Other editions of book The Monster's Ring: A Magic Shop Book

Pursued by the bullying Eddie, the timid Russell Crannaker stumbles into Mr. Elives' magic shop, where he buys a mysterious ring that allows him to become a monster. But has he become too bold? What exactly is the ring doing to him? And what price will he have to pay if he fails to follow the directions? This full cast recording, narrated by Bruce Coville himself, perfectly captures the frightfully funny, deliciously scary story that launched the highly acclaimed Magic Shop series.

Bruce Coville's The Monster's Ring did more than launch his career as a children's novelist, it also introduced readers to the world of Mr. Elives' Magic Shop, where boys hatch dragons, toads talk, skulls spout Shakespeare, and the heroes and heroines of Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher, Jennifer Murdley's Toad, The Skull of Truth, and next year's Juliet Dove, Queen of Love find enchantment, adventure, and insight. Now available in twentieth anniversary editions, each of these modern classics has been given a new afterword by the author and stunning new jacket art by Tony DiTerlizzi.Twist it once, you're horned and haired;Twist it twice and fangs are bared;Twist it thrice? No one has dared! Russell is sure that the ring is just a silly magic trick, but he follows the instructions and twists the ring twice anyway--and becomes a monster!• ABA's Pick of the Lists• Children's Choice Award Nominee (in four states)• IRA Children's Choice

MONSTROUS MAGIC It all starts when Russell Crannaker buys a "monster's ring" from weird old Mr. Elives. Russell is sure the ring is just a silly magic trick -- but he follows the instructions anyway, and slips it on his finger. Then he whispers the magic chant, twists the ring once, and suddenly he's sprouting horns! Hair covers his face and hands. Russell has become...a monster! Russell quickly learns how to change back and forth from human to monster. But he hasn't paid enough attention to the instructions, and when he puts on the ring on the night of a full moon, and twists it three times, Russell realizes he's gone too far...A monster is loose in Kennituck Falls.

Monsters, aliens, ghosts, giant frogs, and a tragic angel are just some of the ingredients of this madcap adventure that is quite possibly Bruce Coville’s strangest novel yet. Bruce himself appears on this recording as Gaspar Morley, head of a strange family of monsters that draw Anthony (our narrator) and his little sister Sarah into a galaxy-spanning adventure with the very souls of Earth’s dead at stake.

The frightfully funny, deliciously scary story that launched the wildly popular Magic Shop series! When timid Russell Crannaker stumbles into Mr. Elives' strange store, he buys a ring that lets him turn himself into a monster. But Russell soon learns that when you mess around with magic you have to follow the directions carefully--or the results can be disastrous! The recording is narrated by the author, and features a special afterword in which he reveals the beginnings of the magic shop . . . and the secret of Mr. Elives' name. IMPORTANT NOTE: The text for this recording was taken from the revised and expanded 20th anniversary edition of THE MONSTER'S RING which was released by Harcourt in the fall of 2002.