Michelle Markel: About the Author
Michelle grew up in Culver City, California, near the movie studios (One of them had her initials: MGM). She very much loved living in Los Angeles, especially driving by the houses that looked like witch's cottages, and restaurants with giant hats and donuts.
When she was a young girl her family went on many trips across the United States, and abroad. Her absolute favorite children's book was Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans, a vividly illustrated story about a plucky French schoolgirl.
Years later, when she went to USC, Michelle became a French major! During her junior year, she lived and worked as an au pair in France.
After graduating magna cum laude Michelle pursued an MA in French Literature from UCLA, and then a second BA in Journalism from California State University, Northridge.
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As a freelance journalist she wrote stories and opinion pieces for THE WALL STREET JOURNAL, the LOS ANGELES TIMES, and other newspapers and magazines. She also worked as a translator in the 1984 Olympics.
After her two daughters were born, she started writing for young people. Her books span a variety of genres: GRACIAS,ROSA and THE SHARK THAT TAUGHT ME ENGLISH (fiction); CORNHUSK, SILK & WISHBONES: A Book of Dolls from Around the World (nonfiction); DREAMER FROM THE VILLAGE: The Story of Marc Chagall (biography); and DREAM TOWN (creative non-fiction). Michelle and her husband, an anthropologist, live in West Hills, California with their two sweet cats.
Michelle is a founding member of The Children's Authors Network (CAN and has been a speaker for the Society For Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. In addition to her programs at public libraries throughout Los Angeles, Michelle has given talks for several literacy organizations including the California Reading Association, the California School Librarian's Association,
the California Association of Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (CATESOL) and the
the West Coast Literacy Conference.