Pop’s Blog - Michael Thal

Inventive Middle School Sci-Fi Novel

ByMichael Thal April 13, 2018

The Prometheus Project Book 1: Trapped is a middle grade science fiction thriller that will keep readers flipping pages to uncover the secrets of an alien city buried deep beneath the ground of Brewster, Pennsylvania. Author Douglas E. Richards introduces readers to Ryan and Regan Resnick, two very bored tweens forced from their home in…

Realistic Coming of Age YA Novel

ByMichael Thal April 10, 2018

I Am Me, by Kai Strand, is Lola Renaldi’s story told in the first person present tense. Lola is a senior at an exclusive college preparatory school in Ohio. She feels pressure from everyone around her to excel. Referring to college acceptance, her mother says, “I would hate for you to miss a deadline because…

Parents for Sale: A Children’s Story and Coloring Book

ByMichael Thal March 25, 2018

Luke and Lucy Clark are eight-year old twins with the responsibility of caring for their two-year-old golden retriever, Pistachio. The twins need to feed, water, and walk their dog, but too often neglect their job. Consequently, their parents, who are too busy to care for Pistachio themselves, decide to sell the children’s pet. Naturally, the…

YA Time Travel Novel

ByMichael Thal March 21, 2018

Jason Delacroix, like many young men during the Vietnam War era, was drafted into the army and forced to leave his young bride. He was surprised they wanted him due to the deafness in his right ear, but it was because of that deafness that made Jason such a valuable commodity. Through Jason’s first person…

The 2018 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books and SCWBI

ByMichael Thal March 17, 2018

Looking for an interesting book to read? On April 21-22 the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books will be presenting its 23rd annual event on the University of Southern California campus. Five hundred authors, celebrities, musicians, artists, and even chefs will be featured. Admission to the festival is free. There will be over 230 booths…

Special Basketball at the JCCA

ByMichael Thal March 12, 2018March 12, 2018

The Westside Jewish Community Center on Olympic Blvd. in Los Angeles hosted its 12th annual basketball exhibition game Saturday evening March 3, 2018 between the Special Macabees and the Santa Monica West Side Special Olympics All-Stars. It was a rainy evening, but the excitement inside the JCCA was palpable. Athletes on both teams ranged in…

Are YA Relationships Worth the Effort?

ByMichael Thal March 9, 2018March 10, 2018

Ella Jones has rejected the values of her wealthy parents. She insists on attending public high school and holds down a waitressing job that starts at 4:00 AM. One morning, while opening up the Read Between the Beans coffee house, she meets a seventeen-year old homeless boy sleeping near the restaurant’s dumpster. The morning Ella…

The Frog Prince- A Classic Folktale Re-Told

ByMichael Thal February 27, 2018

Like most fairy tales before it, The Frog Prince, as told by Mike Klaassen, has simple two dimensional characters, an appealing setting, an element of magic, and a villain who challenges the protagonist, seventeen-year old Prince Gerit, son of King Egon of Krickenheim. Gerit is hunting for frogs to avoid weapons practice with his father’s…

My Freshman Year of Fabulous: Cover Reveal

ByMichael Thal February 24, 2018

Series: School Dayz Genre: YA Format: eBook When Avery Thornton needs to escape a first day of school disaster, she ducks into an equipment room to hide and meets someone else who’s also having a really bad day. Eli Fields just got demoted to third string on the football team, a sport he doesn’t even…

A YA Romance Novella

ByMichael Thal February 23, 2018

Pressley James finds her dream job—working as a social media marketer for Paws and Claws Animal Shelter. On her first day at work her new boss, Janet, informs her about Hayden and Jasper, warning, “…both are off limits!” Janet describes Hayden as “quite the looker,” and “the only full-time fella.” But he keeps to himself…