Charlie Eggleston is the biggest liar in town. When he finds himself at Mr. Elives' magic shop, his eyes light upon the skull. He steals it, and it puts him under some sort of spell: Soon he can only tell the truth--but now no one believes him!
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Book Description
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Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6. A boy noted for his propensity for telling lies inadvertently acquires an ancient skull that forces him to speak the truth, resulting in situations both funny and poignant.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"A fast-moving, rollicking, yet serious tale . . . Will keep youngsters thinking."--School Library Journal (starred review)
"This skillfully told, fast-paced fantasy ranges in mood from serious to scary, but it's always laced with humor."--The Horn Book
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More About the Author
Bruce 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 nearly 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 nearly 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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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just as good as Jeremy Thatcher and Jennifer Murdley's toad!,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Skull of Truth: A Magic Shop Book (Hardcover)
After reading Jeremy Thatcher Dragon Hatcher and Jennifer Murdley's Toad, you'd think there couldn't be any book better. Yet the Skull of Truth was awesome. One problem? WHen I tell people that this is one of my favorite books, they laugh at the title and won't read it. Bruce Coville writes beautiful, captivating books, yet sadly, people might not take them seriously because of titles. I didn't until I read one1 Once again, Mr. Coville, you wrote another "winner"!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Skull of Truth the Review,
A Kid's Review
This review is from: The Skull of Truth: A Magic Shop Book (Magic Shop Books) (Paperback)
THE SKULL OF TRUTH, by Bruce Coville is a very interesting book to read. Bruce has written many books such as JEREMY THATCHER, DRAGON HATCHER. He usually writes scary books that send a chill down your back. He is the winner of the New York State Knickerbocker Award, for quality in children's literature. I give this book four stars, because this book was interesting and all, but some parts were there that shouln't have been. This book also teaches a lesson the lesson is never to lie. The main characters were Charlie, the skull Yorick, Mr. Elves, Gilbert, and Uncke Bennie. My favorite from them all was Yorick, the skull because he was funny and he never lied, he had a great personality. These characters show a real meaning of friendship. This book also explains that the truth can help you in some situations. for example, Charlie gets cursed with the truth when he finds the skull and has to tell the truth all the time. The lies will not come out of his mouth. One day Charlie tells his best friend, Gilbert, he looks funny with his bald head and Gilbert is mad at him. The next day Charlie goes to Gilbert's house to apologize, he tells the truth to Gilbert what was in his heart and Gilbert fogives him. The books main settings are at the swamp, the school, and at Gilbert's and Charlie's houses. I like a lot of parts, but the best part I like was when Charlie finds a skull and the skull never shuts-up, just to annoy Charlie. It is funny! Another good thing about this book is how the author gives a lot of descriptions. For example, Charlie squashes a bug and the gooey guts and blood come out. I recommend this book for people who like stories with gruesome descriptions and magical things. I enjoyed reading this book!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
GREAT!!!,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Skull of Truth: A Magic Shop Book (Hardcover)
I love the way Coville uses such a mixture of feelings, from Charlie's friend with cancer to the humorous skull Yorick, Coville uses so many real emotions that it seems as if you could really feel Charlie's compassion, annoyance, & love. A great book. It's a worthy sequel to Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher, & Jennifer Murdley's Toad.
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Inside This Book
(learn more)
First Sentence:
Charlie Eggleston looked at the frog he held cupped in his hands. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
skull sighed, magic shop Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Aunt Hilda, Gramma Ethel, Uncle Horace, Mark Evans, Tucker's Swamp, Charlie Eggleston, Hyacinth Priest, Karen Ackerman, Finally Charlie, The Billiard Balls, Tucker's Grove New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Charlie Eggleston looked at the frog he held cupped in his hands. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
skull sighed, magic shop Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Aunt Hilda, Gramma Ethel, Uncle Horace, Mark Evans, Tucker's Swamp, Charlie Eggleston, Hyacinth Priest, Karen Ackerman, Finally Charlie, The Billiard Balls, Tucker's Grove New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
40
books
cite this book:
See all 40 books citing this book
- Reimagining Shakespeare for Children and Young Adults (Children's Literature and Culture) by Naomi Miller on page 59, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Too Many Aliens by Bruce Coville in Front Matter, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- I Lost My Grandfather's Brain (I Was a Sixth Grade Alien) by Bruce Coville in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- Composing Diverse Identities: Narrative Inquiries into the Interwoven Lives of Children and Teachers (Teachers, Teaching and Learning) by D. Jean Clandinin on page 90, and Back Matter
- Aliens Ate My Homework by Bruce Coville in Front Matter, and Back Matter
See all 40 books citing this book
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