Bücher von Bruce Coville

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.

Is this the end of the Alien Mission? All things must come to an end -- even sixth grade. But not all things end happily, and it looks as if Pleskit Meenom''s year as a sixth grade alien is about to end in catastrophe as Earth is swept by rumors that something horrible has happened at the alien embassy. Soon anti-alien demonstrations erupt outside Pleskit''s school. Who is behind the rumors? Is there really a secret enemy on the embassy staff? What happens if the mission fails? When Pleskit disappears, those questions take on new urgency. Desperate to answer them, Pleskit''s friends Tim Tompkins and Rafaella Cruz are forced to team up with Tim''s old enemy, Jordan Lynch, to save the mission...and Earth!

Tim Tomkins has always wanted to visit outer space -- but he didn''t plan to go as the captive of a mysterious alien! But that''s just what Tim, Pleskit, Maktel, and Linnsy have become -- captives in an interstellar struggle for control of the galaxy. Can four kids from two very different planets learn to work together? They''re going to have to, if they want to survive on the strange new world where they''ve been trapped. But even if they do survive, how will they ever find their way back home? Join Pleskit and his friends for a race against time and incredible danger -- with the fate of the galaxy hanging in the balance!

Two Feet of Trouble! Pleskit has always said that he''s not necessarily the first alien kid to go to school on Earth. He''s just the only one who''s doing it openly. Tim discovers the truth of those words when he meets a two-foot-tall alien, Beebo, who is stranded here and wants desperately to get back to his own planet. Unfortunately, Beebo''s presence on Earth could cause a diplomatic disaster. So Pleskit can''t ask his Fatherly One for help. And help is what the boys need, because Beebo is an imp! He''s hooked on mischief, and can''t resist using his powers to cause chaos in the classroom and havoc on the homefront. Pleskit and Tim have faced plenty of alien menaces. But can they survive an incredibly cute prankster who has a genuine gift for causing the most embarrassing trouble ever?

HANG ON TO YOUR BOXERS! When Tim comes home and finds a two-foot-high orange alien named Beebo Frimbat sitting on his desk, he knows he''s in for a hard time. After all, Beebo is a dedicated mischief maker who thinks trouble is the spice of life. But even Beebo''s past pranks don''t prepare Tim for finding his underwear flying from the school flagpole. Still, it''s all in fun. Or is it? Do Beebo''s pranks have anything to do with the plan to derail the mission of the Fatherly One? And is it really just an accident when Beebo locks Pleskit''s faithful bodyguard into an alternate dimension populated by man-eating monsters?

When the hamsters in Ms. Weintraub''s room start acting a little strange, everyone thinks the problem must be the alien vitamins that Pleskit has been feeding them. But even after Pleskit stops the vitamin treatments, the hamsters continue to get bigger -- and stronger -- and crankier. Clearly, something else is at work. But what? To answer that question, Tim and Pleskit will have to solve a mystery, track down an enemy, and defend themselves against a trio of the most dangerous hamsters the world has ever seen!

Maktel Geebrit, Pleskit''s pen pal from back home on Hevi-Hevi, is finally going to visit him on Earth. Pleskit is excited, but a little nervous, too. How will Maktel get along with Pleskit''s new friend, Tim? And just how does a kid cope with having two best friends on the same planet, anyway? As if that question wasn''t hard enough, Pleskit''s Fatherly One also has an off-world visitor -- an elegant trader named Ellico vec Bur. But is Ellico really a friend, or is the trader also a traitor...the greatest menace that the mission to Earth has yet faced? The search for an answer plunges Pleskit, Tim, Maktel, and Linnsy into danger beyond their wildest dreams!

ENDANGERED SPECIES When Percy the Mad Poet assigns Ms. Weintraub''s class to write poems about their pets, Pleskit decides he should bring his Veeblax to school. Not a good idea! When the little shapeshifter frightens one of Pleskit''s classmates, she freaks out -- and so do the newspapers. As the situation spins out of control, it becomes clear that Pleskit may lose his pet, his teacher may lose her job, and Earth may lose the benefits of the alien connection. Running away may be the only way for Pleskit to save the Veeblax. But where can you run to when you''re the only purple kid on the planet? And what do you do when something very strange starts following you?

MY BEST FRIEND IS A ZOMBIE! It''s science fair time again, and Tim Tompkins is in trouble. It''s only two days until the big event, and he hasn''t finished his project. In fact, he hasn''t even started it. Given Tim''s past history, this is no big surprise. But this year Tim has a new resource -- his alien friend, Pleskit Meenom. Surely with his super science, Pleskit can help Tim come up with a knockout project for the science fair. But Pleskit''s potent potion turns out to have side effects that not even an alien could have expected, and soon he''s desperately trying to answer the question: "What do you do when you''ve just amputated your best friend''s personality?"