YA Books

A YA Time Travel Thriller

ByMichael Thal April 15, 2018April 15, 2018

West Yorkshire, England January 1795 Highwayman Kit Locke, known as the Knightmare, sits atop his gelding, Dante, waiting for a coach to round the bend so he can relieve its passengers of their wealth. He is specifically looking for the Viper’s Eye. According to legend, the gem can absorb thoughts and feelings of people and…

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…

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…

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…

The Cat and the Spy

ByMichael Thal February 16, 2018

K.M. Shea re-tells the timeless fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast in a unique way. A witch curses a member of the royal household, Prince Severin, who has become a black-furred beast with the head of a cat. His teeth are too big for his mouth, his fingernails are claws, and he has the hind…