Lepanto’s Lady
Our Lady of Victory & the Battle of Lepanto
Rosa must save her father from the enemy galley ship. She travels alone in disguise from her home on the Amalfi coast. A slave trader is out to get her and ruffians on the road threaten her mission, as she travels across the Mediterranean Sea, finally arriving in Messina, where Don John’s flagship is ready to sail. Some characters and events in Lepanto’s Lady are based on historical people and happenings; others are alive in legends. Rosa, purely fictional character, is a courageous girl who risks her life for the ones she loves. Can Rosa manage this treacherous journey? How will she find and save her father?
Lepanto’s Lady, a fiction account of the most epic, the most important sea battle of Christendom, is an exciting chapter book for children fifth grade and up. Lepanto’s Lady has received the Imprimatur seal. (The “Imprimatur” is granted by an official censor of the Catholic Church and verifies that the book is free from moral and doctrinal error).
Available for purchase here.
“Here history mixes with legend, and adventure mixes with drama. Risk leads to honors, and adventures lead to vocations. Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Joan of Arc make appearances, and the power of Our Lady of the Rosary is proved through the tale of two young people from a family like yours and mine. Recommended.”
– Nancy Carpentier Brown, author of The Father Brown Reader
“Super excited to add Lepanto’s Lady to the middle school classroom bookshelves! This historical fiction is based on the true and legendary events of the epic sea battle of Lepanto and the origin of the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.”
– Katherine Bogner, author of Through the Year with Jesus, and Through the Year with Mary.
“I love that Lepanto’s Lady marries a great story with history and faith. A book that I’ll enjoy reading (and learning) along with my kids.”
– Katie Warner, author of Cloud of Witnesses, A Child’s First Book of Saints, and more
“Each year on October 7th, the Church celebrates the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, the day of a historic battle dating back to the 16th century Battle of Lepanto, won by Italy and Spain’s Holy League. A victory attributed to the Blessed Mother and the power of the Rosary. In this book, based on real-life events of the battle, you will meet a young girl named Rosa from the coastal town of Amalfi. Rosa is searching for her father who has been taken by enemies. Will she be able to avoid danger as she attempts to save her father?”
– Susanna Parent, Blessed Is She
“In Lepanto’s Lady, the Marian apparition includes of Our Lady of Guadalupe. I like this story because it is from the perspective of a girl. I like that the main character was independent.”
– Ellen, ten year old reader and reviewer.
My daughter, Felicity, has an avid imagination. She loves historical fiction with female protagonists. Laurie J. Schmitt’s middle grade book, Lepanto’s Lady, offers an adventure through the Battle of Lepanto, in which Our Lady miraculously answers prayer to rescue those in battle at sea. The fictional character, Rosa, demonstrates courage and strength as she faces danger and difficulty. The virtues exhibited in her character offer a refreshing and welcome change from many of the middle grade books available to young readers. Girls, and children, everywhere, will find inspiration and hope through this true to life story.
– Jeannie Ewing, author of Parenting with the Beatitudes: Eight Holy Habits for Daily Living, and several more
“Lepanto’s Lady, a beautiful work of life and faith, invites you into a world in which the challenges of war and family are only a proof of God’s providence and love. Courageous yet understandable characters introduced in the beginning will delight you and leave you inspired in the end. Rosa a young, thoughtful, and strong-hearted woman, Mateo the brave, enthusiastic younger brother, and the mother and father of the two serving as exemplary role models as well as many others. Throughout multiple hardships and run ins with pirates the strong message of faith, courage, and our Blessed Mothers great intercession resound through the pages”
-Rose, homeschooling student
Here is a book about Catholicism that actually helps your child’s faith in 2021! This is a much needed genre for the youth and young adults of the day. Through the story of the Battle of Lepanto, readers are reminded of the protection our Lady provides in the praying of the rosary and the intercession of saints. By following the path of the characters, young adults also explore the various vocations one can be called to including priesthood, religious life and marriage. The offer illustrates the importance of the Battle in our history as Catholics, while also inspiring the reader to rise up in our current uneasy times. I recommend this for any young adult going through the struggles of the coming of age! Perfect for confirmation or holiday gift!”
– Jenna G
“Lepanto’s Lady is a glimpse of heroic courage in the youth in times of uncertainty and a look at what love can accomplish. Laurie Schmitt writes in a way that enlivens the senses and brings the reader to fully experience and be present in each moment of the book.”
– RH, DRE
“These gems — Champions of the Rosary and Lepanto’s Lady – are going into Regis Catholic Schools library. We can send our kids to private school and go to church every Sunday, but if we are not cultivating the stories and miracles of our faith in our homes we will not grow the next generation. ‘Children are great imitators – give them something great to imitate.'”
– Megan, Catholic convert
“Laurie’s storytelling is sure to captivate the minds and hearts of readers young and old. Her writing makes you feel as if you are there among the characters, part of the battle, and brings the historical context and our Faith to life. The female main character, Rosa, and the battle scenes are sure to draw in boys and girls alike to this unique historical fiction. My children are still young, but I love that we have resources like this to help teach them the power of the rosary and the reality of our Catholic faith. I cannot wait for them to be old enough to read it themselves and I hope Laurie will release more books in this beautiful collection!”
– Katie Curran
“I read this aloud to my girls who are 10 and 8. My 10 year old is an advanced reader but she couldn’t quite follow the plot when she first started reading it on her own, I think because of all the poetic description. So I took over and we did it as a read aloud and she loved it! What I like the most about it is the way the author really wove the faith into every aspect of the story. Rosa is discerning her vocation, which is a subtle undercurrent to the story line. Her friend Maria also finds her vocation too, which is such an important plot line for books geared towards this age group (my 10 year old is on the young end of the range for this book). We loved the part where Rosa encounters a monk on the road and spends time in the friary. All vocations are represented: religious life, priests, married life…soldiers, children, parents.. all depicted as brave and important characters!”
– E. Ray, Amazon reviewer
“Lepanto’s Lady by Laurie Schmitt from Emmaus Road Publishing it is an excellent read and it was hard to put down once I got going. Parts of the story may be fictional but it revolves around real events and a true miracle. It is wonderfully written.”
– Steven McEvoy
“Lepanto’s Lady is a great historical fiction novel with a Marian theme. In Lepanto’s Lady, watch the events of the momentous Battle of Lepanto unfold through the eyes of young Rosa. Learn about the origins of the October 8th feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.”
– B. Inzeo, goodbooksforcatholickids.com