Kate Messner

Author Information
Kate Messner's Latest Book

Newest Release

  • Bibliography:
    47 Books (4 Series)
  • First Book:
    November 2007
  • Latest Book:
    May 2025
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Full Series List in Order

Fergus and Zeke

1 - Fergus and Zeke (Jun-2017)
2 - Fergus and Zeke at the Science Fair (Sep-2018)
3 - Fergus and Zeke and the Field Day Challenge (Apr-2020)
4 - Fergus and Zeke and the 100th Day of School (Dec-2021)
5 - Fergus and Zeke for President (May-2023)
6 - Fergus and Zeke and the Great Farm Field Trip (May-2024)

The Kids in Mrs. Z's Class

1 - Emma McKenna, Full Out (Jun-2024)

Marty McGuire

1 - Marty McGuire (May-2011)
2 - Marty McGuire Digs Worms! (Apr-2012)
3 - Marty McGuire Has Too Many Pets! (Feb-2014)

Ranger in Time

1 - Rescue on the Oregon Trail (Jan-2015)
2 - Danger in Ancient Rome (Jul-2015)
3 - Long Road to Freedom (Jan-2016)
4 - Race to the South Pole (Jul-2016)
5 - Journey Through Ash and Smoke (Feb-2017)
6 - Escape from the Great Earthquake (Jul-2017)
7 - D-Day: Battle on the Beach (Feb-2018)
8 - Hurricane Katrina Rescue (Jul-2018)
9 - Disaster on the Titanic (Jan-2019)
10 - Night of Soldiers and Spies (Jul-2019)
11 - Escape From The Twin Towers (Feb-2020)
12 - Attack on Pearl Harbor (Jul-2020)

Book List in Order: 47 titles

  • Spitfire

    October 1776…Twelve-year-old Abigail Smith disguises herself as a boy, steals a leaky rowboat, and sets out to join the American Fleet on Lake Champlain. She's desperate to find her uncle, her only living relative and her only hope for a real home....

  • Champlain and the Silent One

    His tribe calls him Silent One. He hasn't spoken since his uncle died fighting the Iroquois. But in the winter of 1609, a new language echoes through the north woods. Samuel de Champlain and his Frenchmen speak of friendship and promise to help the I...

  • The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z.

    Gianna Z. has less than one week to collect twenty-five leaves for a science project, or else she might lose her spot at cross-country sectionals. Finishing her project will be enough of a hurdle, but with a grandmother who keeps losing her teeth, a ...

  • Sugar and Ice

    For Claire Boucher, life is all about skating on the frozen cow pond and working at her family's maple farm. But when a professional skating coach offers Claire a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to train with the elite skaters in Lake Placid, she's to...

  • Marty McGuire

    Marty McGuire - 1

    Marty McGuire would rather spend recess catching frogs in the pond than playing dress-up with the other girls in third grade. So when her teacher casts Marty as the princess in the class play, Marty's absolutely, positively sure that there's been a h...

  • Sea Monster's First Day

    Sea monster Ernest is starting his first day of school. But starting school is a big job! Fitting in when you're a sea monster is tough enough, and there's so much to learn and do -- reading, singing, playing hide-and-seek with the fishermen, lunchti...

  • Over and Under the Snow

    Over the snow, the world is hushed and white. But under the snow exists a secret kingdom of squirrels and snow hares, bears and bullfrogs, and many other animals that live through the winter safe and warm, awake and busy, under the snow. Discover the...

  • Eye of the Storm

    In the not-too-distant future, huge tornadoes and monster storms have become a part of everyday life. Sent to spend the summer in the heart of storm country with her meteorological engineer father, Jaden Meggs is surprised at the strides her father's...

  • Marty McGuire Digs Worms!

    Marty McGuire - 2

    A funny, accessible chapter-book series about an irrepressible third grader. Marty McGuire's third-grade class has a special assignment: Save the Earth! Even more exciting, the best project wins a special award. Marty's pretty sure her classmates'...



  • Capture the Flag

    ANNA, JOSE AND HENRY have never met, but they have more in common than they realize. Snowed in together at a chaotic Washington, DC, airport, they encounter a mysterious tattooed man, a flamboyant politician, and a rambunctious poodle named for an an...

  • Hide and Seek

    A fast-paced mystery from the author of CAPTURE THE FLAG! José, Anna, and Henry are junior members of the secret Silver Jaguar Society, sworn to protect the world's most important artifacts. When they discover that the society's treasured Jaguar ...

  • Sea Monster and the Bossy Fish

    Being kind is a big job, but nothing's too big for a sea monster. Not even taking on the new fish in school, who's great...except when he's pushing people around. This funny, charming twist on dealing with a bully will reassure and delight the smalle...

  • Wake Up Missing

    Meet Quentin, a middle school football star from Chicago... Sarah, an Upstate New York girls' hockey team stand-out... Ben, a horse lover from the Pacific Northwest... And Cat, an artistic bird watcher from California. The four have nothing ...

  • Marty McGuire Has Too Many Pets!

    Marty McGuire - 3

    Marty McGuire really has her hands full this time -- with a lazy boa, a hyper hamster, and a potty-mouthed parrot! Is her pet sitting business about to go OUT of business? After visiting a sanctuary for retired lab chimpanzees, Marty wants to foll...

  • Manhunt

    When the world's greatest masterpieces are stolen, it's up to three kids to track down the culprits Henry, Anna, and Jose head from Boston to Paris for their most dangerous mission yet: to solve the mystery of an international art heist! Shortly ...

  • The Exact Location of Home

    Kirby "Zig" Zigonski lives for the world of simple circuits, light bulbs, buzzers, and motors. Electronics are, after all, much more predictable than most people--especially his father, who he hasn't seen in over a year. When his dad's latest visit i...

  • Rescue on the Oregon Trail

    Ranger in Time - 1

    Meet Ranger! He's a time-traveling golden retriever who has a nose for trouble ... and always saves the day! Ranger has been trained as a search-and-rescue dog, but can't officially pass the test because he's always getting distracted by squirrels...

  • All the Answers

    What if your pencil had all the answers? Would you ace every test? Would you know what your teachers were thinking? When Ava Anderson finds a scratched up pencil she doodles like she would with any other pencil. But when she writes a question in the ...

  • Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt

    In this exuberant and lyrical follow-up to the award-winning Over and Under the Snow , discover the wonders that lie hidden between stalks, under the shade of leaves ... and down in the dirt. Explore the hidden world and many lives of a garden throug...



  • How to Read a Story

    Step One: Find a story. (A good one.) Step Two: Find a reading buddy. (Someone nice.) Step Three: Find a reading spot. (Couches are cozy.) Now: Begin. Accomplished storytellers Kate Messner and Mark Siegel chronicle the process of becoming a re...

  • Danger in Ancient Rome

    Ranger in Time - 2

    Ranger, the time-traveling golden retriever, is back for the second book in Kate Messner's new chapter book series. This time, he's off to save the day in ancient Rome! Ranger is a golden retriever who has been trained as a search-and-rescue dog. ...

  • Tree of Wonder

    Deep in the forest, in the warm-wet green, 1 almendro tree grows, stretching its branches toward the sun. Who makes their homes here? 2 great green macaws, 4 keel-billed toucans, 8 howler monkeys, 16 fruit bats, 32 fer-de-lance vipers, 64 ago...

  • Long Road to Freedom

    Ranger in Time - 3

    Ranger is a time-traveling golden retriever with search-and-rescue training. In this adventure, he goes to a Maryland plantation during the days of American slavery, where he meets a young girl named Sarah. When she learns that the owner has plans to...

  • The Seventh Wish

    When Charlie Brennan goes ice fishing on her town's frozen lake, she's hoping the fish she reels in will help pay for her dream: a fancy Irish dancing dress for her upcoming competition. But when Charlie's first catch of the day happens to be a talki...

  • Race to the South Pole

    Ranger in Time - 4

    Ranger, the time-traveling golden retriever with search-and-rescue training, joins an early twentieth-century expedition journeying from New Zealand to Antarctica. He befriends Jack Nin, the stowaway turned cabin boy of Captain Robert Falcon Scott's ...

  • Journey Through Ash and Smoke

    Ranger in Time - 5

    Ranger is a time-traveling golden retriever with search-and-rescue training. In this adventure, he goes to Viking age Iceland, which proves to be tough terrain for Ranger to navigate. Usually it's Ranger's job to save the day before he can return to ...

  • Rolling Thunder

    Lines of bikes are miles long, shining, half a million strong. Rumbling, grumbling, engines roar. Peace signs. High fives. Spirits soar. Every Memorial Day in Washington, DC, more than a million veterans and their supporters gather for the Roll...

  • Fergus and Zeke

    Fergus and Zeke - 1

    Meet Fergus and Zeke -- a lovable classroom mouse and his streetwise buddy -- in a brand-new series perfect for early readers. Fergus loves being the class pet in Miss Maxwell’s classroom. He does everything the students do, until the teache...

  • Escape from the Great Earthquake

    Ranger in Time - 6

    Ranger travels to San Francisco and meets Lily Chen. She was sent from China to America to work as a young servant, but she dreams of studying to be a doctor. When the Great Earthquake hits, Ranger arrives in time to rescue Lily from falling beams in...



  • D-Day: Battle on the Beach

    Ranger in Time - 7

    In this adventure, Ranger heads to Normandy on the morning of the D-Day invasion and finds himself in the middle of one of the fiercest battles of World War II. Ranger meets Leo, a Jewish boy who is hiding with a local farmer, and Walt, a young Afric...

  • Breakout

    Nora Tucker is looking forward to summer vacation in Wolf Creek -- two months of swimming, popsicles, and brushing up on her journalism skills for the school paper. But when two inmates break out of the town's maximum security prison, everything chan...

  • Hurricane Katrina Rescue

    Ranger in Time - 8

    Ranger, the time-traveling golden retriever with search-and-rescue training, arrives in New Orleans as Hurricane Katrina approaches and residents start to evacuate the city. Ranger meets Clare Porter, who is searching for her grandmother. Once Ranger...

  • Fergus and Zeke at the Science Fair

    Fergus and Zeke - 2

    Charming classroom pets invert expectations with a clever science project that puts a student through her paces. Fergus and Zeke love being the class pets in Miss Maxwell’s classroom, and they do everything the students do -- listening at stor...

  • Disaster on the Titanic

    Ranger in Time - 9

    Everyone says the Titanic is unsinkable, and Patrick Murphy believes this most of all. He grew up near the shipyard where the magnificent ship was built and officially started working there when he turned thirteen. He's even been chosen to be part of...

  • Night of Soldiers and Spies

    Ranger in Time - 10

    Ranger's next mission finds him in the middle of the Revolutionary War. There he meets Isaac Pope, a fisherman turned soldier for the Continental Army. When General George Washington is in need of a spy to cross into enemy territory, Isaac is cho...

  • Chirp

    From acclaimed author Kate Messner comes the powerful story of a young girl with the courage to make her voice heard, set against the backdrop of a summertime mystery. When Mia moves to Vermont the summer after seventh grade, she's recovering ...

  • Escape From The Twin Towers

    Ranger in Time - 11

    Ranger, the time-traveling golden retriever with search-and-rescue training, travels to New York City on the morning of the 9/11 attacks. COURAGE IN THE FACE OF DANGER! Ranger has never needed his search-and-rescue training more than when he ar...

  • Fergus and Zeke and the Field Day Challenge

    Fergus and Zeke - 3

    “A fun, mouse-sized view of the world. . . . Kids will look forward to their own field days after reading about this one.” -- Kirkus Reviews Fergus and Zeke love being the class pets in Miss Maxwell’s classroom. From science experiments to art...

  • Attack on Pearl Harbor

    Ranger in Time - 12

    I Survived meets The Puppy Place in this thrilling adventure novel as Ranger -- a time-traveling golden retriever -- races to the rescue on the day of the Pearl Harbor attack.Ranger travels back to 1941 Hawaii, where World War II is on everyone's min...



  • Sloth Wasn't Sleepy

    For any child having trouble getting to sleep, the most lovable animal in the rain forest is here to help. One night at bedtime, Sloth wasn’t sleepy. “What if I worry when I try to fall asleep?” Sloth said.“Ah … worries,” Mama said. ...

  • Fergus and Zeke and the 100th Day of School

    Fergus and Zeke - 4

    In their fourth adventure, classroom mice Fergus and Zeke -- after a few false starts -- jump into a creative project to help the kids mark the one hundredth day of school. Fergus and Zeke love being the class pets in Miss Maxwell’s classroom, and ...

  • History Smashers: The Underground Railroad

    Myths! Lies! Secrets! Uncover the hidden truth about the Underground Railroad and Black Americans' struggle for freedom. Perfect for fans of I Survived! and Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales.Before the Civil War, there was a crack team of abolitionists w...

  • Fergus and Zeke for President

    Fergus and Zeke - 5

    Can classroom mice Fergus and Zeke work together to finish their project on American presidents -- even when Zeke gets bossy? It’s Presidents’ Day, and all the students in Miss Maxwell’s classroom are choosing their special projects. Classroom ...

  • The Scariest Kitten in the World

    The Scariest Kitten in the World is a hilarious picture book by Kate Messner and illustrated by MacKenzie Haley in the vein of The Monster at the End of This Book about a not-so-scary kitten and a not-too-terrifying haunted house.WARNING! This is a V...

  • Fergus and Zeke and the Great Farm Field Trip

    Fergus and Zeke - 6

    Will the two classroom mice make it back to the bus on time, or will they be stuck on the farm forever? A funny adventure tailor-made for farm-loving kids. Fergus and Zeke love being the class pets in Miss Maxwell’s class, and they always want to d...

  • Emma McKenna, Full Out

    The Kids in Mrs. Z's Class - 1

    From a New York Times bestselling author, cheerleader Emma McKenna is thrilled for her first day at a new school"but when her former best friend (now her enemy) shows up in class, Emma’s quest to start over socially may take a tumble. E...

  • The Trouble with Heroes

    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 ...

Award-Winning Books by Kate Messner

The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z.
2010 E.B. White Read Aloud Award -- Older Reader
Over and Under the Snow
2012 Golden Kite -- Picture Book Text
Rolling Thunder
2019 Beehive Award -- Poetry
Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt
2015 Giverny Award -- Science Picture Book


Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Kate Messner has published 47 books.

The next book by Kate Messner, The Trouble with Heroes, will be published in May 2025.

The first book by Kate Messner, Spitfire, was published in November 2007.

Yes. Kate Messner has 4 series.
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