Her entry begins:People are always so surprised when they find out that I read so much nonfiction—especially history and science. They think it’s weird that an author like myself who writes fantasy series like The Guardians of Ga’Hoole or The Wolves of the Beyond would look to the real world. But I do. You just can’t pull all this out of a hat. You need some grounding in reality. For example, for my new book, The Rise of A Legend, one of the books I read was No Easy Day about the Navy SEAL team mission to assassinate Osama Bin Laden. I mean, I am about as far from a Navy SEAL as one could get. I won’t go into details but I am of a certain age and have gray hair. I’m a grandmother for crying out loud! And I don’t know much about counter terrorism or assassination. So I had to read some books on it. In addition to No Easy Day I had to read several books on volcanology and...[read on]About Guardians of Ga'Hoole: The Rise of a Legend, from Kirkus Reviews:
The Guardians of Ga'Hoole gets a prequel, with the history of one of the Great Tree's rybs, Ezylryb. Lyze, a young whiskered screech owl, is born into the Northern Kingdoms, where war is as much a part of life as a young owl's First Meat ceremony. His parents, veterans ofLearn more about the book and author at Kathryn Lasky's website.the battle against Bylyric and his Ice Talons, expect their young hatchling to grow up to be a soldier, but Lyze is reluctant to step into that role. The death of his beloved younger sister in a raid changes everything. He begins to apply his mind to the finer points of war, focusing on the elements of weather and battle strategy. He further suggests adding snakes and snow leopards to their ranks. However, Lyze quickly learns that victory comes at a heavy price. Lyze's journey from egg to warrior to ryb enriches the mythology of Ga'Hoole, but it also serves as an unflinching commentary on the ravages of war. While this will undoubtedly appeal to the ardent followers of the series, Lyze's story can be read easily as a stand-alone tale. Both thoughtful and action-packed, this adventure illuminates the fantastical world that exists between dusk and dawn.
Writers Read: Kathryn Lasky.
--Marshal Zeringue
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