Bruce Coville
His wildly inventive stories, from unicorns to aliens, have served as a gateway to lifelong reading for generations of young readers.
Born 1950 (age 76)·American novelist·Birthday: May 16·Baby Boomers
Biography
Bruce Coville didn't just write books for children; he built portals to other worlds. Before finding his calling, he worked a string of jobs—including a stint as a gravedigger and a toy salesman—that perhaps fueled his boundless imagination. His breakthrough came with 'My Teacher Is an Alien,' a novel that perfectly captured the mix of humor, heart, and otherworldly wonder that became his signature. Coville understood the young reader's desire for both escapism and emotional truth, crafting narratives where kids often held the power to save the day. He became a fixture in school libraries and at book fairs, his name synonymous with fast-paced, funny, and sometimes deliciously scary fantasy and science fiction. Beyond his own writing, he was a champion for the genre and for literacy, frequently speaking about the importance of reading for pleasure. With over a hundred books to his name, his true legacy is the countless readers who picked up one of his paperbacks and discovered the simple, transformative joy of getting lost in a story.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Bruce was born in 1950, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bruce Was Born
The biggest hits of 1950
#1 Movie
Cinderella
Best Picture
All About Eve
#1 TV Show
Texaco Star Theatre
Bruce's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1950Born
Korean War begins
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,354Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Goodnight Irene" — Gordon Jenkins & The WeaversBest Picture: All About Eve
1955Started school
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1963Became a teenager
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1966Could drive
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1968Could vote
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Turned 21
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1980Turned 30
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1990Turned 40
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 50
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 60
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 70
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 76 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Authored the bestselling 'My Teacher Is an Alien' series, which has sold millions of copies worldwide.
- Founded his own audiobook company, Full Cast Audio, dedicated to producing full-cast recordings of children's books.
- Has written and edited numerous short story anthologies that have introduced young readers to a wide range of authors.
Did You Know?
He wrote his first children's book, 'The Foolish Giant', while working as a elementary school teacher.
He is a frequent and popular speaker at schools, having visited over 2000 of them across the United States.
He once worked as a magazine writer for a company that published 'True Confessions' and other similar magazines.
“It is the duty of a children's writer to write books that are so interesting the child cannot resist finishing them.”
