Kathryn Lasky Kathryn Lasky grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana, and knew she wanted to be a writer from the time she was ten. She majored in English in college and after graduation wrote for various magazines and taught. It was while she was teaching that she had her first book published, called, "I Have Four Names for My Grandfather." Lasky has written books on everything from historical fiction, on topics such as the Underground Railroad, to picture books and nonfiction books.. She has won many awards for her titles including "Sugaring Time" which was a Newberry Honor Book, "The Night Journey" which won the National Jewish Book Award for Children, as well as "Pageant," an ALA Notable… Children's book and "Beyond the Burning Time," an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. Lasky has also received the Washington Post's Children's Book Guild Award for her contribution to children's nonfiction. She has written more than seventy books for children and young adults, and many of her books are illustrated with photographs by her husband, Christopher Knight.