Events Calendar:

A Difficult Boy is available now! Check your local bookstore--if they don't have it in stock, they will order it for you. Or order it from your favorite online vendor.

Wednesday, 17 Sep 2008, 7:00 p.m.:
Chicopee Historical Society
Edward Bellamy House
91 Church Street
Chicopee, MA 01020
Free and open to the public

Tuesday, 30 Sep 2008, 6:30 p.m.:
Charlton Public Library
40 Main Street
Charlton, MA 01507
508-248-0452
Free and open to the public

Thursday, 2 Oct 2008, 6:30 p.m.
Pine Point Branch, Springfield City Library
204 Boston Road
Springfield, MA 01109
413-263-6855
Free and open to the public

Saturday, 4 Oct 2008: I'll be joining Nancy Viau (author of Samantha Hansen Has Rocks in Her Head) and other Class of 2k8 authors
Collingswood Book Festival
Haddon Avenue
Collingswood, New Jersey

15 Oct 2008, 7:00 p.m.
Farmington Public Library
117 Academy Street
Farmington, Maine 04938
Event sponsor and vendor: Devaney, Doak & Garrett, Booksellers
Phone: 207-778-4312
Free and open to the public

Friday, 17 Oct 2008, time TBA
Class of 2k8 authors panel
Barnes & Noble Booksellers
7 Holyoke Street
Holyoke, MA 01040
Phone: 413-532-3200
Free and open to the public

Saturday, 18 Oct 2008, 2 p.m.
Class of 2k8 event
Barnes & Noble Booksellers
541 D Lincoln Street
Worcester, MA 01605
tel: (508) 853-2236
fax: (508) 853-9527
Free and open to the public

Saturday, 25 Oct 2008, time TBA
Elms College Homecoming weekend
291 Springfield Street
Chicopee, MA 01013

Monday, 27 Oct 2008, 7:30 p.m.
Elms College
291 Springfield Street
Chicopee, MA 01013
Free and open to the public

Saturday, 1 Nov 2008
Panel on the YA writing market
Write Angles Conference
Mount Holyoke College
South Hadley, MA
Registration required

Wednesday, 5 Nov 2008, 6:00 p.m.:
"Difficult Times for Difficult Boys: Indentured Servitude in the 19th Century"
Wistariahurst Museum
238 Cabot Street
Holyoke, MA 01040
413-322-5660
$3 admission

Friday, 28 Nov 2008, noon-5:00 p.m.
Local Authors Extravaganza
Borders Books, Music & Cafe
476 Boston Turnpike
Shrewsbury, MA 01545
508-845-8665
Free and open to the public

Friday, 26 Dec 2008, noon-5:00 p.m.
Local Authors Extravaganza
Borders Books, Music & Cafe
476 Boston Turnpike
Shrewsbury, MA 01545
508-845-8665
Free and open to the public

Tuesday, 27 Jan 2009, 6:30 p.m.
Women's Evening Fellowship
Wilbraham United Methodist Church
500 Main Street
Wilbraham, MA 01095

Wednesday, 11 Feb 2009
College Club of Springfield tea, time TBA
Hilton Garden
800 West Columbus Avenue
Springfield, MA 01105

Wednesday, 20 May 2009
Agawam Historical Society, location and time TBA

Reviews:

Press reviews:

"The beautifully written book, set in 1839, is loaded with rich detail, both historical and sensorial..."
--Susan VanHecke, Authorlink.com (June 2008)

"...Barker's young adult novel is one of the best historical fiction works I've read in a long time, emotionally authentic, full of period detail, and beautifully written."
--Author and reviewer Susan VanHecke's blog, "Adventures in Authorhood"

"Barker’s gift for historical detail illuminates this absorbing first novel, accurately portraying the pleasures and the harsh realities of 19th-century Massachusetts farm life. From describing exactly how to milk a treacherous cow to the precise way a servant ties and knots her shawl over a dress that is 'the color of an overdone Indian pudding,' the author adds authenticity to her well-constructed story...Readers will like this book for its attention to heady issues like early prejudice against the Irish (Daniel is Irish) and the treatment of indentured servants as young as themselves, and for its satisfying and hopeful conclusion."
--Publisher's Weekly (28 Apr 2008)

"What was the life of an indentured servant but that of a slave? M.P. Barker brings it ringingly, cringingly to life...A Difficult Boy hinges on the efforts of two boys—one social, one circumstantially remote, soon to be friends—to escape their brutalized existence... Then there is Ivy, a horse that bonds the boys
and provides their ticket out."
--Kirkus Reviews, First Fiction Special Issue (15 Apr 2008, p. 17)

"How Ethan and Daniel bolster each other and escape Mr. Lyman's tyranny makes for a memorable tale of friendship and a fascinating glimpse into mid-19th-century Massachusetts. Like L. M. Elliott's Give Me Liberty (HarperCollins, 2006), this is an eye-opening look at indentured servitude in American history."
--Kim Dare, Fairfax County Public Schools, VA, School Library Journal (1 May 2008)

“Daniel, or 'Paddy,' a 15-year-old indentured servant, has been through a lot in his short life: immigration from Ireland to America, subsistence farming with his family, and a tragic fire that left him an orphan. To stay off the public welfare system of 1839 Massachusetts, he is indentured to Mr. Lyman, a wealthy shop owner and farmer. The protagonist, Ethan, comes to live with Daniel when his father is unable to pay off his debts at Mr. Lyman’s store. Ethan and Daniel survive by supporting each other and trying to please the increasingly demanding and dishonest Mr. Lyman. Daniel’s love of horses promotes both his downfall and redemption in the heroic climax of this engaging story.” --Susan Wegmann, Orlando, FL, ALAN Online (Sep 2008)

"A fast-paced story set in 1839 but applicable to decisions young readers face today." --Carol Ann Lloyd-Stanger, Children's Literature

Reviews from teen readers:

"Most of all this book is about friendship and the importance of friendship. It is just a beautiful story set to a beautiful background...Daniel and Ethan's relationship grows and evolves as the story goes on.
"My favorite aspect of the book is how real it feels. The racism Daniel gets. The hardships Ethan goes through. Their friendship even all feels very real..........and that's why I love this book. I read it within 24 hours and I couldn't put it down. At about Chapter 6 you will be hooked! I recommend this for all historical readers as well as those looking for a wonderful story about friendship."
--Trainspotting Reads Teen Book Reviews

A Difficult Boy in the News: