Magic 2.0: A YA Fantasy Series
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |

Magic 2.0: A YA Fantasy Series

ByMichael Thal

A twenty-three-year-old computer hacker illegally enters the computer of a cell phone manufacturer and finds a curious file. It’s huge with five terabytes of plain ASC11 text characters with a boring name—repository1-c.txt. He gives it a look and finds something curious; many of the numbers change constantly. Then he searches the file for his name….

High School Students Seek Love and Revenge with Voodoo
| | | | | | | | | |

High School Students Seek Love and Revenge with Voodoo

ByMichael Thal

Revenge, Lust & Voodoo by Dina Rae tells the story of Lucien Nazaire, an old Voodoo priest from Haiti. He lives in a retirement community in Wisconsin and meets sixteen-year old Jake La Rue, who he recruits to become his apprentice to carry out his life’s work. Jake is an orphan living with his abusive Uncle…

5 Motivating YA Books Kids Will Want to Read This Summer
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

5 Motivating YA Books Kids Will Want to Read This Summer

ByMichael Thal

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…

Two Picture Books on Deafness
| | | | | | | | | | | |

Two Picture Books on Deafness

ByMichael Thal

Deafness is an invisible disability leaving its victims isolated within a hearing environment where oral language dominates the social, political, and entertainment worlds. Compared with the general population, there are few people touched by deafness, so the majority has no idea of its emotional impact and social effect on its victims. Myron Uhlberg knows better….

Special Basketball at the JCCA
| | | | |

Special Basketball at the JCCA

ByMichael Thal

The Westside Jewish Community Center on Olympic Blvd. in Los Angeles hosted its 12th annual basketball exhibition game Saturday evening March 3, 2018 between the Special Macabees and the Santa Monica West Side Special Olympics All-Stars. It was a rainy evening, but the excitement inside the JCCA was palpable. Athletes on both teams ranged in…

A Nineteenth Century Romance Novella
| | | | | | | | | | | |

A Nineteenth Century Romance Novella

ByMichael Thal

Sweethearts of Jubilee Springs is a series of books written by several different authors relating stories about the Arkansas Valley of central Colorado during the 19th century. The Christmas Outlaw by P.A. Estelle is one of the newest novellas to this series. Charlene arrives in Jubilee Springs Colorado on the same train as a batch…

Psychic Girl Communicates with Animals
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |

Psychic Girl Communicates with Animals

ByMichael Thal

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…

| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |

Flying to the Fire: A YA Thriller

ByMichael Thal

Flying to the Fire is the second book in Elyse Salpeter’s Flying Series. The central character, Danny Anderson, a thirteen-year old deaf child with special gifts, has the unique talent of communicating with the souls of the dead. In the first book in the series, Flying to the Light, Danny is six when a crazy corrupt…

| | | | | | | |

Elusive: Release Day Blitz

ByMichael Thal

  Elusive by Ali Dean Release Day Blitz May 24, 2017 Kate Walker has a new identity. She’s escaped her past, and lives a fairly normal life for a 22 year old. She’s about to graduate college and bartends to pay the bills. But when her past begins to catch up with her, Kate’s reminded…