Kate Messner Books in Order

Set in New York’s North Country, this historical adventure brings local history, family ties, and outdoor danger together. Messner keeps the story moving while making the region itself feel vivid and important.

This North Country adventure blends Lake Champlain history with the region’s most famous monster legend. It is a brisk, local-history mystery with plenty of atmosphere on and around the water.

Gianna is a talented runner, but a giant leaf collection project and family worries are catching up with her fast. It is funny, heartfelt, and full of autumn energy.

Claire’s life on her family’s maple farm changes when she gets the chance to train in Lake Placid. Figure skating dreams, fierce competition, and tough choices give this story real momentum.

Marty would rather catch frogs than play princess, so being cast in the class play feels like a disaster. With humor and stubborn charm, she finds a way to make the part her own.

A child skiing through a winter landscape discovers that the snowy world is busy with hidden life. It is a calm, beautiful introduction to the animals surviving beneath the surface.

Ernest is a nervous young sea monster heading to a brand-new school full of fish. This funny picture book turns first-day jitters into a warm story about friendship and fitting in.

When the Star-Spangled Banner is stolen, three kids with secret family ties to artifact protection get pulled into the mystery. Snowed in at a Washington airport, they have to untangle clues fast.

In a near future shaped by monster storms, Jaden joins her father at a special storm-safe community and science camp. What she discovers there turns weather into a high-stakes thriller.

Marty thinks worms are fascinating, useful, and completely underrated, which is exactly why trouble follows. Her latest school adventure mixes science, stubbornness, and third-grade chaos in a funny, big-hearted way.

José, Anna, and Henry head into the Costa Rican rainforest to recover a stolen Jaguar Cup tied to their secret society. The setting is lush, the danger is real, and trust is in short supply.

When a new fish starts bossing everyone around, Ernest has to figure out what being a good friend really looks like. It is a playful story about bullying, inclusion, and speaking up.

Four kids with head injuries arrive at an elite treatment center in the Florida Everglades and start to suspect something is very wrong. This science thriller is creepy, clever, and fast-moving.

An international art heist sends Henry, Anna, and José from Boston to Paris on their riskiest mission yet. With double agents and disappearing allies, the mystery keeps shifting under their feet.

Marty loves animals, but caring for a growing collection of pets is harder than it sounds. This chapter book keeps the humor high while showing how responsibility can get messy fast.

Zig trusts electronics more than people, so when his father’s disappearance stops making sense, he follows clues with a garage-sale GPS unit. It is a searching, hopeful story about family and belonging.

Ava finds a pencil that can answer any factual question, and at first it feels like magic she can control. Then the answers lead her toward truths she is not sure she wants.

Ranger lands in ancient Rome and finds himself in the middle of a world of gladiators, crowds, and danger. To help a boy survive, he will need courage, quick instincts, and a very good nose.

This picture book turns reading into a joyful step-by-step ritual, from picking the right book to sharing it with a buddy. It quietly celebrates how stories bring people together.

Ranger travels to the days of slavery and joins two children escaping a Maryland plantation for the long trip north. It is one of the series’ most urgent stories, full of danger and hope.

Ranger, a time-traveling golden retriever, lands on the Oregon Trail in 1850 and meets a family heading west. What starts as one rescue soon turns into a much bigger fight to stay safe.

Starting with one rainforest tree, this book counts life upward as more and more creatures make their home there. It is part counting book, part biodiversity celebration.

A garden bursts with life above the soil, but just as much is happening underneath it. Messner turns a year in the garden into a lively look at growth, insects, roots, and hidden work.

In Antarctica, Ranger is swept into the brutal age of polar exploration. Snow, hunger, and deadly cold turn this historical rescue into a race where every step matters.

Charlie catches a fish that grants wishes, but every wish goes hilariously wrong. Then the story deepens into something tougher and more tender as family trouble hits close to home.

When the 1906 San Francisco earthquake hits, Ranger must help in a city breaking apart around him. Fire, rubble, and panic keep the pages moving fast.

Museum mouse Fergus sneaks onto a school bus and ends up in Miss Maxwell’s classroom, where he meets class pet Zeke. Their first adventure turns a new place into a funny friendship story full of mouse-sized surprises.

Ranger arrives in ancient Pompeii just as Mount Vesuvius threatens the city. Smoke, ash, and confusion make this a tense escape story with history close at every turn.

A quiet pond holds two worlds at once, one above the water and one below. This picture book reveals the rich web of plants and animals hidden beneath the surface.

Inspired by the Memorial Day Ride for Freedom in Washington, this lyrical picture book honors veterans, sacrifice, and remembrance. It is direct, rhythmic, and built for reading aloud.

A prison break turns Nora’s small town upside down, and the fear that follows changes how she sees her neighbors and herself. Told through documents and messages, it feels urgent from the start.

Ranger reaches Normandy on D-Day and is dropped into the chaos of one of World War II’s biggest battles. The action is intense, but the story keeps its focus on courage and rescue.

As Hurricane Katrina and its floodwaters overwhelm New Orleans, Ranger helps a family fight their way toward safety. It is a fast, emotional story about disaster, survival, and people refusing to give up.

This nonfiction picture book tells the story of coral restoration pioneer Ken Nedimyer and the work of rebuilding damaged reefs. It offers rare environmental good news without losing sight of the stakes.

Ranger boards the Titanic before disaster strikes and soon finds himself racing through one of history’s most famous sinkings. The stakes are high, but the story stays clear and kid-centered.

This energetic nonfiction book introduces insects as if they were superheroes and supervillains, each with a wild real-life power. It is gross, funny, and packed with memorable science.

Ranger lands in the Revolutionary War, where secret plans and enemy soldiers make the night especially dangerous. This installment mixes espionage, history, and a tight rescue plot.

Ranger arrives in Hawaii on December 7, 1941, just as the attack on Pearl Harbor begins. The result is a tense survival story that places readers inside a day that changed everything.

Mia spends the summer in Vermont helping at her grandmother’s cricket farm and trying to outrun a secret from her gymnastics past. A sabotage mystery gives the story extra drive and heart.

On September 11, 2001, Ranger appears in lower Manhattan and helps a boy and his family search for a way out. Messner handles the fear and confusion with care while keeping the focus on bravery.

Field Day sounds perfect until Fergus and Zeke realize the games are built for kids, not mice. So the tiny duo invents its own contest, and then has to race to get back inside before the celebration ends.

Messner breaks the writing process into playful, kid-friendly steps, from choosing an idea to shaping a character and solving story problems. It is encouraging without pretending writing is always easy.

This entry in the series explores the rainforest as two worlds at once, one visible and one hidden. Birds, monkeys, snakes, and sloths all help make the habitat feel rich and alive.

This volume revisits the attack on Pearl Harbor with more context, more voices, and fewer simple legends. It looks at the day itself, the buildup to war, and the consequences that followed.

This interactive nonfiction title turns readers into detectives, asking them to examine clues and use real forensic science to solve fictional cases. It is hands-on, smart, and easy to dive into.

This History Smashers entry takes apart the familiar Thanksgiving story and asks what really happened on the Mayflower and at Plymouth. Messner replaces tidy myths with a fuller, more honest history.

Instead of starting with presidents in office, this book looks at what future presidents were doing before they were famous. It is an inviting way to connect American history with children’s own possibilities.

Messner follows Florida scientists into the field as they track invasive Burmese pythons and try to protect the Everglades. The result feels part science book, part real-life adventure.

Messner digs into the long fight for women’s suffrage and shows how messy, brave, and incomplete that story really was. It is a lively, myth-busting look at activism, power, and who got left out.

This picture book biography follows Anthony Fauci from his Brooklyn childhood to his role as one of America’s best-known public health figures. It keeps the science clear and the person at the center.

Fergus and Zeke want to celebrate the hundredth day right along with Miss Maxwell’s class. Counting games, classroom fun, and a few mouse-sized problems turn the big day into another lively adventure.

A desert canyon looks harsh at first glance, but it shelters a surprising amount of life. Messner and Christopher Silas Neal uncover the animals, plants, and hidden layers of this landscape.

From the Black Death to COVID-19, this History Smashers title untangles fear, misinformation, and the science of disease. It is gross, timely, and much more complicated than the usual textbook version.

A worried young sloth cannot settle down for bed, so Mama Sloth shares calming ways to let fears go. It is both a sweet bedtime story and a gentle guide to mindfulness.

This book pushes past the neat school version of the Revolution to show competing loyalties, overlooked people, and hard choices. The result is a faster, fuller look at how independence really unfolded.

The Titanic story gets a sharp reset here, from class divides and safety failures to the myths that grew after the sinking. Messner keeps the disaster gripping while asking bigger questions about memory and blame.

Messner heads to the Galápagos to follow scientists studying giant tortoises and the threats they face. It is a clear, engaging look at endangered animals, technology, and conservation.

The classroom mice are determined to visit the science fair, even if they have to sneak their way in. Experiments, gadgets, and one big outing make this an energetic early-reader adventure.

This picture book biography introduces Ann Lowe, the groundbreaking designer who became the first nationally known Black fashion designer in America. It follows her work from a family dress shop to some of the country’s most famous gowns.

A kayaking trip opens into the hidden world of the ocean’s kelp forest, where whales, sharks, jellies, and sea lions share the water. It is a gorgeous look at a layered marine ecosystem.

Messner explores the Underground Railroad as a dangerous network of resistance built by enslaved people and their allies. The book challenges simple legends and makes the stakes feel immediate and human.

This guide is written for teachers who want to stay connected to their own writing lives. Messner mixes mini-lessons, prompts, and encouragement with a clear belief that writing teachers should write, too.

This History Smashers book retells the Columbus story by centering the Taíno people and the violence of colonization. It asks readers to question the version of history many of us first heard.

It is Presidents’ Day, and Fergus and Zeke want their own class project, but Zeke’s ideas about leadership mostly mean bossing Fergus around. A little presidential history and a lot of mouse drama follow.

On a dreary day, Alice steps into a book and travels through deserts, oceans, skies, and space. Her imaginative journey celebrates the pull of stories and the comfort of coming home.

Messner treats revision as the real heart of writing, with practical tools for rethinking a draft instead of just cleaning it up. It is a smart, usable guide for teachers and working writers.

A narrator insists this is the most terrifying story ever, but the haunted house and its creatures are more adorable than scary. The joke only gets funnier as the book tries harder to spook you.

Emma is ready for a fresh start at her new school until her former best friend, now her enemy, walks into class. Cheerleading energy, social nerves, and mascot drama keep this chapter book bouncing along.

The classroom mice sneak onto a farm field trip and quickly find that honey, hens, and barnyard confusion are a lot bigger than expected. Getting back to the bus becomes the real challenge.

This installment heads into the Everglades, where owls, egrets, turtles, orchids, frogs, and alligators share a habitat full of hidden life. It is a vivid introduction to a remarkable wetland ecosystem.

Messner digs into the fear, rumor, injustice, and power struggles behind Salem. Instead of spooky shorthand, readers get a clearer picture of how a community turned on its own.

Pyramids are only the beginning here. Messner looks past the familiar symbols to explore work, power, belief, and daily life in ancient Egypt.

This volume traces how pollution, protest, science, and young people helped shape the environmental movement. It connects the first Earth Day to the bigger fight over how we care for the planet.

This nonfiction picture book turns a real Yosemite climbing rivalry into a suspenseful story of risk, grit, and one-upmanship. Royal Robbins and Warren Harding keep pushing each other toward bigger walls and bolder climbs.

Ivy helps rescue a baby river otter with an injured leg while also trying to navigate loneliness and changing friendships. The animal care is real, but so are the kid emotions underneath it.

Ezra finds two baby screech owls after a storm and throws himself into helping them survive. His worries about baseball and belonging give this wildlife rescue extra warmth.

Messner and Christopher Silas Neal dive into the coral reef to show its bright, busy life above and below the waterline. Sea turtles, nurse sharks, octopuses, and reef fish fill every spread with motion.

After vandalizing a grave, Finn is given an unusual chance to make amends: climb all forty-six Adirondack High Peaks with a dead woman’s dog. It becomes a funny, aching story about grief, anger, and second chances.

This fractured Cinderella tale stars a practical young axolotl who wants a future bigger than her murky lake. Magic helps, but Ella’s own clear-eyed ambition is what really drives the story.

Tasha’s family rebrands its struggling Yeti camp so every kind of monster can attend, but the summer quickly goes sideways. Sabotage, clashing campers, and a big mystery keep the pages moving.

Ivy and Ezra take on another wildlife case when a hurt tortoise needs patient, careful help. Like the earlier books, this one pairs animal rescue with the quieter work of growing up.

This entry carries the Over and Under idea into a park, where busy paths and open spaces sit above a quieter hidden world. It invites readers to notice the life layered into an everyday landscape.

This History Smashers entry explores the Space Race as more than a simple USA versus USSR contest. It looks at politics, science, risk, and the many people whose work helped send humans into space.

A boastful whale and an equally opinionated otter each argue that they are the greatest sea animal around. The clever trick is that the book works in both directions, making the debate twice as funny.