Mysteries

5 Motivating YA Books Kids Will Want to Read This Summer

ByMichael Thal June 11, 2018

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…

The Shelby McDougall YA Mysteries

ByMichael Thal May 30, 2018

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…

Koolura and the Mayans Wins Gold at the eLit Book Awards

ByMichael Thal April 27, 2018April 27, 2018

On April 16, 2018 the 9thAnnual eLit Book Awards announced its winners for 2018. There were 65 award categories including Historical Fiction, True Crime, and Autobiography/Memoir. Each category awarded three prizes—Gold, Silver, and Bronze. In the Juvenile/Young Adult Fiction category, Koolura and the Mayans won the Gold Prize! The eLit Book Awards is a global awards…

Daughter of the Sun: Enchanted Book Promotion

ByMichael Thal April 22, 2018

About the Book Title: Daughter of the Sun (Cult of the Cat series, Book 1) Author: Zoe Kalo Genre: YA contemporary Egyptian mythological fantasy/paranormal Word count: 93,000 words / 330 pages DOWNLOAD FREE at www.ZoeKalo.com Mystery, adventure, a hint of romance, and the delicious sweep of magic… 16-year-old Trinity leads a quiet life until fate…

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…

What would you do if you met an alien from another world?

ByMichael Thal December 21, 2017

Matthew (Matty) Jones lives on a central Pennsylvania farm adjacent to a field the locals said was visited by a spaceship. It was the morning of December 9, 1965, the day DJ (Matty’s father), was born. The event affected the man’s life. But DJ is no longer around because he ran off with his brother’s…

Actually, Pandora had a Book, not a Box

ByMichael Thal December 11, 2017

Pop applauds author Erin Fry for including lead characters with disabilities in her extraordinary middle grade novel, Secrets of the Book. Spencer Lemon, a pre-teen with a degenerative eye disease and his buddy Gregor, stricken with autism, manage with great effort to overcome their impairments to defeat the bad guy and save the world. Sixth…

Give the Gift of Learning this Holiday Season

ByMichael Thal November 9, 2017

Holiday shopping is right around the corner. Are you really looking forward to spending hours fighting for a parking spot or waiting in long checkout lines at Macy’s, Sears, or Best Buy? If you want to avoid the hassles, think about buying your favorite child a book this year. You will want your book choice…

Psychic Girl Communicates with Animals

ByMichael Thal August 31, 2017

Lost and Found by Sharon Ledwith is an excellent read for YA readers on several levels. It teaches kids about leadership and responsibility, and it sets a fine example for us humans to care better for the animals around us Whiskey, a fifteen-year-old calico cat, is the only link of communication between the cat floor…

Lois Lane: Triple Threat

ByMichael Thal August 17, 2017August 17, 2017

Lois Lane: Triple Threat is the third installment of the Lois Lane Series by Gwenda Bond. The first book in the series, Lois Lane: Fallout, introduces us to sixteen year-old Lois Lane starting a new life at a Metropolis high school. Her maybe-more-than-a-friend is met on line with the screen name SmallvilleGuy. Fallout is a…