The Trouble with Heroes, by Kate Messner

(Hardback, 368 pages, first published in 2025)

An instant New York Times bestseller!

A USA Today bestseller!

"Genuinely moving." --The New York Times Book Review

"Explores the healing power of hiking." --NPR's All Things Considered

The Week Jr.'s Book Club Pick

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.

Storyglory Cautions: This is a beautifully written, moving, tearjerking story—best for readers ready to engage in weighty themes of loss and resilience. Refer to PluggedIn's positive-but-thorough review here, and note the following Storyglory words of caution: (1) This book includes themes of grief and loss—Finn’s father Noah, an FDNY first responder during 9/11 and Covid, has died, and Noah's PTSD and struggle with alcohol are part of the story’s backdrop (handled gently but present). References to 9/11 are described more vividly and may be emotional for sensitive readers. (2) The book contains a few instances of mild language (e.g., “stupid,” “butt,” “freaking”) which reflect the angst the protagonist feels (less and less) over the course of the novel, and there are seven uses of the Lord’s name in vain. A few other references to God are appropriate and reverent, such as the Serenity Prayer. (3) The topic of cheating is briefly referenced in three lines of three poems: CliffNotes are "how people cheated before the internet," someone signs a yearbook "Thanks for letting me copy your math," and Finn writes a skeptical poem on heroes - "who they cheated and cheated on, how the strong ones cried and the honest ones lied" (spoiler alert: his view of a hero positively changes over the course of the novel). (4) Finn sort of accidentally vandalized a tombstone before the novel begins, out of anger over his father's death, and the plot is all about his retribution (which brings great healing). (5) There is a scientific reflection on decomposition and “ghosts” framed metaphorically, not spiritually.

Recommended Age: 12+