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A Peter Pan Re-Telling Better Than the Original

ByMichael Thal

In 1783 Wendy Darling was a foundling placed at the door of a London almshouse. As a child, she read The Live and Strange Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe,and ever after longed to sail the seven seas and experience all the magical wonders of the world. Mortimer Black, another orphan, knew the ways of the…

Magic 2.0: A YA Fantasy Series
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Magic 2.0: A YA Fantasy Series

ByMichael Thal

A twenty-three-year-old computer hacker illegally enters the computer of a cell phone manufacturer and finds a curious file. It’s huge with five terabytes of plain ASC11 text characters with a boring name—repository1-c.txt. He gives it a look and finds something curious; many of the numbers change constantly. Then he searches the file for his name….

High School Students Seek Love and Revenge with Voodoo
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High School Students Seek Love and Revenge with Voodoo

ByMichael Thal

Revenge, Lust & Voodoo by Dina Rae tells the story of Lucien Nazaire, an old Voodoo priest from Haiti. He lives in a retirement community in Wisconsin and meets sixteen-year old Jake La Rue, who he recruits to become his apprentice to carry out his life’s work. Jake is an orphan living with his abusive Uncle…

A YA Time Travel Romantic Mystery
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A YA Time Travel Romantic Mystery

ByMichael Thal

Sixteen year old Kate has the CHRONOS gene enabling her to use the CHRONOS medallion grandma Katherine gave her to transport through time and space to just about whenever and wherever she chooses. However, Kate’s trips through time have a distinct purpose: stop grandfather Saul from annihilating most of the human race to create a…

A Paranormal Romeo and Juliet Story
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A Paranormal Romeo and Juliet Story

ByMichael Thal

Josh, a 17-year-old alcoholic, drives home after an evening of binge drinking. Two high school girls standing at a crosswalk are unseen until it’s too late. Josh is thrown through the windshield and dies immediately and Grace becomes a statistic. Josh finds himself in Death Valley talking to Lucifer, who offers him a deal he…

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Inspirational Paranormal Novel

ByMichael Thal

Silvia Kryz, an eighty-four year old Australian woman, witnesses the mass slaughter of a crossing guard and “six lovely little children, none over seven.” Steps away from being killed by the murderous vehicle, she survives, a huge plus for the killer. Charles Debnall, angry at life and everyone living, is responsible for the carnage. Raised…

5 Motivating YA Books Kids Will Want to Read This Summer
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5 Motivating YA Books Kids Will Want to Read This Summer

ByMichael Thal

As a reading specialist working for the Glendale Unified School District, I noticed a serious decline in reading skills of many of my students after a long hot summer break. According to researchers at the National Education Association (NEA), “Children can lose up to three months of reading progress over the summer months, and that loss…

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A Memoir about Nigeria and its Culture

ByMichael Thal

Uyi Osifo, a native of Benin, Nigeria and immigrant to the United States in 2006, writes a memoir about growing up in Nigeria. He shares his nation’s religious beliefs, including his acceptance of Christianity, family difficulties and joys, and an inside view of Nigerian culture through short stories he recalled from his youth. Chicken Hero:…

Two Picture Books on Deafness
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Two Picture Books on Deafness

ByMichael Thal

Deafness is an invisible disability leaving its victims isolated within a hearing environment where oral language dominates the social, political, and entertainment worlds. Compared with the general population, there are few people touched by deafness, so the majority has no idea of its emotional impact and social effect on its victims. Myron Uhlberg knows better….

The Shelby McDougall YA Mysteries
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The Shelby McDougall YA Mysteries

ByMichael Thal

Due Date   Shelby McDougall is a surrogate mother. Diane and Jackson Entwistle are paying her big bucks for her twins. When brother Dexter’s wife, Jessica, asks Shelby to leave their home because Jessica feels Shelby’s pregnancy will adversely affect her 3-year-old, Ashley, Shelby has no choice but to accept Diane’s offer to live in…