The Trouble with Heroes

Ages 9 to 14

Bestselling and award-winning author Kate Messner takes readers on a heart-filling journey as a boy finds his path to healing.

One summer.

46 mountain peaks.

A second chance to make things right.

Finn Connelly is nothing like his dad, a star athlete and firefighter hero who always ran toward danger until he died two years ago. Finn is about to fail seventh grade and has never made headlines . . . until now.

Caught on camera vandalizing a cemetery, he's in big trouble for knocking down some dead old lady's headstone. Turns out that grave belongs to a legendary local mountain climber, and her daughter makes Finn an unusual offer: she'll drop all the charges if he agrees to climb all forty-six Adirondack High Peaks in a single summer. And there's just one more thing--he has to bring along the dead woman's dog.

In a wild three months of misadventures, mountain mud, and unexpected mentors, Finn begins to find his way on the trails. At the top of each peak, he can see for miles and slowly begins to understand more about himself and his dad. But the mountains don't care about any of that, and as the clock ticks down to September, they have more surprises in store. Finn's final summit challenge may be more than even a hero can face.

About the Author

New York Times bestselling author Kate Messner is passionately curious and writes books for kids who wonder, too. Her titles include award-winning picture books like?Over and Under the Snow, The Next Scientist, and The Scariest Kitten in the World as well as novels for older readers like?All the Answers, Breakout, and Chirp. Kate also writes?the popular the History Smashers graphic nonfiction series and leads the multi-author team behind The Kids in Mrs. Z’s Class chapter books. She lives on Lake Champlain and is a proud Adirondack 46er.