New Releases by Kathryn Lasky

Painter and amateur sleuth Georgia O''Keeffe investigates a tragic death when she returns to Taos in the second instalment of this twisty historical mystery set in the 1930s by multi award-winning author Kathryn Lasky. "Step aside Miss Marple, Eugenia Potter, and Kinsey Millhone - Georgia O''Keeffe is the new sleuth in town!" Award-winning author Katherine Hall Page New Mexico, 1935. Painter Georgia O''Keeffe is at her friend Mabel Dodge Luhan''s home, Los Gallos, a house inhabited by a colorful range of artists, authors and society figures, to attend the memorial service of the renowned writer D.H. Lawrence. Georgia has been commissioned to design the stained-glass windows for the small memorial chapel in Lawrence''s honor. But when she checks to see how the light comes through the glass, another much more horrible sight awaits her: beloved Navajo potter Flora Namingha is dead, her face smashed in with a stone . . . With Flora''s fiancé locked up as the obvious suspect and the local police negligent in its investigation, it seems like no one other than Georgia is capable of solving the murder and making sure justice is done. When Georgia''s lover Sheriff Ryan McCaffrey comes to town unannounced, things get more complicated, and Georgia suddenly finds herself in a complex tangle of revenge, international espionage, Nazis and thugs that will require all her artistic sensibilities and amateur sleuthing skills to unravel! Kathryn Lasky brings Georgia O''Keeffe, considered one of the most significant artists of the twentieth century, to vivid life, along with her set of eccentric famous friends. Lovers of twisty historical mysteries with authentic characters, stunning settings and strong female amateur sleuths are in for a treat!

"Here’s a fast-paced, riveting adventure story for young fantasy fans to enjoy, right down to its ''happily ever after'' ending" —ALA Booklist "Kathy Lasky embellishes and burnishes the time-honored tropes of the Cinderella tale with her customary clarity of storytelling and novelty of invention. Glass sparkles." —Gregory Maguire, New York Times bestselling author of Wicked Newbery Honoree and New York Times bestselling author of the Guardians of Ga’Hoole series Kathryn Lasky delivers an enchanting prequel to the Cinderella story from the perspective of a young fairy godmother. In a grand glass house, there was a girl named Bess whose power would, one day, change the fate of her family. . . Bess Wickham has always felt like a bit of an outcast among her family of extraordinary glassblowers, but then an immense, magical power that’s lain dormant in her bloodline begins to emerge. So, when she suspects her family’s business has taken a sinister turn, Bess must find the strength to defeat dark magic and save a certain cinder girl. But will she shatter under the weight of such evil or get her happily ever after? From Newbery Honor–winning author Kathryn Lasky comes a captivating Cinderella companion, with enchanting spells and endearing animal friendships, reminding us that we have the power to forge our own happy endings. A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection!

Newbery Honor winner Kathryn Lasky, author of the Guardians of Ga’hoole series, delivers a riveting adventure about young British spies on a secret mission in Germany in WWII. “Fascinating and riveting, especially for history buffs and spy aficionados.” —Kirkus “A page-turner, particularly for readers intrigued by WWII.” —Booklist “With a well-detailed historical backdrop and a puzzling familial mystery, this novel delivers intrigue.” —Publishers Weekly Over the centuries, a small clan of spies called the Tabula Rasa has worked ceaselessly to fight oppression. They can pass unseen through enemy lines and “become” other people without being recognized. They are, essentially, faceless. Alice and Louise Winfield are sisters and spies in the Tabula Rasa. They’re growing up in wartime England, where the threat of Nazi occupation is ever near. But Louise wants to live an ordinary life and leaves the agency. Now, as Alice faces her most dangerous assignment yet, she fears discovery, but, most of all, she fears losing her own sister. This upper middle grade novel is a mix of espionage and historical adventure and will appeal to fans of Elizabeth Wein and Ruta Sepetys. Lasky masterfully spins a tale filled with mystery, suspense, and intrigue that will have readers hooked. Faceless is also a springboard for the study of Word War II, with special interest to classrooms that would like to teach subjects such as Hitler, the Nazi regime, and anti-Nazi resistance.

Perfect for fans of His Dark Materials! Against all odds, cubs Stellan, Jytte, Third, and Froya have found the key hidden inside the legendary Den of Forever Frost. Now, they have everything they need to destroy the dangerous ice clock. Everything . . . except an army. The power-hungry Grand Patek will stop at nothing to protect the clock, the source of his authority. And so, it''s up to the cubs to convince the animals of Ga''Hoole to join the fight-a journey that''ll take them from the fabled owl parliament to the rugged territory of the wolves of the beyond. But the owls and the wolves have secrets of their own -- secrets that threaten to fracture the fragile alliance. Do Stellan and Jytte have what it takes to become the leaders of the resistance? Or will the bears be left on their own to battle the greatest enemy Ga''Hoole has ever known?

“Kathryn Lasky’s latest is a sleight-of-hand that will have you clapping your hands. With the brio and big-heart that characterizes all of Lasky’s work, this opening salvo of a new series can be heralded with trumpet fanfares and clouds of rose petals.” —Gregory Maguire, author of Wicked and Egg & Spoon For fans of the Royal Diaries series and Gail Carson Levine, Newbery Honor-winning author Kathryn Lasky delivers the first enchanting adventure in a compelling new middle grade series about a newly orphaned girl who finds herself time-travelling between the present day and the court of the two most memorable English princesses in history. Life used to be great for Rose: full of friends, a loving mom, and a growing fashion blog. But when her mother dies in a car crash, Rose is sent away to live with a strange grandmother she hardly knows and forced to attend a new school where mean girls ridicule her at every turn. The only place Rose finds refuge is in her grandmother’s greenhouse. But one night she sees a strange light glowing from within it. She goes to investigate...and finds herself transported back five hundred years to Hatfield Palace, where she becomes servant and confidant of the banished princess Elizabeth, daughter of King Henry VIII. Rose soon discovers something else amazing—a locket with two mysterious images inside it, both clues to her own past. Could the greenhouse portal offer answers to the mysteries of her family...and their secrets?

Perfect for fans of His Dark Materials! Bestselling author Kathryn Lasky''s "brilliant imagery of the fantasy ice world and her believably strong, determined bears won''t disappoint readers." -- Booklist Cubs Stellan and Jytte survived their treacherous trek across the Nunquivik, but their quest to rescue their mother has only begun. Svenna is imprisoned at the sinister Ice Clock-the headquarters of the Grand Patek whose dangerous influence is spreading throughout the bear kingdom. Only one bear has ever stood up to the Grand Patek-Svern, the cubs'' father, a famous warrior who''s been in exile for years. And so, along with their friend Third, the cubs set out to find Svern in the legendary Den of Forever Frost-a place some bears claim never existed at all. But time is running out. The Grand Patek has a secret weapon at his disposal-one with the power to destroy everything the creatures of Ga''Hoole hold dear. In this second book in the Bears of the Ice series, bestselling author Kathryn Lasky lures readers deeper into a vividly-imagined fantasy world full of magic, adventure . . . and animal heroes unlike any other.

The cubs set out to find their father, Svern, who is the only one to ever stand against the Grand Patek. Will they find him in the Den of Forever Frost before the Grand Patek unleashes a secret weapon with the power to destroy everything the creatures of Ga''Hoole hold dear?

"A picture-book biography of young Isaac Newton, who "discovered" gravity, developed calculus, and uncovered the secrets of light and color"--

From bestselling and award-winning author Kathryn Lasky comes an explosive adventure following the teen girl fighter pilots who took on Hitler''s army . . . and won. 16-year-old Valya knows what it feels like to fly. She''s a pilot who''s always felt more at home soaring through the sky than down on earth. But since the Germans surrounded Stalingrad, Valya''s been forced to stay on the ground and watch her city crumble.When her mother is killed during the siege, Valya is left with one burning desire: to join up with her older sister, a member of the famous and feared Night Witches-a brigade of young female pilots. Using all her wits, Valya manages to get past the German blockade and find the Night Witches'' base . . . and that''s when the REAL danger starts. The women have been assigned a critical mission. If they succeed, they''ll inflict serious damage on the Nazis. If they fail, they''ll face death . . . or even worse horrors.Historical fiction master Lasky sheds light on the war''s unsung heroes-daredevil girls who took to the skies to fight for their country-in an action-packed thrill ride that''ll leave you electrified and breathless.

The brave owls of Ga''Hoole are back in their second mythic adventure as they strive to preserve owldom from the evil that lurks around them. Join the owls in their quest for the Great Ga''Hoole Tree, the legendary place where ordinary owls are transformed into the heroes that guard the owl kingdom.

From the author of the New York Times–bestselling Guardians of Ga’hoole, when a filly from a wild herd is taken, the horses must rally to her rescue. After adopting an orphan human boy, the first herd of horses in the New World is finally ready to make the treacherous journey across the mountains to find the Sweet Grass that promises survival. But when their leader, Estrella, is captured by cruel men, it delivers a blow to the very heart of the herd. If the horses turn back, they’ll never make it across the mountains before winter. But if they leave Estrella in captivity, the wild-born filly will surely perish. The conclusion to Kathryn Lasky’s Horses of the Dawn trilogy will make your heart beat to the rhythm of thundering hooves, leaving you breathless as you join the herd’s final fight for freedom. Praise for Horses of the Dawn, book one: “As in works such as her Guardians of Ga’hoole series, Lasky uses animals to touch on very human issues. —Kirkus Reviews “Lasky successfully fuses fantasy and fact as she gives her equine characters credible emotional depth and underscores the tensions and disparity between Old and New World sensibilities. It’s a haunting story of loss, self-discovery, survival, and homecoming.” —Publishers Weekly

"Ryder always thought something special would happen when she turned eleven, and this year she misses her mom, who died several years ago, more than ever. Ryder''s parents created a cartoon show featuring an eleven-year-old hero named Rory. Then on Ryder''s eleventh birthday, Rory steps out of the screen--Rory needs help"--

Three sisters bound by something more powerful than blood---a secret as deep as the ocean. Once a maid, Hannah is now engaged to a talented painter. But although both were born mer, Stannish has severed ties to the sea and insists that Hannah do the same. Torn between love and the Laws of Salt, Hannah must make a choice that can only lead to heartbreak. Lucy grew up longing to swim, but her mother believed that girls belonged in the drawing room, not the ocean, and took drastic measures to keep Lucy''s identity a secret. Now it''s up to Lucy''s sisters to save her, before she succumbs to landsickness . . . or the executioner''s noose. After a lonely childhood, May suddenly found everything she''d ever wanted. But now with Hannah pulling away and Lucy sentenced to die, May''s world is falling apart. Is she destined to lose her sisters all over again? This conclusion is as beautiful and dangerous as the sea itself. Fans of Downton Abbey will delight in the Edwardian splendor, and all readers will be swept away by a tide of magic and romance.

From the author of the New York Times–bestselling Guardians of Ga’hoole, a herd of horses surviving the wilds of the New World discovers an orphaned boy. For the filly Estrella, nothing is more precious than freedom. She was born at sea, aboard a ship of men sailing to the New World in search of gold. But Estrella and her herd escaped the conquerors and embarked on a journey across thousands of miles—braving harsh terrains and fierce predators—to a land where they can finally run wild. But now, an unforeseen danger threatens to destroy the pack. A boy with a special gift is lost in the wilderness, and only the horses can keep him alive. But to save the boy, the herd will risk galloping straight back into the hands—-and harnesses—of their captors. And so, it’s up to Estrella, the herd’s unlikely leader, to make a life-changing decision. Should the horses accept the orphan boy as one of their own? How do you choose between freedom and friendship? Praise for Horses of the Dawn: “As in works such as her Guardians of Ga’hoole series, Lasky uses animals to touch on very human issues.” —Kirkus Reviews “Lasky successfully fuses fantasy and fact as she gives her equine characters credible emotional depth and underscores the tensions and disparity between Old and New World sensibilities. It’s a haunting story of loss, self-discovery, survival, and homecoming.” —Publishers Weekly

As the daughter of the fallen Anne Boleyn, young Princess Elizabeth lives a complicated and dangerous life. She fears her father Henry VIII''s famous temper, and she knows that Princess Mary is not only her sister but also her rival. Court intrigue swirls around the young princess, and she is forced at an early age to distinguish friend from foe.

At just 11 years old, the young princess Mary Stuart is sent from her native Scotland to live in the court of her future father-in-law, King Henry II of France. She knows one day she will have to embark on the serious business of being queen of France. My Royal Story offers a fascinating glimpse into the life of a sixteenth-century princess.

Young Marie Antoinette has a recurring nightmare, in which the broken head of her porcelain doll is her own. Marie Antoinette doesn''t know her fate, but she knows her destiny is to one day be the Queen of France. But all the preparation in the world cannot equip her for the adventure she is about to embark upon.

Newbery Honor author Kathryn Lasky''s exciting JOURNAL OF AUGUSTUS PELLETIER is back with a dynamic repackaging! Fourteen-year-old Augustus, half French, half Omaha Indian, sets out to proof himself worthy of Lewis and Clark on their great adventure of discovery. He follows the explorers for two hundred miles before making his presence known to the commanding captain of the Corps of Discovery, Meriwether Lewis, himself. Gus''s ability to read and write makes him useful to the explorers, and he starts to keep a record of their travels. But traveling west isn''t easy, and the company faces constant danger. Is Augustus a tough enough explorer to survive such hardships?

Get ready for a wild run in bestselling author Kathryn Lasky''s brand-new middle grade animal fantasy series. The horses are in danger. They were rounded up by the two-legs and forced onto a boat to cross the wide ocean. The journey went badly and the boat was deemed too heavy, so the two-legs forced the horses into the sea and sailed away, leaving the herd to die in the deep.By a miracle, the horses survived and made it to land. All but one -- the ghost horse, the leader of the pack. Now it''s up to her daughter, only a filly, to take charge of the terrified herd. Stranded in a new land, surrounded by two-legs, will the horses find a way to live safe and free?

Is the chance to serve as an extra for Hitler’s favorite filmmaker a chance at life — or a detour on the path to inevitable extermination? One ordinary afternoon, fifeen-year-old Lilo and her family are suddenly picked up by Hitler’s police and imprisoned as part of the "Gypsy plague." Just when it seems certain that they will be headed to a labor camp, Lilo is chosen by filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl to work as a film extra. Life on the film set is a bizarre alternate reality. The surroundings are glamorous, but Lilo and the other extras are barely fed, closely guarded, and kept in a locked barn when not on the movie set. And the beautiful, charming Riefenstahl is always present, answering the slightest provocation with malice, flaunting the power to assign prisoners to life or death. Lilo takes matters into her own hands, effecting an escape and running for her life. In this chilling but ultimately uplifting novel, Kathryn Lasky imagines the lives of the Gypsies who worked as extras for the real Nazi filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl, giving readers a story of survival unlike any other.

Bestselling author Kathryn Lasky takes flight once more with a brand-new Guardians of Ga''Hoole novel! An owlet hatches out onto Stormfast Island and into a world torn by war. For one hundred years, his people have fought off enemy owls from the Ice Talons, but the tide has turned. An invasion is coming, one the Kielian League won''t have the strength to resist. Soon the tyrant owl Bylyric will rule over everything, and no honorable owl will be safe. Only the small owl from Stormfast stands between Bylyric and total victory. Lyze is not very impressive to look at, but he has a wild idea for a snake and owl strike unit that just might give the soldiers of the Kielian League the edge they need.This is his story, the story of an ordinary owl who rose to become Ezylryb of the Great Tree. This is the story of what it takes to make a Guardian of Ga''Hoole.

Traditional Chinese edition of Guardians of Gahoole 11: To Be a King. In Traditional Chinese. Annotation copyright Tsai Fong Books, Inc. Distributed by Tsai Fong Books, Inc.

Like millions of other young fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House series, Meribah Knight dreamed of visiting the places Laura described so vividly in the books. For Meribah, her dream came true when she and her family made a pilgrimage to the veloved sites – the big woods, the banks of Plum Creek, the Little Town on the Prairie – places that had changed, but were still magically familiar. With text by Meribah and her mother, Newbery Honor author Kathryn Lasky, and full-color photographs by her father, Christopher G. Knight, the record of the Knights’ memorable journey is must reading for anyone planning a similar trip…and for everyone who wants an up-close-and-personal look at the settings of America’s most cherished pioneer saga.

Faolan, a wolf once doomed to die, struggles to fulfill his destiny as the leader of the wolves of Beyond. No one ever saw Faolan as a leader. Banished as a pup, he survived and returned as a gnaw wolf--the lowest member of the wolf pack. But Faolan wasn''t meant to be a gnaw wolf. It''s not just his strange, splayed paw, or his uncanny connection with the bears. There''s something about Faolan that inspires certain wolves . . . and leaves others deeply suspicious. Now, with a dangerous threat on the horizon, the pack must make a choice. Will they trust the silver outsider with the task of leading? If Faolan can''t fulfill his destiny, it could be the end of the wolves of the Beyond.

A choice between love and survival . . .Lucy''s family is excited to spend the summer in Bar Harbor, Maine. Her minister father is pleased to preside over such a prestigious congregation, and his social-climbing wife is ecstatic at the chance to find a rich husband for her daughter. Yet Lucy wants nothing to do with the Bar Harbor social scene; she''s simply excited to spend the summer by the sea, watching the waves from her favorite spot on the cliff. Despite having never gone swimming, Lucy feels an intense connection to the ocean, and meets a handsome ship-builder who shows Lucy a world she''s never known, yet somehow always longed for. However, her mother will stop at nothing to keep Lucy and the ship builder apart, even if it means throwing Lucy into the arms of a wealthy man with a dangerous secret. Can Lucy break free and embrace her destiny as a daughter of the sea? Or is she doomed to waste away in a gilded cage, slowly dying of a broken heart?

When a beautiful teen with polio enters their lives, a girl and her older brother find themselves drawn into a web of lies in this compelling novel by a best-selling author. (Age 10 and up) Eleven-year-old Georgie loves science-fiction movies, but she won’t be going to the theater anytime soon. It’s a hot Indiana summer in 1952, and public places from pools to camps are closing to slow the spread of polio. Despite all the headlines, Georgie never thought she’d come as close to the fearful disease as she does when she spies a silver glint in her neighbor’s yard. There she discovers a monstrous, hissing machine, and inside is Phyllis, a girl encased in an iron lung. "I have eighty-seven cubic centimeters of air, but you have the world," Phyllis tells her. Phyllis’s ability to breathe may be limited, but her strength to manipulate is boundless. As Georgie struggles to comprehend this once-gorgeous teenager’s life in a "coffin with legs," Phyllis slowly weaves a web of lies that snare all those around her, including Georgie’s quickly smitten brother. Can Georgie untangle the truth before Phyllis’s deception achieves its inevitable end?

When earthquakes and erupting volcanoes strike the Beyond, Faolan and the other surviving wolves must head for the Distant Blue, where they hope to find a new home.

The first three books in the stirring new Wolves of the Beyond series by Kathryn Lasky, bestselling author of Guardians of Ga''Hoole. In the harsh wilderness beyond the owl world of Ga''Hoole, a wolf mother hides in fear. Her newborn pup, otherwise healthy, has a twisted paw. The mother knows the rigid rules of her kind. The pack cannot have weakness. Her pup must be abdandoned on an icy riverbank - condemned to die.But alone in the forest, the pup, Faolan, does the unthinkable. He survives. These three books tell Faolan''s story - the story of a courageous wolf pup who rises up to change forever the wolves of the Beyond.

Newbery Honor author Kathryn Lasky''s A JOURNEY TO THE NEW WORLD is now back in print with a gorgeous new package!Twelve-year-old Remember Patience Whipple ("Mem" for short) has just arrived in the New World with her parents after a grueling 65-day journey on the MAYFLOWER. Mem has an irrepressible spirit, and leaps headfirst into life in her new home. Despite harsh conditions, Mem is fearless. She helps to care for the sick and wants more than anything to meet and befriend a Native American.

Coretta Scott King Award winner and Newbery Honor author Patricia McKissack''s inspiring A PICTURE OF FREEDOM is now back in print with a gorgeous new cover!It''s 1859 and Clotee, a twelve-year-old slave, has the most wonderful, terrible secret. She knows that if she shares it with the wrong person, she will face unimaginable consequences. What is her secret? While doing her job of fanning her master''s son during his daily lessons, Clotee has taught herself to read and write. However, she soon learns that the tutor, Ely Harms, has a secret of his own.In a time when literacy is one of the most valuable skills to have, Clotee is determined to use her secret to save herself, and her family.