M. P. Barker

What's new this month?

FREE downloadable curriculum guide from Holiday House

On-line Media Kit - Downloadable information for news media, librarians, and teachers

Updated Events Calendar.

New video trailers for Class of 2k8 books.

Being enemies is hard...
Being friends is even harder.







Answer questions! Win books!

Check out the Class of 2k8 contests. We have two this season with lots of chances to win great books!


Class of 2k7, Class of 2k8, and Class of 2k9 are trademarks of Greg R. Fishbone, used with permission. The Class of 2k7 logo was designed by Ruth McNally Barshaw, used with permission. The Class of 2k8 logo was designed by Ruth McNally Barshaw and Kristin Tubb, used with permission. All web and print materials are copyright by their individual authors, where identifiable, or by the Class of 2k8 as a collective.

The Class of 2k8


Announcing the Class of 2k8 School Librarian Contest!

School librarians are undoubtedly the unsung heroes of the book world, supporting teachers as well as laboring to make their libraries places both for learning and for discovering the magic of reading. This fall, the Class of 2k8 is celebrating school librarians by sponsoring a contest just for them.

So what is the Class of 2k8?
We're a group of 27 middle-grade and young adult authors with debut books being published in 2008 by major publishers like HarperCollins, Random House, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and others. To learn more about us and our books, please visit our website at www.classof2k8.com

A contest? What are the prizes?
Books, of course, from the Class of 2k8:
First Prize: Your choice of a full set of the 27 Class of 2k8 books OR a free author visit from a Class of 2k8 author in your region (if available)!
Two Second Prizes: A $50 gift certificate from Indie Bound (formerly BookSense) plus three books from the Class of 2k8 to add to your school library.
Three Third Prizes: Three books from the Class of 2k8 to add to your school library.

Great! How do I enter?
Easy! Send us your favorite anecdote about books, reading, or your life as a school librarian (c'mon, we know you must have at least one)! Try to keep it under 200 words, because we'll be posting some of them on our blog (www.classof2k8.blogspot.com) during the month of November. Feeling shy? We'll take a quote about books or writing from your favorite author instead. E-mail us your anecdote or quote at contests (at) classof2k8 (dot) com.

Please be sure to include your name and contact information at your school with your entry. Entries will be accepted from October 1-November 10. Winners will be drawn randomly from among all entries and announced on November 24, 2008.

In addition, if you pass this on to other school librarians and they mention the referral, you and your school will be entered in the drawing twice--double the chance to win!

Anything else?
Yes! Please feel free to pass this onto any school librarians you know, and don't forget to visit the Class of 2k8 website and blog. Questions about the contest or about the Class? E-mail us at contests (at) classof2k8 (dot) com and we'll be happy to answer them. Good luck!

Answer questions! Win books!

Check out the Class of 2k8's 4th quarter contest. It's a final exam you'll want to take!

It's easy. Each quarter The Class of 2k8 hosts a contest. This quarter we have five super-secret questions and a silly story challenge that can give you up to five extra chances to win! Click on this link to find out more. Email your correct answers to contests(at)classof2k8(dot)com. Once we've checked your answers we'll notify you that you've been entered into a drawing to win books from our fabulous authors! So what are you waiting for? Go ahead and get started!

So What Is This Class of 2k8 Thing, Anyway??

What could be better than discovering 27 great new books by 27 great new writers? The Class of 2k8 is a group of first-time authors who've joined together to spread the word about our books--and I'm lucky to be a member. Check out the Class of 2k8’s web page for videos, blogs, and, best of all, 27 exciting new books to captivate your imagination.You'll find edgy contemporary fiction, historical romance, paranormal, coming of age stories, and more. (You might also want to take a look at our predecessors, the Class of 2k7 - 38 books barely one year old!)

Want to know more? Follow the links below to our press release, fact sheet, and brochure. Read PJ Hoover's article about the Class of 2k8 here. Or read this interview with 2k8's Fearless Leaders, Jody Feldman and Marissa Doyle!

And check out the class video trailer and the book trailers below. Eventually every book will have its own trailer, so come back often to see what's new!


New releases!
The Emerald Tablet by P.J. Hoover: Benjamin Holt's discovery of a new world explains his extraordinary powers, but also presents him with a challenge which changes his purpose in life forever.
The Unnameables by Ellen Booraem: A boy and a goatman defy the establishment in a fantasy about belonging, the dangers of forgetting history, the usefulness of art, and the importance of wind control.
My So-Called Family by Courtney Sheinmel: Leah Hoffman-Ross has a secret: she has a donor instead of a father, and now she's going in search of her half-siblings . . . even if she has to hide it from everybody else.
Autumn Winifred Oliver Does Things Different by Kristin O'Donnell Tubb: Autumn Winifred Oliver, the feistiest girl in all of Appalachia, struggles against the formation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as it threatens the home that her family has farmed for generations.

Available in bookstores and online now:
A Difficult Boy by M. P. Barker: Two boys trapped in indentured servitude discover something more powerful than their master’s wealth and influence…friendship.

La Petite Four by Regina Scott: Lady Emily Southwell and her three dearest friends plan to take London by storm until they run afoul of a dashing young lord who may have more up his sleeve than a nicely muscled arm.

The Magic Thief by Sarah Prineas: Take the magic and run!
Read My Lips
by Teri Brown: Serena is a a deaf skater chick who uses her amazing lip-reading ability to infiltrate the popular crowd, take down a secret sorority and tame the school rebel.

Alive and Well in Prague, New York by Daphne Grab: Manhattanites Matisse Osgood and her artist parents move to upstate New York when her father's Parkinson's disease worsens, and Matisse must face high school in a small, provincial town as she tries to avoid thinking about her father's future.
A Horse of Her Own by Annie Wedekind In one tumultuous and life-changing summer, fourteen-year-old Jane Ryan loses the horse she loves and is asked to help train a damaged, dangerous horse who used to be a champion.
Shift by Jennifer Bradbury: Best friends go on a cross-country bike trip, but only one returns.Bewitching Season by Marissa Doyle: While making their debuts in 1837 London a pair of twin witches rescue the soon-to-be Queen Victoria from a dastardly plot...when they're not looking for Lord Right.


Braless in Wonderland by Debbie Reed Fischer: Allee Rosen falls down the rabbit hole and lands in the fab lane when she gets snapped up by modeling agents and whisked away to glamorous South Beach. Will the model life go to her head?

The Lucky Place by Zu Vincent: When you look at growing up through Cassie’s eyes, you see it differently.

Samantha Hansen has Rocks in Her Head by Nancy Viau: Sam is a ten-year-old, rock-loving scientist who must learn to keep a lid on her explosive temper so she can go on a “dream-come-true” trip to the Grand Canyon.

Up and Down the Scratchy Mountains by Laurel Snyder: A snarky milkmaid, clumsy prince, sniffly prairie dog, and feisty milkcow venture deep into the Bewilderness, where they learn the value of friendship, honesty, government, and lunch.
Third Grade Baby by Jenny Meyerhoff: Third grader Polly Peterson can't wait to finally lose her first tooth, but then she learns that third graders are too old for the tooth fairy.

Dragon Wishes by Stacy Nyikos: Dragon Wishes follows two girls across time on their quests for the greatest gift the last of the world's ancient dragons protects in the ominous Damei Mountains.
Sleepless by Terri Clark: Teen psychic, Trinity Michaels, is being stalked in her sleep by a killer; if she dies in her dreams she'll die for real.

The Possibilities of Sainthood by Donna Freitas: To Antonia Lucia Labella, saints are like Catholic royalty and she wants her day as princess (and maybe a kiss from that cute boy down the street, too)--if only the Pope would just respond to her letters!

Undone by Brooke Taylor: a troubled teen fulfills the five enigmatic last wishes of her daring best friend only to discover the dark secrets of a shared past that she never knew.


A Curse Dark as Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce: In this retelling of "Rumpelstiltskin," the miller's daughter of the fairytale comes to life as a young woman determined to save her family and her mill--whatever the cost.

The Gollywhopper Games by Jody Feldman: In the beginning there were 25,000 contestants; in the end, just five. Does Gil Goodson have what it takes to win The Gollywhopper Games?


The Opposite of Invisible by Liz Gallagher: A Seattle teenager wrestles with the difference between a crush and love, and love and best friendship.

I Heart You, You Heart Me by Lisa Schroeder: A novel in verse about love and grief in which a fifteen-year-old girl’s boyfriend, who is dead but not gone, is keeping her from moving on.

Bringing the Boy Home by N.A. Nelson: Two young boys...an unforgiving jungle...one shared destiny.

December releases:
I So Don't Do Mysteries by Barrie Summy: Sherry, short for Sherlock, wants more mall time, less homework and a certain boy, but instead gets recruited by her mother's ghost to prevent a rhino heist at San Diego's Wild Animal Park.

The Literacy Site


A Difficult Boy


A PEN New England
Children's Book Caucus
Discovery Award Winner
Published by Holiday House
On-line Media Kit

Downloadable information on M.P. Barker and A Difficult Boy for Press, Librarians, Teachers, and more
The Class of 2k8

Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction from 27 Debut Authors

Get a sneak preview of new books with the Class of 2k8's book video trailers!

Resources

Resources for teachers, students, writers, and researchers.
Plus The 1839 Page, where you can find out more about the world of
A Difficult Boy.

Find Authors