Kathryn Lasky's Blog, page 5

It is International Women’s Day

Here are two books about talented women scientists

One mapped stars, the other climbed into the rainforest canopy

Legend of the Guardians Returns

Now you can see this beautiful feature film on Netflix

Soren, a young owl, falls into the clutches of the evil Pure Ones and must set out to find the legendary Guardians of Ga’Hoole - his only hope of saving the owl kingdoms.

An award for She Caught the Light

Let's hear it for women of science

Marvelous news!! SHE CAUGHT THE LIGHT has been named to the 2022 Booklist from Rise: A Feminist Book Project.

Early Readers – Nonfiction

• She Caught the Light: Williamina Stevens Fleming: Astronomer by Kathryn Lasky; illustrated by Julianna Swaney

A Starred Review for The Secret of Glendunny

March 15 is publication day

Here is just a part of what Booklist says:

It’s a marvelous adventure, and Lasky's gorgeous text has a proper, old-fashioned tone that lends gravity to the fantastical plot. There is an astonishingly detailed mythology, language, and history to the beaver world, and larger, relevant themes of immigration and racism are organically worked in. 

The first cover for my new series

COMING SOON

I am so excited to show this beautiful cover for my new animal fantasy series The Secret of Glendunny. The first book will be published March 15, so get ready for a sweeping animal adventure with loyal beavers, a cultured swan, and ominous lynxes around every turn—a captivating story about heroism, loyalty, and the courage to speak truth to power. 

She Caught the Light is a finalist

for the Jane Addams Children's Book Award

The Jane Addams Children’s Book Award annually recognizes children’s books of literary and aesthetic excellence that effectively engage children in thinking about peace, social justice, global community, and equity for all people. A national committee of members with passion for and expertise in children’s literature and social justice is responsible for making the choices each year.

Shout out for Eglantine

She has been chosen one of Zack Snyder's best female characters

Zack Snyder has a reputation for telling very serious stories with very serious characters, and while Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010) is hardly an exception with its application of mythical drama to a much more kid-friendly movie, one character stands out as indisputably Snyder's most light-hearted.

Eglantine is a barn owlet and younger sister to the story's protagonist Soren. Voiced by Adrienne DeFaria, what makes her great is simply her intense innocence. With fascistic villains lusting for power, glory, and racial purity, the adorable Eglantine with her wide eyes represents everything the heroes are fighting to protect. Someone so adorable cannot be allowed to come to harm.

A new list of spy books for kids

Faceless is on the list at Publisher's Weekly Children's Bookshelf

Here's what they say in the review

Set during WWII, Newbery Honoree Lasky’s intense historical drama follows a white family of spies whose tradition of serving Great Britain dates back to Henry VIII. Thirteen-year-old Alice Winfield has for years trained for her first A-level mission, and her celebrated older sister, Louise, once promised to be her guide. But when Louise opts out of the family business, only Alice and her mother join the teens’ undercover father on a secret mission in Berlin: taking down Hitler. Upon arrival, Alice becomes Ute, a German girl “certified to be... Aryan, with no contamination of foreign blood.” As Alice works to achieve high marks in school and remain as unnoticeable and unmemorable as the “tabula rasas” from which she is descended, she finds herself dangerously drawn to an unhoused boy. With a well-detailed historical backdrop and a puzzling familial mystery, this novel delivers intrigue via tense scenes involving Hitler himself. Albeit fictional, this up-close glimpse at the historical figure’s inner circle and last days centers an unnervingly calm protagonist maintaining an elaborate ruse while navigating the increasingly dangerous streets of Berlin, where knowing who is friend and foe determines survival. Ages 8–12

I did an interview with Deborah Kalb

She asked a lot of good questions about Faceless and She Caught the Light

At last, today is the day

More than 3 years of work now out in the world for readers.

Thanks to my publisher HarperCollins and editor Alyson Day