About Kathryn Lasky
Born 1944. Kathryn Lasky is an American writer, novelist and children's writer.
Kathryn Lasky (born June 24, 1944) is an American children's writer who also writes for adults under the names Kathryn Lasky Knight and E. L. Swann. Her children's books include several Dear America books, The Royal Diaries books, Sugaring Time, The Night Journey, Wolves of the Beyond, and the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series. Her awards include Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers' Literature, National Jewish Book Award, and Newbery Honor.
Biography Kathryn Lasky grew up in Indianapolis. She is Jewish and of Russian descent.
She was the 2011 winner of the Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers' Literature.
She is the author of over one hundred books. Her most notable book series is Guardians of Ga’Hoole, which has more than 8 millions copies printed. Her books have been translated into 19 languages around the world. and the 2017 bestseller Night Witches, the story of Soviet women pilots of the 588th Night Bomber Regiment in WWII.
Works
Camp Princess Born To Rule Unicorns? Get Real!
The Royal Diaries Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor (England 1544) Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles (Austria-France 1769) Mary, Queen of Scots: Queen Without a Country (France 1553) Jahanara: Princess of Princesses (India, 1627) Kazunomiya: Prisoner of Heaven (Japan 1858)
Dear America A Journey to the New World: The Diary of Remember Patience Whipple, Mayflower, 1620 Dreams in the Golden Country: The Diary of Zipporah Feldman a Jewish Immigrant Girl, New York City, 1903 Christmas After All: The Great Depression Diary of Minnie Swift, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1932 A Time for Courage: The Suffragette Diary of Kathleen Bowen, Washington, D.C., 1917 Blazing West: The Journal of Augustus Pelletier, Lewis and Clark Expedition, 1804
My America Hope In My Heart: Sofia's Immigrant Diary (also known as Hope In My Heart, Sofia's Ellis Island Diary) Home at Last: Sofia's Immigrant Diary An American Spring: Sofia's Immigrant Diary
Daughters of the Sea Hannah May Lucy The Crossing
Horses of the Dawn The Escape (2014) Star Rise (2014) Wild Blood (2016)
Starbuck Family Adventures Double Trouble Squared Shadows in the Water A Voice in the Wind
Guardians of Ga'Hoole
The Capture (also published as a movie tie-in edition in the UK as Legend of the Guardians) The Journey The Rescue The Siege The Shattering The Burning The Hatchling The Outcast The First Collier The Coming of Hoole To Be a King The Golden Tree The River of Wind Exile The War of the Ember The Rise of a Legend (2013) (this is a prequel to the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series about Ezylryb)
Two guide books were released to give readers more insight into the world of Hoole. They are narrated by the owl Otulissa.
A Guide Book to the Great Tree (2007) Lost Tales of Ga'Hoole (2010)
Wolves Of The Beyond Lone Wolf Shadow Wolf Watch Wolf Frost Wolf Spirit Wolf Star Wolf
The Deadlies Felix Takes the Stage Spiders on the Case
Bears of the Ice Quest of the Cubs The Den of Forever Frost The Keepers of the Keys
Portraits Dancing Through Fire (2005)
Standalone titles Night Witches (2017) The Last Girls of Pompeii (2007) Blood Secret (2004) Broken Song (2005) (companion to The Night Journey) Star Split (1999) (Published in German as 3038: Staat der Klone) Alice Rose and Sam (1998) True North (1996) Beyond the Burning Time (1994) Memoirs of a Bookbat (1994) The Bone Wars (1988) Pageant (1986) Beyond the Divide (1983) The Night Journey (1981) (1982 winner of the National Jewish Book Award for Children's Literature) Prank (1984) Robin Hood: The Boy Who Became a Legend (1999) Hawksmaid: The Untold Story of Robin Hood and Maid Marian (2000) Ashes (2010) Chasing Orion (2007) Home Free (1985)
Children and YA non-fiction John Muir: America's First Environmentalist Interrupted Journey: Saving Endangered Sea Turtles Silk and Venom: Searching for a Dangerous Spider (2011) Candlewick. Shadows in the Dawn: The Lemurs of Madagascar The Most Beautiful Roof in the World Sugaring Time (1983 Newbery Honor) Days of the Dead Searching for Laura Ingalls Monarchs Surtsey: The Newest Place on Earth Dinosaur Dig Traces of Life: The Origins of Humankind A Baby map "Tangled in Time: The Portal" (2019) "Tangled in Time: The Burning Queen" (2019)
Picture books Lunch Bunnies Show and Tell Bunnies Science Fair Bunnies Tumble Bunnies Lucille's Snowsuit Lucille Camps In Starring Lucille Pirate Bob Humphrey, Albert, and the Flying Machine Before I was Your Mother The Man Who Made Time Travel A Voice of Her Own: The Story of Phillis Wheatley, Slave Poet Love That Baby Mommy's Hands Porkenstein Born in the Breezes: The Voyages Of Joshua Slocum Vision of Beauty First Painter The Emperor's Old Clothes Sophie and Rose. Illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin. Candlewick Press, 1998. Marven of the Great North Woods (1997 winner of the National Jewish Book Award for Children's Picture Books illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. January 2013 selection by the PJ Library. ) A Brilliant Streak: The Making of Mark Twain Hercules: The Man, The Myth, The Hero The Librarian Who Measured the Earth She's Wearing a Dead Bird on Her Head! The Gates of the Wind Pond Year Cloud Eyes I Have an Aunt on Marlborough Street Sea Swan My Island Grandma
Adult Other than Night Gardening all Lasky's works for adult readers are under the name Kathryn Lasky Knight.
Atlantic Circle (1985) (Memoir about Lasky and her husband, Chris Knight, covering their childhood years on to a trip shortly their getting married sailing a thirty-foot ketch from Maine to Europe and back.) The Widow of Oz (1989) Night Gardening (1999) (written under the pseudonym of E.L. Swann)
Calista Jacobs mystery This series for adult readers was also written under the name Kathryn Lasky Knight. Trace Elements (1986) Mortal Words (1990) Mumbo Jumbo (1991) Dark Swan (1994)
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Important facts
People in Kathryn Lasky's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Kathryn Lasky's
Frequently asked questions
Who is Kathryn Lasky?
American children's writer
When was Kathryn Lasky born?
Kathryn Lasky was born on 24 June 1944 in Indianapolis.
What is Kathryn Lasky's occupation?
Kathryn Lasky is a writer, novelist and children's writer.
What nationality is Kathryn Lasky?
Kathryn Lasky is American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Kathryn Lasky. https://biography.guide/kathryn-lasky/
MLA: "Kathryn Lasky." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/kathryn-lasky/.
Chicago: "Kathryn Lasky." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/kathryn-lasky/.
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