Pop’s 6 Favorite Books of 2018

In 2018 Pop read and reviewed 36 young adult novels. All of the books received 5 pops because they were thought provoking, imaginative, and the author’s writing style exemplary. Below you’ll find seven of his favorites plus his award-winning novel, Koolura and the Mayans.

Title: Koolura and the Mayans  

Author: Michael Thal

Awards: 2018 eLit Award for best YA novel- Gold Medal Winner YA Fiction

               2016 Royal Dragonfly Book Awards second place Middle Grade Fiction

Pages: 133

Reviewer: Arya Fomonyuy for Reader’s Favorite:

Although Koolura and the Mayans is written for a pre-teen audience, it was fun to read as an adult. Michael Thal’s characters are awesome and I enjoyed Koolura and Leila, two girls who are smart and very ingenious. They make a great team. Readers will enjoy watching them evolve through the story. The author seems to create a whole new culture around the Maya and the story feels so real, reading about the people and the challenges they face. At the level of style, this book is beautifully accomplished. First off, the reader will notice the gorgeous accessible writing, composed of short and easy-to-understand sentences. The writing also features great descriptions of characters and setting. The descriptive prose creates powerful images in the minds of readers. I enjoyed the well-crafted dialogues, which make the characters come to life. Readers will love the adventure, the drama, the conflict, and the entertaining nature of this story. I enjoyed it!

Title: Last Chances  

Author: Jeanne Bannon

Pages: 132

Reviewer: Michael Thal for Pop’s Blog

Last Chances, a novella by USA Today best selling author Jeanne Bannon, tells about the romantic story of Pressley and Hayden and their mutual love of animals. Their effort to save the life of a loveless dog is inspiring.

Set in a small town in rural South Carolina, Bannon does a superb job of character development showing readers the lives of her three main characters and how they begin to care for each other.

If you love YA romance and looking for a quick read that will keep you riveted from page 1 to page 132, Last Chances is highly recommended.

Title: Hit and Run 

Author: Dr. Bob Rich

Pages: 329

Reviewer: Michael Thal for Pop’s Blog

Dr. Bob Rich’s novel, Hit and Run, is told from Silvia Kryz’s first person point of view. In the novel, the author shows the miracles that can happen when a community comes together to support a psychologically depressed teen.

Rich’s book is inspiring and contains a strong believable plot and well-defined characters. The setting for the story came up short in this reviewer’s mind. More description of the city and Australian countryside would have added an extra coat of texture to this otherwise finely crafted novel. Its subject matter is rarely seen in literature and is opt to warm any reader’s heart.

Title: Ella, the Slayer

Author: A.W. Exley

Pages: 237

Reviewer: Michael Thal for Pop’s Blog

A.W. Exley has created a surprisingly independent Cinderella who manages juggling her difficult home life, responding to calls of vermin attacks, and meeting Seth deMage, the new Duke of Leithfied, who step-mother Elizabeth plans to marry off to her eldest daughter, Louise. However, the Duke has other ideas after meeting Ella.

Exley’s novel, Ella the Slayer, will keep YA readers at the edge of their seats as the plot takes surprising twists and turns that will leave readers breathless. The characters are realistic and fully developed in a marvelously described setting. The only fault Pop could find with this thriller was that it ended. To his joy, there is a sequel, Alice the Player. Enjoy.

Title: Worth the Effort: Ella’s Story 

Author: Kai Strand

Pages: 81

Reviewer: Michael Thal for Pop’s Blog

Kai Strand confronts the homeless problem in the United States by writing Ella’s story in Worth the Effort: Ella’s Story. (It’s the first book in the Love’s an Effort Series.) This story is told in Ella’s point of view focusing on the plight of homeless teens. Strand’s empathetic prose, surprising plot twists, and complex relationship between Ella and Ayden will keep readers turning pages in this eighty-one page young adult contemporary romance novella.

 

Title: Soul Crossed  

Author: Lisa Gail Green

Pages: 294

Reviewer: Michael Thal for Pop’s Blog

Lisa Gail Green has created a fascinating young adult series—Of Demons and Angels—with Soul Crossedas book one in the series. Green lets Josh and Grace tell their stories in the first person format in alternating chapters that mesh seamlessly. She does an excellent job in exploring the minds of two teenagers, their diametrically opposed jobs, their complex relationship, and the state of their target’s deepening troubles.

The plot of Soul Crossed is organized beautifully with surprising twists and turns that will keep readers on the edge until the last exciting page.

If you’re looking for a good read, the books listed above are an excellent place to start your reading adventure for 2019. And make sure you return to Pop’s Blog for more reviews during the coming year.