It warms my heart to know that the books have stayed with you for so long . . . and even more to know that you are now plumbing their deeper meaning. I was astonished myself by how the tale grew in the telling. It turned out to be a far more complex and complicated story than I had originally imagined!
All good wishes,
BC
Dear Mr. Coville,
Our third grade class absolutely loved reading Jeremy Thatcher Dragon Hatcher. We enjoyed many different parts of the story. We thought Mary Lou’s letter to Jeremy at the beginning of the book was hysterically humorus. We really liked when Tiamat blew fire on Mr. Kravitz’s foot. We laughed a lot when Mr. Kravitz started hopping on one foot like a crazy person. Our class felt sad when Jeremy had to leave Tiamat so she could return to her dragon realm, but we loved the Epilogue where Jeremy could see Tiamat in her world.
We have a few questions that we were wondering about:
1. Can you make a second book about Jeremy Thatcher where Tiamat comes back? What book are you going to write next?
2. What inspired you to write this story?
3. Why did you want to be a writer?
4. What is your favorite book that you have published?
Thank you for writing an amazing and creative story!
Best wishes,
Ms. B's 3rd Grade Class
Our third grade class absolutely loved reading Jeremy Thatcher Dragon Hatcher. We enjoyed many different parts of the story. We thought Mary Lou’s letter to Jeremy at the beginning of the book was hysterically humorus. We really liked when Tiamat blew fire on Mr. Kravitz’s foot. We laughed a lot when Mr. Kravitz started hopping on one foot like a crazy person. Our class felt sad when Jeremy had to leave Tiamat so she could return to her dragon realm, but we loved the Epilogue where Jeremy could see Tiamat in her world.
We have a few questions that we were wondering about:
1. Can you make a second book about Jeremy Thatcher where Tiamat comes back? What book are you going to write next?
2. What inspired you to write this story?
3. Why did you want to be a writer?
4. What is your favorite book that you have published?
Thank you for writing an amazing and creative story!
Best wishes,
Ms. B's 3rd Grade Class
Reply by Bruce Coville
Ahoy Ms B and Friends -
Thank you for this wonderful message. I am so happy to know that you enjoyed JEREMY THATCHER, DRAGON HATCHER so much. I have been publishing books for 45 years now, and this is absolutely one of my favorites out of all the things that I have done.
Regarding your questions:
1) It is unlikely that I will be doing a sequel to the book. Some stories need to be continued, but I feel that this book is complete in itself. To be honest, I have toyed with the idea of a sequel, but I think if I did it, I would end up writing a book for grown-ups rather than a book for kids.
2) What inspired the book? Well, a love of dragons ,for one thing. But also, I had written one book about the Magic Shop already (THE MONSTER'S RING) and I thought the basic idea of that shop was so cool I didn't want to let go of it. So I spent some time brainstorming what else a kid might buy in Mr. Elives' shop. Also, I LOVE dragons!
3) The basic answer to why I wanted to be a writer is simple: I LOVED books and reading, and I wanted to make books that would make other people feel how my favorite books made ME feel. I wanted to make the things I loved!
4) I shall not answer which of my books is my favorite, as that would be like telling which of my children I love the most! ;>
Thanks again for your letter. Keep reading!! (Also, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!)
BC
Thank you for this wonderful message. I am so happy to know that you enjoyed JEREMY THATCHER, DRAGON HATCHER so much. I have been publishing books for 45 years now, and this is absolutely one of my favorites out of all the things that I have done.
Regarding your questions:
1) It is unlikely that I will be doing a sequel to the book. Some stories need to be continued, but I feel that this book is complete in itself. To be honest, I have toyed with the idea of a sequel, but I think if I did it, I would end up writing a book for grown-ups rather than a book for kids.
2) What inspired the book? Well, a love of dragons ,for one thing. But also, I had written one book about the Magic Shop already (THE MONSTER'S RING) and I thought the basic idea of that shop was so cool I didn't want to let go of it. So I spent some time brainstorming what else a kid might buy in Mr. Elives' shop. Also, I LOVE dragons!
3) The basic answer to why I wanted to be a writer is simple: I LOVED books and reading, and I wanted to make books that would make other people feel how my favorite books made ME feel. I wanted to make the things I loved!
4) I shall not answer which of my books is my favorite, as that would be like telling which of my children I love the most! ;>
Thanks again for your letter. Keep reading!! (Also, HAPPY HALLOWEEN!)
BC
I first found your books when I was a kid because my older brother was having a very hard time with a teacher who didn't quite know what to do with precociously intelligent question-askers when he was in grade 2. The title "my teacher is an alien" really appealed to him when he saw it at a book fair. After that, your books were a must-buy whenever a new one showed up! Usually my mom would pick them up and then add them to the stack of prizes we could 'earn' with chores and good behaviour.
Fast forward about 30 years, and now my brother has kids about the same age as we were when we first discovered your stuff, and for some reason your books popped into my head again. Thanks for the hours of enjoyment you gave us and our friends we shared the books with; something tells us that our next generation in our family will like them as much as we did!
Fast forward about 30 years, and now my brother has kids about the same age as we were when we first discovered your stuff, and for some reason your books popped into my head again. Thanks for the hours of enjoyment you gave us and our friends we shared the books with; something tells us that our next generation in our family will like them as much as we did!
Reply by Bruce Coville
Hi, Barbara -
Many thanks for this message. It really delights me to know that you and your brother still remember the books so fondly . . . and that they will be shared with your brother's kids. One of the best things about having been at this writing thing for so long is becoming a two-generation author! When I was a young dad, reading to my kids was one of my favorite things. Knowing my own books are now being shared with the kids an early fan feels like a perfect circle to me!
Please give your brother and his young'uns my good wishes!
All best,
BC
Many thanks for this message. It really delights me to know that you and your brother still remember the books so fondly . . . and that they will be shared with your brother's kids. One of the best things about having been at this writing thing for so long is becoming a two-generation author! When I was a young dad, reading to my kids was one of my favorite things. Knowing my own books are now being shared with the kids an early fan feels like a perfect circle to me!
Please give your brother and his young'uns my good wishes!
All best,
BC
When I was in grade school (back in the 90's) I picked the first book up from the Unicorn Chronicles and instantly fell so in love with the series. I read it twice as a kid and now as an adult iv done another reread of it. This series introduced me to fantasy novels and I haven't looked back since!! Thank you for creating a series that shaped me into being a major fantasy reader as an adult. I now have children that are beginning to get into reading and this will be a series I hope all of my children come to adore. This series is something that even after all these years I still think of all the characters and one of the best story lines to date!. Thanks Bruce!!
Reply by Bruce Coville
Oh, gosh, I could not ask for a better response to those books! I love knowing that you will be sharing them with your children. Many thanks for this lovely message!
BC
BC
Hi Bruce,
In 1994 (I was in Grade 3) I bought a copy of My Teacher is an Alien at my school's used book sale for something like fifty cents. I read it twice or three times that year, I loved it so much. I remember being so enthralled with the concept you explored in that series that I read the sequels immediately, taking them out from the library as soon as they were available. At some point my parents must have bought me copies, because I just found them on a shelf at home and was flooded with wonderful childhood memories.
So now I'm reading them to my eight-year-old son, who is a total space and sci-fi junkie and is absolutely loving them! Thanks so much for giving the world this terrific and imaginative series, challenging us all to look to the stars and then look back at ourselves from an outside perspective. I'm certain your books helped shape the child I was to become the man and father I am today.
Many warm regards,
Kyle
In 1994 (I was in Grade 3) I bought a copy of My Teacher is an Alien at my school's used book sale for something like fifty cents. I read it twice or three times that year, I loved it so much. I remember being so enthralled with the concept you explored in that series that I read the sequels immediately, taking them out from the library as soon as they were available. At some point my parents must have bought me copies, because I just found them on a shelf at home and was flooded with wonderful childhood memories.
So now I'm reading them to my eight-year-old son, who is a total space and sci-fi junkie and is absolutely loving them! Thanks so much for giving the world this terrific and imaginative series, challenging us all to look to the stars and then look back at ourselves from an outside perspective. I'm certain your books helped shape the child I was to become the man and father I am today.
Many warm regards,
Kyle
Reply by Bruce Coville
Kyle -
Many thanks for this message. It delights me more than I can say to know you're sharing these books with your son. One of the best things about being around as long as I have is becoming a "two-generation writer"!
Reading to my kids was one of my favorite things to do when I was a young dad, so it absolutely delights me when I learn that some other dad is now doing that with my own books!
It also delights me to know that the books continued to hold such a place of fondness in your own memories! This: "challenging us all to look to the stars and then look back at ourselves from an outside perspective" is one of my favorite descriptions ever of what the series does!
All good wishes
Bruce Coville
Many thanks for this message. It delights me more than I can say to know you're sharing these books with your son. One of the best things about being around as long as I have is becoming a "two-generation writer"!
Reading to my kids was one of my favorite things to do when I was a young dad, so it absolutely delights me when I learn that some other dad is now doing that with my own books!
It also delights me to know that the books continued to hold such a place of fondness in your own memories! This: "challenging us all to look to the stars and then look back at ourselves from an outside perspective" is one of my favorite descriptions ever of what the series does!
All good wishes
Bruce Coville
I've been re-reading some of your works, and I have to ask, given its use of the name "Nilbog" and the presence of a goblin seer named Flegmire... is the short story "The Stinky Princess" meant to be a prequel to "Goblins in the Castle" and "Goblins on the Prowl"?
Thanks in advance!
Thanks in advance!
Reply by Bruce Coville
Hi, Russ -
Thanks for the questions. I wasn't thinking in terms of a prequel when I wrote "The Stinky Princess," just that it was a story set in the same world as GOBLINS IN THE CASTLE. But now that you mention it, the story is definitely a prequel.
I have to say that it was one of the most fun stories to write that I have done!
All best
BC
Thanks for the questions. I wasn't thinking in terms of a prequel when I wrote "The Stinky Princess," just that it was a story set in the same world as GOBLINS IN THE CASTLE. But now that you mention it, the story is definitely a prequel.
I have to say that it was one of the most fun stories to write that I have done!
All best
BC
I remember reading a book or short story that I don't recall the title to. There was a witch granting a wish and and one of those wishes involved an unlimited credit card and a space adventure.
I think it was a sequel to another book or story.
I think it was a sequel to another book or story.
Reply by Bruce Coville
Sorry, that doesn't ring a bell with me. It's certainly not one that I wrote! It is possible it was in one of the "Bruce Coville's Book of anthologies that I compiled back in the 1990's. But that was nearly thirty years ago and we used nearly 150 stories, so I don't have a solid recollection of all of them!