The Last Girls of Pompeii
(coming May 2007)

POMPEII, A.D. 79
Julia and Sura lead opposite yet inextricably linked lives. Julia is the daughter of a wealthy ship-builder; Sura was kidnapped from her parents as a small child. Julia bears the Curse of Venus—a withered arm; Sura's beauty turns heads. Julia is free; Sura is her slave. The summer has already been a trying one for Julia, with two older sisters' weddings to endure. Then she begins to suspect that her parents have a terrible plan in mind which will affect not only Julia's life, but Sura's as well. Yet what no one in Pompeii suspects is that beneath the verdant vineyards that grow on Mt. Vesuvius, a beastly volcano slumbers. When it finally erupts, it forges a path of destruction that throws everyone's futures into question and forces Julia and Sura to confront the true meaning of freedom.

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Reading Level: Ages 11+
Hardcover: 160 Pages

From School Library Journal:
"Lasky seamlessly weaves a great deal of history into this novel... She vividly portrays a wide swath of society—rich and poor, slaves and gladiators, priests and priestesses as well as the working people of Pompeii. Her well-rounded main characters exist in a world on the brink of disaster, a fact well known to most readers. Even so, Lasky effectively uses subtle indications of the impending eruption to increase the suspense and keep readers on the edge of their seats."

The year is 1897, and gifted violinist Reuven Bloom is fifteen years old. Life for the Jews in Russia is very hard. First Reuven's best friend is captured to serve in the Tsar's army, then his parents and older sister are murdered. Reuven's dreams of music must be set aside. Now he has only one goal: escape. With his baby sister strapped to his back, Reuven sets off toward an unknown freedom. His journey takes him first across Russia, then ultimately to America.

Readers will remember Reuven as the revolutionary who helped Sashie and her family flee from Russia in The Night Journey. In Broken Song, Reuven's own powerful story unfolds.

Reading Level: Ages 9-11
Hardcover: 154 Pages

Winner of the 2006 IRA Teachers' Choices Award.
Voted 2006 Best Children's Book of the Year by the Children's Book Committee at Bank Street College of Education.
Named a 2006 Notable Children's Book of Jewish Content by the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee of the Association of Jewish Libraries.
Named the 2005 Lupine Award Honor Book in the Juvenile/Young Adult Category.

From School Library Journal
"Through rich prose filled with imagery, distinct characterization, and historical research, Lasky breathes life into the horrific history of anti-Semitism in Russia in the late-19th and early-20th centuries."
Copyright © Reed Business Information, Inc.

Thirteen-year-old Darci Murlowe had never before questioned the wisdom of genetic engineering, the cornerstone of the Bio Union's society and government. After all, it made it possible for scientists to correct diseases and defects in embryos. And for the more privileged, it was also possible to recombine genetic material from several embryos to create children with certain traits. Now, though, Darci wonders what the point of her life is. If everything has been mapped out in her DNA, what surprises could possibly await her?

Darci's dread of a predictable life is soon overshadowed by real fear, when she comes face-to-face with the Bio Union's most shocking capital crime, a crime for which she is both the evidence and the criminal. But even as her life is threatened, she is liberated by a dawning awareness of the intangible thing that transcends her genetic profile: a soul.

Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 192 Pages
Paperback: 208 Pages

Unlike most other residents of Virginia City, Nev., in the 1860s, feisty 12-year-old Alice Rose does not give a hoot about silver mining or striking it rich... She sets about earning enough money to return to Boston and join her cousins at a proper ladies' seminary, but in the meantime she consorts with an eclectic collection of friends: the hurdy-gurdy girls, for whom she sews dresses; kindly Hop Sing, who lays track for the railroad; rich Miss Eilley; and the not-yet-famous Samuel Clemens, who helps Alice Rose expose the nefarious deeds of a band of Confederate vigilantes called the Society of Seven.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 208 Pages
Paperback: 208 Pages

RA/CBC Children’s Choices for 1999
ACL Distinguished Books 1998

Something new is rolling into the city of Boston, like fog off the harbor. Fourteen-year-old Lucy Bradford can feel it in her bones: a sensation that things may not be as they seem.

Hundreds of miles south, a girl named Afrika is fleeing from a cruel world. Her guide: the North Star. Afrika has known lifetimes of hardship and brutality, though she's only Lucy's age. And she's willing to face death for a chance at freedom.

A movement underground will soon change both their lives. It is a movement to help Afrika, and others, escape north to a world without slavery, a movement that will call Lucy into its ranks. It is called the Underground Railroad, and on it, Afrika and Lucy will discover together where their destinies lie: true north.

Reading Level: Young Adult
Hardcover: 267 Pages
Paperback: 288 Pages

American Bookseller Pick of the List
CBC/NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People, 1997
IRA Yound Adult Choice

The year is 1691, and darkness is gathering in the quiet houses of Salem Village. Twelve-year-old Mary Chase is filled with fear, for several girls have begun to exhibit strange behavior. Can it be true that some of the most respectable and God-fearing folk in Salem are really witches, casting spells on Mary’s friends?

As Mary and her widowed mother struggle to run the family farm, they have no idea that the events to come will not only shatter the peace of Salem Village but will also begin one of the most brutal and shocking chapters in American history.

Reading Level: Young Adult
Paperback: 288 Pages

ALA Best Books for Young Adults

In the beginning, Harper Jessup didn't think her family’s moving around was all that bad. She got used to going to a different schools every month or so, and even though new friends were hard to make, Harper could count on her books to keep her company. And Harper knew deep down that her parents wanted only the best for her—and for all the schools and communities in America. Why else would they have became migrants for God?

Now Harper is fourteen and on a bus in the middle of nowhere, a backpack beside her and a knot in her stomach. Her family is miles away. So is the best friend she’s ever had, and so is a whole lot of trouble. Miles ahead of her is the future. How did she end up here, anyway?

Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 216 Pages
Paperback: 224 Pages

From Publishers Weekly:
"In this very smart (and somewhat acerbic) book, Newbery honoree Lasky combines fictional characters with real-life authors and religious groups (such as Operation Rescue) to create a credible and entertaining story of an emerging independent thinker."
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.