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Bruce Coville's Short Stories #1,2
Odds Are Good: An Oddly Enough and Odder Than Ever Omnibus – Beloved Master Bruce Coville's Hilarious and Moving Tales
Beloved for his hilarious and unexpectedly moving novels, Bruce Coville is also a master of the short story. These two collections, in one volume for the first time, feature eighteen tales of unusual breadth and emotional depth. This omnibus is a perfect introduction to Bruce Coville's magic for the uninitiated.
Includes an introduction by Jane Yolen.
Includes an introduction by Jane Yolen.
330 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2006
About the author
Bruce Coville
294 books1,240 followersBruce Coville was born in Syracuse, New York, in 1950. His family lived in farm territory, about twenty miles north of Syracuse. Bruce grew up around the corner from his grandparents' dairy farm, where he spent a great deal of time as a child, dodging cows and chores to the best of his ability. As a young reader he loved Mary Poppins and Dr. Dolittle, and still has fond memories of rising ahead of the rest of his family so he could huddle in a chair and read THE VOYAGES OF DR. DOLITTLE. He also read lots of things that people consider junk (Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, Tom Swift, and zillions of comic books). His only real regret is the time he spent watching television, when he could have been reading instead. (A mind is a terrible thing to waste!)
His first book, THE FOOLISH GIANT, was published in 1978. It was illustrated by his wife, Katherine, whom he had married in 1969. This was followed in 1979 by SARAH'S UNICORN, also illustrated by Katherine. After a long period of working separately, the Covilles began collaborating again with SPACE BRAT and GOBLINS IN THE CASTLE, both published in 1992.
Before getting published Bruce earned his living as a toymaker, a gravedigger, a cookware salesman, an assembly line worker, and finally as an elementary school teacher (second and fourth grades). He left teaching in 1981 to devote himself to becoming a full time writer - though it took another five years to achieve that goal!)
Bruce has published over 100 books, which have appeared in over a dozen countries around the world and sold more than sixteen million copies. Among his most popular titles are MY TEACHER IS AN ALIEN, INTO THE LAND OF THE UNICORNS, and THE MONSTER'S RING. In 2001 he founded Full Cast Audio, an audiobook company dedicated to creating unabridged, full cast recordings of the best in children's and young adult literature.
His first book, THE FOOLISH GIANT, was published in 1978. It was illustrated by his wife, Katherine, whom he had married in 1969. This was followed in 1979 by SARAH'S UNICORN, also illustrated by Katherine. After a long period of working separately, the Covilles began collaborating again with SPACE BRAT and GOBLINS IN THE CASTLE, both published in 1992.
Before getting published Bruce earned his living as a toymaker, a gravedigger, a cookware salesman, an assembly line worker, and finally as an elementary school teacher (second and fourth grades). He left teaching in 1981 to devote himself to becoming a full time writer - though it took another five years to achieve that goal!)
Bruce has published over 100 books, which have appeared in over a dozen countries around the world and sold more than sixteen million copies. Among his most popular titles are MY TEACHER IS AN ALIEN, INTO THE LAND OF THE UNICORNS, and THE MONSTER'S RING. In 2001 he founded Full Cast Audio, an audiobook company dedicated to creating unabridged, full cast recordings of the best in children's and young adult literature.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 12, 2024
Bruce Coville's ODDS ARE GOOD is a delightful collection of stories, a treasure. I DO 100% recommend it! Just a taste: I read "The Box" and "Duffy's Jacket" at bedtime, and they turned off the cares of the world, and gave me good sleep. "Homeward Bound" started my morning in a thoughtful vein. What to do when one just doesn’t fit in? The answer is most philosophical.
I'm glad to see that "Am I Blue?" is included, and I think “With His Head Tucked Underneath His Arm” should be read at Memorial Day concerts. There’s so much more, including a delightful introduction by Jane Yolen.
I'm glad to see that "Am I Blue?" is included, and I think “With His Head Tucked Underneath His Arm” should be read at Memorial Day concerts. There’s so much more, including a delightful introduction by Jane Yolen.
January 16, 2019
Really fun quirky stories about quirky kids.
Sometimes a bit scary, but nothing like Clive Barker...
My favorite was "Clean as a Whistle," about Jane Carhart, the messiest kid in Minnesota, and her cleaning fairy. I can relate to the idea that messes can be comforting, but cleanliness is more efficient...
Sometimes a bit scary, but nothing like Clive Barker...
My favorite was "Clean as a Whistle," about Jane Carhart, the messiest kid in Minnesota, and her cleaning fairy. I can relate to the idea that messes can be comforting, but cleanliness is more efficient...
Want to Read
June 2, 2025Cutting is for The Giant’s Tooth
By Bruce Coville
By Bruce Coville
May 14, 2011
Short stories are good.
It's because you rarely get interrupted when you are reading through the whole story, and it is also because it hardly is boring(pardon my words, but it's true!)if the story is short and easy to swallow in small bites. I like collections of short stories like these in this book, and you feel multiple of feelings while you read through many stories with sentimental, humorous, and those which chills your spine late at night. I personally like types of stories where you don't need to think a lot, and just let the stories absorb you. I think these stories are those types of stories. You just place yourself, like watching a movie, into the whole setting and vision the characters in front of you.
I personally liked the story about the box, and duffy's jacket, because I could relate to the characters in the story, and the ending was what I liked. Though in Duffy's Jacket story, I kind of knew the surprise ending before it was told. I heard similar stories before, but I'm not sure from where... I'm still reading this book (borrowed from Yii-ru :-) I should return it soon to her..)
It's because you rarely get interrupted when you are reading through the whole story, and it is also because it hardly is boring(pardon my words, but it's true!)if the story is short and easy to swallow in small bites. I like collections of short stories like these in this book, and you feel multiple of feelings while you read through many stories with sentimental, humorous, and those which chills your spine late at night. I personally like types of stories where you don't need to think a lot, and just let the stories absorb you. I think these stories are those types of stories. You just place yourself, like watching a movie, into the whole setting and vision the characters in front of you.
I personally liked the story about the box, and duffy's jacket, because I could relate to the characters in the story, and the ending was what I liked. Though in Duffy's Jacket story, I kind of knew the surprise ending before it was told. I heard similar stories before, but I'm not sure from where... I'm still reading this book (borrowed from Yii-ru :-) I should return it soon to her..)
August 28, 2007
In my on-going (albeit half-hearted) attempt to enjoy the genre of fantasy/sci-fi/whatever, I picked up this book and I immediately wished I had it when I taught 5th grade.
A collection of hugely diverse short stories, Coville is an absolute master of compelling beginnings.
Some stories ended camp-fire-esque in their silly surprise endings (i.e. Duffy's Jacket), others were wide open for interpretation and some were down right creepy (There's Nothing Under My Bed).
There was only one story that I didn't enjoy, about a boy grappling with his sexuality. Seemed too full of cliche's. I'm sure it would open up endless amounts of conversation but that's kind of the problem...it felt like more of a platform than a great story. Still tons of respect for approaching the topic in a collection where you wouldn't expect to see it.
A collection of hugely diverse short stories, Coville is an absolute master of compelling beginnings.
Some stories ended camp-fire-esque in their silly surprise endings (i.e. Duffy's Jacket), others were wide open for interpretation and some were down right creepy (There's Nothing Under My Bed).
There was only one story that I didn't enjoy, about a boy grappling with his sexuality. Seemed too full of cliche's. I'm sure it would open up endless amounts of conversation but that's kind of the problem...it felt like more of a platform than a great story. Still tons of respect for approaching the topic in a collection where you wouldn't expect to see it.
June 6, 2009
I think that all of the stories in the book were good, some about real life issues and some about fantasy too. Some for laughs and some for chills. I especially liked the fantasy ones, they were all thought out and presented nicely.
I also like how the stories are short in themselves, that they don't need to ever be extended into a bigger story, so altogether this book just WORKS.
I also like how the stories are short in themselves, that they don't need to ever be extended into a bigger story, so altogether this book just WORKS.
May 5, 2011
All these short stories written by a man who specializes in children's books, were very uplifting. It says ages 12 and up, and that's exactly what it is, "and up". This book will remain on my favorites shelf forever. I am proud to say I own this book, because I can go back to the stories whenever I need them. Yes, need.
January 7, 2013
This book of short stories made for much entertainment. In a world of working too hard this provided a needed retreat for my brain.I have read other books by this author and had a feeling this one would satisfy me.
October 22, 2015
a wonderful collection of short stories
as compared to "oddest of all", i feel that this collection is more suitable for teens instead of children as some parts are pretty spooky and some needs more mature thinking.
as compared to "oddest of all", i feel that this collection is more suitable for teens instead of children as some parts are pretty spooky and some needs more mature thinking.
October 16, 2014
Some of the short stories in here are quirky and highly original. I'd recommend it for use with middle school and high school students.
May 15, 2013
If you like books with adventure, and mystery, then this is the book for you!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews