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 he gets at Mr. Elives' shop is just a silly magic trick, but he follows the instructions and twists the ring twice anyway—and becomes a monster! Includes an author's note. "This lively tale . . . is more than just another story about [Halloween]. . . . It is a good book that will appeal, at any time, to anyone who, like Russell, is 'very fond of monsters.'" - New York Times Book Review "The mix of monsters, magic, and Halloween has a built-in appeal." - Booklist "Bruce Coville's story is a Halloween romp, with Katherine Coville's illustrations revving up the chills and giggles . . . a junior Jekyll and Hyde." - Publishers Weekly BRUCE COVILLE is the author of over 100 books for children and young adults, including the international bestseller My Teacher is an Alien, the Unicorn Chronicles series, and the much-beloved Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher. His work has appeared in a dozen languages and won children's choice awards in a dozen states. Before becoming a full time writer Bruce was a teacher, a toymaker, a magazine editor, a gravedigger, and a cookware salesman. He is also the creator of Full Cast Audio, an audiobook company devoted to producing full cast, unabridged recordings of material for family listening and has produced over a hundred audiobooks, directing and/or acting in most of them. Bruce lives in Syracuse, New York, with his wife, illustrator and author Katherine Coville. Katherine Coville is an artist as well as an author. Books she has illustrated include Aliens Ate My Homework and Sarah’s Unicorn , both by written her husband, Bruce Coville. Books she has written include Ivy , The Cottage in the Woods , and Briar, Rose, and Jack . She lives in Syracuse, New York, with a varying assortment of pets and children.    ONE The Magic Shop Russell Crannaker glanced up and down the alley. He was alone. Perfect. He could practice in peace. Putting up his arms, Russell staggered forward. He rolled back his eyes so only the whites were showing. Then he began to moan. Fantastic! He was going to be great as Frankenstein's monster-the best ever. Russell relaxed and grinned. Halloween should be all right this year after all. He moaned and lurched forward again. Frankenstein. Boy, would he love to actually be Frankenstein's monster for a while. Then he'd show that Eddie a thing or two. He could see it now: Eddie kneeling in front of him, whining, begging, pleading for mercy. He could even hear Eddie's voice: "Please, Russell. Please don't hurt me. Please. Please!" Russell smiled. It was a pleasant daydream. But his smile quickly turned to a frown. Something was wrong. Eddie was still talking! "Oh, no! Save me, save me! It's the horrible Crankenstein! Hey, Crannaker, what's up? You lose your marbles?" Russell opened his eyes and turned pale. Eddie, six inches taller than Russell and made mostly of mouth and muscle, was standing at the end of the alley. "Come here, twink," he sneered. "I'll make you really look like Frankenstein." Russell started to shake. So far that day, Eddie had poked him, punched him, called him names, and smashed him in the face with a cream-filled cupcake. Under the circumstances, only one thing made sense. Russell did it. He ran. "Hey, Crannaker!" bellowed Eddie. "Whassa matter? You afraid?" Afraid? Of course he was afraid! These days he lived in fear of what Eddie might do next. He rounded the back corner of the alley and tripped over a row of garbage cans. One fell, spreading trash from wall to wall. Eddie, racing around the corner after him, struck something slimy and slid to his seat. "I'll get you for this, Crannaker!" he roared. I've got to get out of here, Russell thought desperately. Got to get away...now! He was off like a shot, barreling down some back street. Without thinking, without looking, he turned another corner, and then another. Suddenly everything was quiet. Russell stopped. Where was Eddie? He looked around. To his surprise, he was alone. Not only that, he was on a street that was completely new to him. That bothered him a little, but it was no real problem. He knew Kennituck Falls fairly well. He couldn't be far from a main street. He walked to the next corner, figuring that would take him back to where he had started. It didn't. He turned right again-and then again. He was confused now. And scared. Not scared the way he had been when Eddie was after him. He was scared because Kennituck Falls was too small to get lost in.... It was starting to get dark. A fog began to rise, the mist curling around his feet like snakes made out of smoke. Russell stopped again. He had reached a dead-end street. It was lined with shops he had never seen before. They were closed-all except one. Directly ahead of him, a light burning in its window, crouched a store that took his breath away. The sign in the curved w