Favorite Author Giveaway - Bruce Coville

On Saturday, I attended the Rochester Children's Book Festival and had the chance to meet some of my favorite authors, purchase some new books, ask for some autographs, and take a picture with one of my favorite author's of all time:  Bruce Coville!

Bruce coville is the author of 101 books for children and young adults and has won many children's choice awards, including one of the most recent...an award for "Excellence in Literature for Young People."  Bruce lives in Syracuse, New York (not too far from where I live).

I was first introduced to Bruce Coville's stories when I was in fourth grade.  I read Jennifer Murdley's Toad and was thrilled that my name (Jennifer) appeared in the book.  The second I started reading I was immediately hooked.  Bruce has a way with words that captures the reader and locks them into the story.  Once you start reading, you can't seem to put the book down until you've finished.  Each page leaves you desperately searching for more.  It's a good thing that there are more than one Magic Shop book in the collection because one was simply not enough.

Now, I use Bruce Coville's stories in my own fourth grade classroom.  I find that my fourth graders love his stories just as much as I did and still do.

My favorite story is Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher.  This book is about a boy who stumbles across a magic shop and purchases a mysterious egg.  After finishing the book my students always race to the library in search of other magic shop books to read as well.  At the end, I have students write a story about purchasing a different item from the magic shop.  I also have students create a Guide to Raising a Dragon.

My reluctant readers are always thrilled to read My Teacher is an Alien.  They love the concept of their teacher being a creature from out of this world.  I think by the end of the book they wind up secretly hoping that I am an alien as well.

If your looking for a great picture book, check out The Prince of Butterflies.  I've read this to my class during our monarch butterfly unit.  It is a story about a boy and a migration of monarch butterflies.  The message behind the story is to stay true to one's heart.

While I was at the festival I snagged a few extra books just for YOU!  You can win all 3 books and guess what, they are ALL autographed by Bruce himself!  Simply enter below with rafflecopter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Looking for something new to read?  Check out Bruce Coville's latest story:  Always October.  This is next on my to read list!  I can't wait!