YA Books

Pop’s 6 Favorite Books of 2018

ByMichael Thal February 6, 2019

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…

YA Fantasy into a Medieval World

ByMichael Thal January 29, 2019

Elai Nelson and the Prophecy of the Child is book one of the Fire on the Clouds Trilogy. The novel begins when Elai’s home is broken into by two goons who kill his adoptive parents and attempt to kidnap him. But with the help of his talking toothbrush (you read that right) the sixteen-year old manages…

Growing up Deaf

ByMichael Thal January 28, 2019

Audiologists acknowledge four levels of deafness—mild, moderate, severe, and profound. Author Cece Bell is severely to profoundly deaf. At the age of four she contracted meningitis, robbing her of most of her hearing. When she started public school, Cece was mainstreamed into a regular classroom. She knew she was different from the other kids due…

The Quest of the Empty Tomb: A Supernatural Mystery

ByMichael Thal December 3, 2018

The Hunt for Xanadu recently received a 5 pops review from this blog. Elyse Salpeter’s second book in her Kelsey Porter Series, The Quest of the Empty Tomb, was also an exciting ride, but didn’t exactly live up to the high bar Salpeter’s first book established. In The Quest of the Empty Tomb, Salpeter brings back many…

The Thirteenth Princess: A Gripping YA Fairytale

ByMichael Thal November 29, 2018November 29, 2018

History must have order and some symmetry of meaning so its students can process its content in an organized fashion. Consequently, history only records twelve princesses, a highly composite number, when in truth, there were thirteen of them. History also records those princesses going to sleep every night and waking up to find their slippers…

Love for two Lifetimes: A YA Love Story

ByMichael Thal November 4, 2018

About the Book Title: Love for Two Lifetimes Author: Martina Boone Genre: Coming of Age / Young Adult Two generations, two great loves, one devastating lie . . . When Izzy unexpectedly loses her mother in a car accident, her world shatters. Their relationship has always been so close that Izzy can’t imagine life without…

The Hunt for Xanadu: A YA Thriller

ByMichael Thal October 29, 2018October 29, 2018

We’ve all heard of the mythical city of Xanadu appearing in literature and movies. It’s an exotic utopia first described by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, a nineteenth century English poet, in his 1816 poem, “Kubla Khan.” Author Elyse Salpeter has embraced the myth and expanded the concept of Xanadu to a higher plane in her first…

YA Medieval Historical Fantasy

ByMichael Thal October 13, 2018

Set in England during the middle ages, author TF Gray begins Murdoch’s Tale: Book 1 of Corwin’s Chronicle.The novel introduces Corwin, a young child torn away from his family and home by war. Rescued by Tovan of the faer and dropped off to a human family for adoption, Corwin goes through life with the dream of…

The Jesse Series: An New Adult Romance Western

ByMichael Thal September 20, 2018September 20, 2018

Jessie’s Find It is late September when Jesse Mason, a Kansas cattle rancher, is riding his buckboard home after a long cattle drive. Suddenly, he hears a low moan. Could it be the wind? But when his horse, Bell, reacts to the noise, he investigates. To his horror, Jesse finds a dead horse. Close by…

The Koolura Series: YA Fantasy at It’s Best

ByMichael Thal September 12, 2018

Twenty-four years ago author Michael Thal began what would become The Koolura Series. His prime motivation at the time was to get his daughter Channie excited about reading. Then in the sixth grade, she promised to read the book upon its publication. Good for her word, even though she was twenty-eight years…