Historical Fiction

Solomon’s Bell: A YA Fantasy Release Blitz

ByMichael Thal March 8, 2017

About the Book Title: Solomon’s Bell Author: Michelle Lowery Combs Genre: YA Fantasy To save her family, Ginn uses her newfound genie powers to transport herself and her friends to 16th century Prague. Only one thing there remains the same as at home: she can’t let anyone know what she really is. The Emperor of…

Moshe’s War

ByMichael Thal February 4, 2017February 4, 2017

Nurse Ilsa Michalski runs a Miami Beach boarding house filled with interesting people, a few of whom survived the Holocaust. Dr. Ustin Jankauskas (Dr. J) receives an accident victim from a vehicle that turned over on the highway traversing the Everglades. The police believe Mr. Behrman’s death was due to the accident. Dr. J recognized…

New Year’s Resolution: Read More…And Here’s Why

ByMichael Thal December 27, 2016

What are you reading? It’s a simple question that could elicit a complex response and an exchange of ideas. It’s a question that can cut through all the tedious niceties and get right to the issue—the depth of your mind and that of your friend. This is our time of year for resolutions. “I’ll lose…

Enchanting YA Historical Novel

ByMichael Thal December 10, 2016

Echo is a beautifully orchestrated novel by award winning author Pam Munoz Ryan involving the lives of four different children. The book begins with Otto’s story, a young boy lost in a forbidden forest. There, three mysterious sisters—Eins, Zwei, and Drei—who give him a melodious harmonica, rescue him. It is this harmonica that becomes the…

Book Blast: 2016 Books by SCBWI Authors

ByMichael Thal October 19, 2016

The Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators (SCWBI) is holding its annual six-week Book Blast promotion that started October 10 and will continue until November 18, 2016. Book Blast highlights traditionally and independently published books on individual author pages. Picture books for young children, chapter books for older readers, middle grade novels and young…

Time Bound: A Science Fiction Classic

ByMichael Thal October 11, 2016October 11, 2016

Kate Pierce-Keller finally meets her grandmother after a decade of estrangement from Kate’s mother. Now Grandma Katherine wants Kate to move into her new home close to her high school at Briar Hill. Sixteen-year-old Kate soon learns that Katherine is dying from cancer and has about a year to live. Katherine also shows her a…

A Time Travel Tale about the Salem Witch Trials

ByMichael Thal September 12, 2016September 12, 2016

Netti hung from the hanging tree, her body limp and swinging. It’s 1692 Salem, Massachusets with the infamous witch trials under way. Netti was a sweet and innocent young woman who wouldn’t hurt a fly. Her crime: She knew how to turn herbs into oils. Neighbor Jonas Hale believed the girl was actually brewing potions…

SCWBI Summer Reading List could boost kids’ reading ability

ByMichael Thal July 28, 2016

School in Los Angeles begins August 16, 2016. It’s been a long hot summer, so slow the pace a bit, kick back, and read a book. It’s so important that the reading skills of children remain sharp. According to an article in Reading Rocks, “Summer Reading Loss,” thirteen academic studies covering 40,000 students discovered that…

Pirates of the Caribbean, “Watch your back!”

ByMichael Thal May 18, 2016

Sam Vives, a Barcelona teen, is just a normal boy dealing with usual problems–homework, friends, and school bullies like Rafa who has targeted Sam since he was 7. When Sam and Rafa are paired during fencing class Sam wins easily, but gets smacked illegally by Rafa’s heavy sword. Later that day, limping home, Sam’s thoughts turn…

Read a YA Book Series this Summer

ByMichael Thal May 15, 2016

With kids about to exit schools by the droves, it’s a good idea to keep them reading during the summer months. If children take a vacation from reading over the long hot summer their reading skills could fizzle. Studies have shown that students can lose up to three months of reading progress over the…