Kathryn Lasky is an American children's writer born on June 24, 1944. She also writes for adults under the names Kathryn Lasky Knight and E. L. Swann. Her notable 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 the Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers' Literature, National Jewish Book Award, and Newbery Honor.

Lasky grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana and is married to Christopher Knight. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Her career includes writing over one hundred books for children and young adults, with her work being translated into 19 languages worldwide. The Guardians of Ga'Hoole series was turned into a major motion picture, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole.

Her upbringing on the prairie of Indiana and her family life greatly influenced her writing. Despite facing challenges in school, she became an English major at the University of Michigan and later a successful author. Her husband Chris Knight, a National Geographic photographer, influenced her life experiences, including sailing across the Atlantic Ocean, which she wrote about in Atlantic Circle.