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.
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867 entries.
Dear Mr. Coville,
I am a dyslexia teacher in Dallas, Texas and have been reading the Magic Shop Series with one of my third grade students, Lucas. We are really enjoying them. He would like to know what your best selling book has been. Thank you!
I am a dyslexia teacher in Dallas, Texas and have been reading the Magic Shop Series with one of my third grade students, Lucas. We are really enjoying them. He would like to know what your best selling book has been. Thank you!
Reply by Bruce Coville
Dear Amy -
First off, my apologies for not getting back to you sooner. We recently transferred the website to a new host, and getting everything back in place has been, well . . . a nightmare!
Please give Lucas my greetings. You can tell him that the bestselling book in the Magic Shop series is JEREMY THATCHER, DRAGON HATCHER. However my all time best-selling books have been the four titles in the MY TEACHER IS AN ALIEN series.
My thanks for sharing my books with your students. And, again, my apologies for the delayed response!
Sincerely,
Bruce Coville
First off, my apologies for not getting back to you sooner. We recently transferred the website to a new host, and getting everything back in place has been, well . . . a nightmare!
Please give Lucas my greetings. You can tell him that the bestselling book in the Magic Shop series is JEREMY THATCHER, DRAGON HATCHER. However my all time best-selling books have been the four titles in the MY TEACHER IS AN ALIEN series.
My thanks for sharing my books with your students. And, again, my apologies for the delayed response!
Sincerely,
Bruce Coville
Dear Bruce,
My journey through the land of Luster began over 20 years ago, and though I am now 33 years old the series still holds a very special place in my heart. I am so happy to hear that the rest of The Unicorn Chronicles will be available this year! I have yet to read The Last Hunt (I'm a completist and was waiting for the paperback version which never came out). I am excited to finally read the conclusion of the saga when you re-release it this year!
Thank you for writing this series, and for persevering to complete it despite the long breaks in between. Please allow me to share with you my journey with this series, it has really meant so much to me 🙂
I vividly remember buying the first volume when I was 9 or 10 yrs old at my school book fair, absolutely thrilled that a novel about unicorns was available. Until that point I'd never heard of any unicorn stories aside from the 1982 animated film version of Peter S. Beagle's "The Last Unicorn." I was hungry for more stories about unicorns and was over the moon when your book came along.
For years after that I kept checking bookstores for the next volume (with no success of course). Though I eventually despaired of any more volumes being written or published, every once in a while I would still check my bookstore 'just in case.' And I re-read the first volume many times because it was just that good! Then, sometime in my teens I went to my bookstore to buy something else, and on a whim checked on The Unicorn Chronicles again. I was completely astounded to find that the second volume was not only in existence but had been available for some time, even in paperback, so I snapped it up right away.
Thankfully the age of the internet was in full swing by then and I was able to see the updates on your website about the progress of the next volumes. Sometime in my 20s, I eagerly picked up the third volume in paperback, still with some lingering astonishment that this story I started in my childhood was actually continuing.
When the final volume, The Last Hunt, came out, I patiently waited for the paperback edition to complete my collection. But of course you know what happened there. For a long time I would check for updates on a re-release, and eventually saw some of your comments in this guestbook which indicated that you were trying to get the rights back, which gave me hope. And now, at long last - I'm very excited for the re-releases this year!
I'm saying all this ultimately to tell you that The Unicorn Chronicles captured my imagination in a very special way and inspired a perhaps abnormally dogged pursuit to complete the journey. I so look forward to reading the final volume this year (after re-reading the others of course), by the end of which I would have read one volume during each decade of my life 🙂
Thank you Bruce, for crafting the world of Luster with its rich characters and stories. The only thing I'll be wondering after I finish the series, is whether movies will ever be made from the books 😉
My journey through the land of Luster began over 20 years ago, and though I am now 33 years old the series still holds a very special place in my heart. I am so happy to hear that the rest of The Unicorn Chronicles will be available this year! I have yet to read The Last Hunt (I'm a completist and was waiting for the paperback version which never came out). I am excited to finally read the conclusion of the saga when you re-release it this year!
Thank you for writing this series, and for persevering to complete it despite the long breaks in between. Please allow me to share with you my journey with this series, it has really meant so much to me 🙂
I vividly remember buying the first volume when I was 9 or 10 yrs old at my school book fair, absolutely thrilled that a novel about unicorns was available. Until that point I'd never heard of any unicorn stories aside from the 1982 animated film version of Peter S. Beagle's "The Last Unicorn." I was hungry for more stories about unicorns and was over the moon when your book came along.
For years after that I kept checking bookstores for the next volume (with no success of course). Though I eventually despaired of any more volumes being written or published, every once in a while I would still check my bookstore 'just in case.' And I re-read the first volume many times because it was just that good! Then, sometime in my teens I went to my bookstore to buy something else, and on a whim checked on The Unicorn Chronicles again. I was completely astounded to find that the second volume was not only in existence but had been available for some time, even in paperback, so I snapped it up right away.
Thankfully the age of the internet was in full swing by then and I was able to see the updates on your website about the progress of the next volumes. Sometime in my 20s, I eagerly picked up the third volume in paperback, still with some lingering astonishment that this story I started in my childhood was actually continuing.
When the final volume, The Last Hunt, came out, I patiently waited for the paperback edition to complete my collection. But of course you know what happened there. For a long time I would check for updates on a re-release, and eventually saw some of your comments in this guestbook which indicated that you were trying to get the rights back, which gave me hope. And now, at long last - I'm very excited for the re-releases this year!
I'm saying all this ultimately to tell you that The Unicorn Chronicles captured my imagination in a very special way and inspired a perhaps abnormally dogged pursuit to complete the journey. I so look forward to reading the final volume this year (after re-reading the others of course), by the end of which I would have read one volume during each decade of my life 🙂
Thank you Bruce, for crafting the world of Luster with its rich characters and stories. The only thing I'll be wondering after I finish the series, is whether movies will ever be made from the books 😉
Reply by Bruce Coville
Dear Lisa -
Thank you for this thoroughly beautiful message! It fills my heart to know how much Luster and these stories have meant to you.
It was a rocky road (no pun intended, given that "Rocky" became an increasingly important character) to get to the ending. I know, and regret, that I frustrated my readers by taking so long to finish.
Truth is, I also did myself considerable financial harm ... I would be much better off now if I had jammed the books out on a regular schedule! But it was more important to me to get them right than to get them out fast.
It means a lot to me that you have stayed with the series for all these years. And now that the story is complete (though I would still like to write more books set in Luster, this first arc is done) I am hoping that I can bring the series alive for a new generation.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for staying with me through all this.
All best,
Bruce
Thank you for this thoroughly beautiful message! It fills my heart to know how much Luster and these stories have meant to you.
It was a rocky road (no pun intended, given that "Rocky" became an increasingly important character) to get to the ending. I know, and regret, that I frustrated my readers by taking so long to finish.
Truth is, I also did myself considerable financial harm ... I would be much better off now if I had jammed the books out on a regular schedule! But it was more important to me to get them right than to get them out fast.
It means a lot to me that you have stayed with the series for all these years. And now that the story is complete (though I would still like to write more books set in Luster, this first arc is done) I am hoping that I can bring the series alive for a new generation.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for staying with me through all this.
All best,
Bruce
Hello Mr. Coville,
I am in nearly the same predicament as another commenter in your guestbook; I've read the entirety of your Unicorn Chronicles series, love it, but only own the first two books as I borrowed the last two from the library. You said that you will be splitting up the last two books into two and three books respectively; will the text of the books change at all in the splitting? In any case, I'm very excited to have the possibility of owning these books and reading them again!
Thank you,
Natasha
I am in nearly the same predicament as another commenter in your guestbook; I've read the entirety of your Unicorn Chronicles series, love it, but only own the first two books as I borrowed the last two from the library. You said that you will be splitting up the last two books into two and three books respectively; will the text of the books change at all in the splitting? In any case, I'm very excited to have the possibility of owning these books and reading them again!
Thank you,
Natasha
Reply by Bruce Coville
Hi, Natasha -
Thanks for this - it means a lot to me that you remember the chronicles with such love.
Your question is well put. If I do go forward with dividing the books, there will be some changes. For example, if I do split up DARK WHISPERS, I will probably rearrange the chapters in the middle to create a better rising narrative and endpoint for the first half of the book.
For complete disclosure, I am also making some changes to make the series more consistent. (In this, I am simply following in the wake of the master of us all, J.R.R. Tolkien, who back-revised THE HOBBIT to match what he did next) For example, there were errors regarding the family tree of the royal family (spotted by a couple of astute readers) in SONG OF THE WANDERER that I have tried to address.
Any changes will be in service of a tighter, more accurate representation of the adventures of Cara in Luster!
All best wishes,
Bruce Coville
Thanks for this - it means a lot to me that you remember the chronicles with such love.
Your question is well put. If I do go forward with dividing the books, there will be some changes. For example, if I do split up DARK WHISPERS, I will probably rearrange the chapters in the middle to create a better rising narrative and endpoint for the first half of the book.
For complete disclosure, I am also making some changes to make the series more consistent. (In this, I am simply following in the wake of the master of us all, J.R.R. Tolkien, who back-revised THE HOBBIT to match what he did next) For example, there were errors regarding the family tree of the royal family (spotted by a couple of astute readers) in SONG OF THE WANDERER that I have tried to address.
Any changes will be in service of a tighter, more accurate representation of the adventures of Cara in Luster!
All best wishes,
Bruce Coville
Mr. Coville,
First of all, I wanted to thank you for being a huge part of my childhood since the first grade. I grew up with your Unicorn Chronicles and eagerly read your website for updates on your book process. I remember when you decided to split the last book into Dark Whispers and The Last Hunt. I was in high school when The Last Hunt came out, and I unfortunately missed the boat buying it. I know it's been nearly 9 years and we still haven't had a second printing. The last I read from your blog a few years ago, you were in the process of getting a new company to print the book. Any progress on this? I'm 25 years old now, and I would love to go back to Luster and finish my favorite childhood series.
Thanks so much!
Kylee
First of all, I wanted to thank you for being a huge part of my childhood since the first grade. I grew up with your Unicorn Chronicles and eagerly read your website for updates on your book process. I remember when you decided to split the last book into Dark Whispers and The Last Hunt. I was in high school when The Last Hunt came out, and I unfortunately missed the boat buying it. I know it's been nearly 9 years and we still haven't had a second printing. The last I read from your blog a few years ago, you were in the process of getting a new company to print the book. Any progress on this? I'm 25 years old now, and I would love to go back to Luster and finish my favorite childhood series.
Thanks so much!
Kylee
Reply by Bruce Coville
Hi, Kylee -
Thanks for this lovely message. I am delighted that you still care so much about the Unicorn Chronicles. As things have played out, I will be republishing the books myself. I have already brought back the first two - Book 1 in both print and ebook editions, Book 2 in ebook with a print edition soon to follow.
The plan now is to split the final two books, because they are so much longer than the beginning of the series. DARK WHISPERS will become two books and LAST HUNT become three, making for a seven book series that is more uniform in length. I hope to have all of them available before the end of 2019 - and it will be the first time ever that there will be a uniform edition!
I would be interested to know your thoughts on this plan.
With all good wishes,
Bruce Coville
Thanks for this lovely message. I am delighted that you still care so much about the Unicorn Chronicles. As things have played out, I will be republishing the books myself. I have already brought back the first two - Book 1 in both print and ebook editions, Book 2 in ebook with a print edition soon to follow.
The plan now is to split the final two books, because they are so much longer than the beginning of the series. DARK WHISPERS will become two books and LAST HUNT become three, making for a seven book series that is more uniform in length. I hope to have all of them available before the end of 2019 - and it will be the first time ever that there will be a uniform edition!
I would be interested to know your thoughts on this plan.
With all good wishes,
Bruce Coville
Dear Bruce,
I like The Weeping Werewolf book because it is interesting at the middle when they are in the Forest of Night.Can keep making other Moongobble and Me books? Can you come to our school? It is named Odyssey Elementary. Also, what is your favorite book? Thank you!
Sincerely,
Matthew
4th grader
I like The Weeping Werewolf book because it is interesting at the middle when they are in the Forest of Night.Can keep making other Moongobble and Me books? Can you come to our school? It is named Odyssey Elementary. Also, what is your favorite book? Thank you!
Sincerely,
Matthew
4th grader
Reply by Bruce Coville
Hi, Matthew -
I am so happy to know that you liked THE WEEPING WEREWOLF. The ending of the story was a surprise even to me! I didn't realize where it was going to go when I started working on it!
There are five Moongobble Books in all. Sadly, I do not think my publisher is want any more of them. I would have liked to continue the series. They are so much fun to write!
Thanks for reading, and thanks for this message.
Bruce Coville
I am so happy to know that you liked THE WEEPING WEREWOLF. The ending of the story was a surprise even to me! I didn't realize where it was going to go when I started working on it!
There are five Moongobble Books in all. Sadly, I do not think my publisher is want any more of them. I would have liked to continue the series. They are so much fun to write!
Thanks for reading, and thanks for this message.
Bruce Coville
Dear Mr. Coville,
My favorite book was The Weeping Werewolf. My favorite character was Moongobble and my favorite part was when they noticed that the werewolf was Edward's dad. It is weird that you love snow because where I live people don't like snow. I love to dance and it is my passion. Do you like to dance? Can you come to my school at Odyssey Elementary and can you send me your autograph please? What is your new book called? You are so funny and awesome!
Odyssey Elementary Address:
13025 17th AVE W
Everett, WA 98204
Sincerely,
Valeria
5th grader
My favorite book was The Weeping Werewolf. My favorite character was Moongobble and my favorite part was when they noticed that the werewolf was Edward's dad. It is weird that you love snow because where I live people don't like snow. I love to dance and it is my passion. Do you like to dance? Can you come to my school at Odyssey Elementary and can you send me your autograph please? What is your new book called? You are so funny and awesome!
Odyssey Elementary Address:
13025 17th AVE W
Everett, WA 98204
Sincerely,
Valeria
5th grader
Reply by Bruce Coville
Hi, Valeria -
Thanks for this message.
My city, Syracuse, is the snowiest city of over 100,000 people IN THE WORLD! So if I didn't love snow, I would be in big trouble. Though I will confess that I don't much like shoveling the stuff. I loved it more when I was a little kid and it was my dad who had to do the shoveling!
I love dance, but I am not very good at it myself, which is a sorrow to me. One of my very favorite TV shows is "So You Think You Can Dance?" The people are amazing!
Your friend,
BC
Thanks for this message.
My city, Syracuse, is the snowiest city of over 100,000 people IN THE WORLD! So if I didn't love snow, I would be in big trouble. Though I will confess that I don't much like shoveling the stuff. I loved it more when I was a little kid and it was my dad who had to do the shoveling!
I love dance, but I am not very good at it myself, which is a sorrow to me. One of my very favorite TV shows is "So You Think You Can Dance?" The people are amazing!
Your friend,
BC
Dear Mr. Coville,
I really love your books.I read The Weeping Werewolf. My favorite part was that the weeping werewolf turned back into Edward's dad. I have a sister, a brother, a mom, a dad, dogs, and pigeons.Can you please come to our school?
Address for Odyssey Elementary:
13025 17th AVE W
Everett, WA 98204
Sincerely,
Illona
5th Grade
I really love your books.I read The Weeping Werewolf. My favorite part was that the weeping werewolf turned back into Edward's dad. I have a sister, a brother, a mom, a dad, dogs, and pigeons.Can you please come to our school?
Address for Odyssey Elementary:
13025 17th AVE W
Everett, WA 98204
Sincerely,
Illona
5th Grade
Reply by Bruce Coville
Hi, Ilona -
Thanks for this message. I am delighted that you love my books! And I would love to come to your school, but that is a big thing to arrange and is probably best done through your librarian.
It is cool that you have pigeons and dogs. Our household animals are all cats. Though I would like to have a snarky talking toad like Urk if I could find one.
Your pal.
Bruce Coville
Thanks for this message. I am delighted that you love my books! And I would love to come to your school, but that is a big thing to arrange and is probably best done through your librarian.
It is cool that you have pigeons and dogs. Our household animals are all cats. Though I would like to have a snarky talking toad like Urk if I could find one.
Your pal.
Bruce Coville
Dear Bruce,
My name is Somara and I am in 5th grade. I love your books. My favorite part of The Weeping Werewolf was that Urk was funny and that Edward's dad was the weeping werewolf. Another book I love is The Evil Elves. It is a great book that I think the whole world should see. Something interesting about you is that you knew you wanted to write books when you were in 6th grade. Something interesting about me is that I love to draw. Maybe some day I could illustrate for you! I would love if you could come to my school. I would also love if you could send me an autograph. You are awesome and funny!
Odyssey Elementary Address:
13025 17th AVE W
Everett, WA 98204
Sincerely,
Somara
My name is Somara and I am in 5th grade. I love your books. My favorite part of The Weeping Werewolf was that Urk was funny and that Edward's dad was the weeping werewolf. Another book I love is The Evil Elves. It is a great book that I think the whole world should see. Something interesting about you is that you knew you wanted to write books when you were in 6th grade. Something interesting about me is that I love to draw. Maybe some day I could illustrate for you! I would love if you could come to my school. I would also love if you could send me an autograph. You are awesome and funny!
Odyssey Elementary Address:
13025 17th AVE W
Everett, WA 98204
Sincerely,
Somara
Reply by Bruce Coville
Hi, Somara (what a cool name!) -
Glad to know that you love my books! And also that you enjoyed Urk's humor. He was my favorite character to write in the series because he is so snarky!
Here is something interesting: A local puppet theater is doing puppet shows based on all five of the Moongobble books, and just last weekend I saw the one based on THE EVIL ELVES. It was fun, and funny. I am lucky to have talented people who work in theater who want to bring my stories to life that way!
All best,
BC
Glad to know that you love my books! And also that you enjoyed Urk's humor. He was my favorite character to write in the series because he is so snarky!
Here is something interesting: A local puppet theater is doing puppet shows based on all five of the Moongobble books, and just last weekend I saw the one based on THE EVIL ELVES. It was fun, and funny. I am lucky to have talented people who work in theater who want to bring my stories to life that way!
All best,
BC
DEAR BRUCE,
I READ YOUR BOOK THE WEEPING WEREWOLF AND MY FAVORITE PART IS WHEN EDWARD MET HIS DAD AFTER HE SHINED. I'M A FORTH GRADER AND I LOVE YOUR BOOKS AND YOU SHOULD MAKE MORE BOOKS. MAYBE MAKE A BOOK WITH EDWARD GETTING ANOTHER PET. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT?
SINCERELY,
BRAYDON
I READ YOUR BOOK THE WEEPING WEREWOLF AND MY FAVORITE PART IS WHEN EDWARD MET HIS DAD AFTER HE SHINED. I'M A FORTH GRADER AND I LOVE YOUR BOOKS AND YOU SHOULD MAKE MORE BOOKS. MAYBE MAKE A BOOK WITH EDWARD GETTING ANOTHER PET. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT?
SINCERELY,
BRAYDON
Reply by Bruce Coville
Hi, Braydon -
Thanks for this message. As it happens, that is also MY favorite part of THE WEEPING WEREWOLF. I did not know when I started the book that that was what was going to happen!
I like your idea for another book, but, sadly, I do not think the publisher wants any more Moongobble stories. But there are five books, so that is a pretty good run!
All best,
Bruce Coville
Thanks for this message. As it happens, that is also MY favorite part of THE WEEPING WEREWOLF. I did not know when I started the book that that was what was going to happen!
I like your idea for another book, but, sadly, I do not think the publisher wants any more Moongobble stories. But there are five books, so that is a pretty good run!
All best,
Bruce Coville
Dear Mr. Bruce,
I read The Weeping Werewolf and my favorite character was Moongobble. I liked him because I like the part when he turned every thing into cheese. I love drawing and writing stories about my family. Also, how is New York? What school do your kids go to and if they don't then tell me how old they are? Thank you Bruce for writing great stories.
Sincerely,
Heidi
5th grade
I read The Weeping Werewolf and my favorite character was Moongobble. I liked him because I like the part when he turned every thing into cheese. I love drawing and writing stories about my family. Also, how is New York? What school do your kids go to and if they don't then tell me how old they are? Thank you Bruce for writing great stories.
Sincerely,
Heidi
5th grade
Reply by Bruce Coville
Hi, Heidi -
Thanks for this message. I'm delighted to know that you enjoyed THE WEEPING WEREWOLF, which I think is probably my own favorite of the five books in the series.
My kids are all grown now - they are 37, 43, and 48 years old! (I won't even mention how old I am now!)
Best wishes,
BC
Thanks for this message. I'm delighted to know that you enjoyed THE WEEPING WEREWOLF, which I think is probably my own favorite of the five books in the series.
My kids are all grown now - they are 37, 43, and 48 years old! (I won't even mention how old I am now!)
Best wishes,
BC