Books with author Michelle Barclay

Who can Lena trust to help her find out the truth? Life in East Germany in the early 1980s is not easy for most people, but for Lena, it’s particularly hard. After the death of her parents in a factory explosion and time spent in a psychiatric hospital recovering from the trauma, she is sent to live with her stern aunt, a devoted member of the ruling Communist Party. Visits with her beloved Uncle Erich, a best-selling author, are her only respite. But one night, her uncle disappears without a trace. Gone also are all his belongings, his books, and even his birth records. Lena is desperate to know what happened to him, but it’s as if he never existed. The worst thing, however, is that she cannot discuss her uncle or her attempts to find him with anyone, not even her best friends. There are government spies everywhere. But Lena is unafraid and refuses to give up her search, regardless of the consequences. This searing novel about defiance, courage, and determination takes readers into the chilling world of a society ruled by autocratic despots, where nothing is what it seems.

Chloe's relationship with her dad has always been strained. When she reluctantly travels to Fort Collins for his sham of a wedding, it pushes things to the breaking point. To get away from him and his treacherous bride to be, she and her pack sneak into the night to run beneath the moon and glory in the freedom of the forest. As they explore the nocturnal domain of Fort Collins, they discover someone is stealing dogs, none of which are seen again. Concerned and seeking a distraction from the impending wedding, they begin an investigation into the missing animals. What they uncover is far worse than they expected, and Chloe is forced to fight if she ever wants to see daylight again.A Caged Wolf is a Dangerous Thing

School vacation is business as usual until Tori Toombs finds a mysterious book in her father's office. Filled with advice on how to time travel safely, the book gets Tori wondering what else could be tucked away in her father's office, waiting to be opened. What she finds sends her on a mad horseback ride through a dark and stormy night in Colonial New York. Come along for the ride while Tori tries to save the day and get back to when she came from.

All Chloe wanted was to be a normal teenage girl, but that's a little difficult when you can read the thoughts and emotions of the animals around you. Even more so when your boyfriend turns into a wolf sometimes.To make matters worse, there's a new wolf in Hunde and he's hell-bent on taking over the pack. He's challenged the alpha and left a wake of bodies behind in his attempt to take over.Can Chloe and her friends figure out who it is and prevent him and his followers from turning the town of Hunde into a bloody massacre?

School vacation is business as usual until Tori Toombs finds a mysterious book in her father's office. Filled with advice on how to time travel safely, the book gets Tori wondering what else could be tucked away in her father's office, waiting to be opened. What she finds sends her on a mad horseback ride through a dark and stormy night in Colonial New York. Come along for the ride while Tori tries to save the day and get back to when she came from.

Who can Lena trust to help her find out the truth?Life in East Germany in the early 1980s is not easy for most people, but for Lena, it’s particularly hard. After the death of her parents in a factory explosion and time spent in a psychiatric hospital recovering from the trauma, she is sent to live with her stern aunt, a devoted member of the ruling Communist Party. Visits with her beloved Uncle Erich, a best-selling author, are her only respite. But one night, her uncle disappears without a trace. Gone also are all his belongings, his books, and even his birth records. Lena is desperate to know what happened to him, but it’s as if he never existed. The worst thing, however, is that she cannot discuss her uncle or her attempts to find him with anyone, not even her best friends. There are government spies everywhere. But Lena is unafraid and refuses to give up her search, regardless of the consequences. This searing novel about defiance, courage, and determination takes readers into the chilling world of a society ruled by autocratic despots, where nothing is what it seems.

Who can Lena trust to help her find out the truth? Life in East Germany in the early 1980s is not easy for most people, but for Lena, it’s particularly hard. After the death of her parents in a factory explosion and time spent in a psychiatric hospital recovering from the trauma, she is sent to live with her stern aunt, a devoted member of the ruling Communist Party. Visits with her beloved Uncle Erich, a best-selling author, are her only respite. But one night, her uncle disappears without a trace. Gone also are all his belongings, his books, and even his birth records. Lena is desperate to know what happened to him, but it’s as if he never existed. The worst thing, however, is that she cannot discuss her uncle or her attempts to find him with anyone, not even her best friends. There are government spies everywhere. But Lena is unafraid and refuses to give up her search, regardless of the consequences. This searing novel about defiance, courage, and determination takes readers into the chilling world of a society ruled by autocratic despots, where nothing is what it seems.

Today’s Little Ditty is more than a children’s poetry blog, it’s a poetry playground. Each month, a lively community of writers, teachers, librarians, and poetry-appreciators gathers to take part in the Ditty of the Month Club (DMC). Writing to prompts by successful authors and editors, they participate for the camaraderie, and for the joy and craft of writing poetry.In THE BEST OF TODAY'S LITTLE DITTY: 2016, nine “ditty” challenges by contemporary children’s authors, including Jane Yolen, David L. Harrison, Marilyn Singer, Kenn Nesbitt, Douglas Florian, Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, and others, have inspired these 75 poems, deemed “best” by their peers. They range from lighthearted to thought-provoking and appeal to a wide audience, from children to adults. Join the fun at michellehbarnes.blogspot.com. What people are saying about Today’s Little Ditty and the Ditty of the Month Club:“Sometimes a poet needs a bit of smooth transition into another poem, sometimes a kick to the rear. Today’s Little Ditty supplies both. This goes for old poets as well as new!”— Jane Yolen, multi-award-winning author of more than 365 books“Writing with Michelle feels like I'm participating in a workshop. I've learned so much from keeping up with Today’s Little Ditty.”— Linda Mitchell, middle school teacher librarian“How to build your skills as a children's poet? Read anthologies! THE BEST OF TODAY'S LITTLE DITTY is a great tutorial because each section contains several poems written from the same prompt. Maybe you'll find the best thing of all: that you write like no one other than yourself.”— Janet Wong, children's poet and co-creator of THE POETRY FRIDAY ANTHOLOGY and POETRY FRIDAY POWER BOOK series

A brilliant historical YA that asks: how do you choose between survival and doing the right thing? The arrival of the Soviet army in Germany at the end of World War II sends sixteen-year-old Katja and her family into turmoil. The fighting has stopped, but German society is in collapse, resulting in tremendous hardship. With their father gone and few resources available to them, Katja and her sister are forced to flee their home, reassured by their mother that if they can just reach a distant friend in a town far away, things will get better. But their harrowing journey brings danger and violence, and Katja needs to summon all her strength to build a new life, just as she’s questioning everything she thought she knew about her country. Katja’s bravery and defiance help her deal with the emotional and societal upheaval. But how can she stay true to herself and protect the people she loves when each decision has such far-reaching consequences? Acclaimed writer Michelle Barker’s second novel explores the chaos and destruction of the Second World War from a perspective rarely examined in YA fiction—the implications of the Soviet occupation on a German population grappling with the horrors of Nazism and its aftermath.

Today’s Little Ditty is more than a children’s poetry blog, it’s a poetry playground. Each month, a vibrant community of writers, teachers, librarians, and poetry-appreciators gathers to take part in the Ditty of the Month Club (DMC). Writing to prompts by successful authors and editors, they participate for the camaraderie, and for the joy and craft of writing poetry.In THE BEST OF TODAY'S LITTLE DITTY, 2014-2015, thirteen “ditty” challenges by contemporary children’s authors, including Nikki Grimes, Lee Bennett Hopkins, J. Patrick Lewis, Joyce Sidman, Margarita Engle, Kwame Alexander, and others, have inspired these 75 poems, deemed “best” by their peers. They range from lighthearted to thought-provoking and appeal to a wide audience, from children to adults. Join the fun at michellehbarnes.blogspot.com. What people are saying about Today’s Little Ditty and the Ditty of the Month Club:“ ‘Poetry is prose, bent out of shape,’ I like to say, and for proof, you need only connect with Michelle Heidenrich Barnes’s Ditty of the Month Club, where children’s poets are busy flexing their poetic muscles through the use of various verse forms. They are not showing off; they’re practicing. And they invite you to do the same.”— J. Patrick Lewis, former U.S. Children’s Poet Laureate (2011-2013) and recipient of the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children“The Ditty of the Month Club . . . gives my students a way to participate and be celebrated as practicing poets.”— Margaret G. Simon, teacher of gifted studies and recipient of the 2014 NCTE Donald H. Graves Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Writing"Today's Little Ditty is an amazing resource in the blogging community of poetry for young people with more than 500 posts that invite us to learn, try, pause, write, celebrate, read, think, and revel in poetry and all it has to offer us in our uber-busy lives.”— Dr. Sylvia Vardell, professor of children’s literature at Texas Woman’s University and recipient of the 2014 Scholastic Library Publishing Award for her work in the field

A brilliant historical YA that asks: how do you choose between survival and doing the right thing? The arrival of the Soviet army in Germany at the end of World War II sends sixteen-year-old Katja and her family into turmoil. The fighting has stopped, but German society is in collapse, resulting in tremendous hardship. With their father gone and few resources available to them, Katja and her sister are forced to flee their home, reassured by their mother that if they can just reach a distant friend in a town far away, things will get better. But their harrowing journey brings danger and violence, and Katja needs to summon all her strength to build a new life, just as she’s questioning everything she thought she knew about her country. Katja’s bravery and defiance help her deal with the emotional and societal upheaval. But how can she stay true to herself and protect the people she loves when each decision has such far-reaching consequences? Acclaimed writer Michelle Barker’s second novel explores the chaos and destruction of the Second World War from a perspective rarely examined in YA fiction—the implications of the Soviet occupation on a German population grappling with the horrors of Nazism and its aftermath.