MG novels

March is National Reading Month

ByMichael Thal March 8, 2019

March is National Reading Month and it’s up to moms and dads to instill a love of reading in their children. To encourage them to improve their reading skills and develop a fondness for books it’s strongly suggested you set some time aside a few times a week for family reading time. This means…

Summer Camp

ByMichael Thal February 25, 2019

In just a few months your sons and daughters will be off from school for the summer. Plan ahead and think about summer camp. What is the best way to go –sleep away or day camp? And how do you pick the best camp for your child? If this is your child’s first camping…

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…

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 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…

Middle Grade Fantasy/Detective Story

ByMichael Thal September 1, 2018

Chef Nana, the head cook at the New Harmonia, an exclusive New York City hotel, is dead. Her son, Michael Lawson, is tapped to replace her, and Chef Lawson needs to move from Chicago to New York with his son Stephen. Stephen Lawson is a pre-teen boy raised by a single parent….

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…

Dewey Fairchild Provides a Unique Spin on Child Psychologist

ByMichael Thal May 2, 2018May 2, 2018

Dewey Fairchild is a middle grade child with the unique ability to manipulate parents to change their behaviors. What kid wants a helicopter mom walking her to school every morning? Or a dad who burps and picks his nose in front of her friends? It’s embarrassing to the nth degree! In steps Dewey Fairchild to…

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…

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…