While dealing with grief and anger over the loss of his father (an NYC paramedic who served on September 11, 2001 and during the Covid pandemic), Finn kicks over a headstone in the cemetery. The family offers him an option to avoid going to court-hike the 46 peaks of the Adirondacks and become a 46er-a passion of the deceased. Finn also has to make up for some poor attendance and poor grades at school. He will need to complete a poetry project in order to pass seventh grade.

The hikes, the poetry, and the companionship of his fellow hikers help Finn learn about his father, himself, and the hard truth about being a hero. This story written as Finn's poetry was heartbreaking and beautiful. It will make kids consider other perspectives, and connect to two historically tragic events in our American history, 9-11 and the Covid pandemic.

This is an amazing book. I love that it is written in prose, the prose is so good!
I liked watching Finn make peace with his anger as he does the 46 climbs.
He is still sad and is dealing with his grief over his father. But he is learning more about him and about himself as he takes these hikes.
I liked seeing the connection between these people that also knew his dad and how they help him through all this.
This makes me want to go and do the 46 hikes myself. It sounds and looks from the pictures throughout the book, beautiful.
This is a book that will touch so many hearts. And is great for any kid who has lost a parent.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

I love Kate Messner’s middle grade novels. This novel-in-verse, filled with poems, articles and even some recipes was so fun. There are lots of hard themes that are well written. This novel is about grief, anger, and self-discovery.

This novel in verse is about Finn. He is still struggling with his dad’s death, even after several years. His father was a firer fighter, who ends up saving people in NY at 9/11. Finn is struggling in school and at home. His took out his anger and knocked over a headstone is a local graveyard. The headstone belongs to a well known hiker, Edna. Instead of repaying the damage, Edna’s daughter Kelly wants him must climb 45 peak’s and do with her mother’s dog. He also must finish a his poetry project while doing it too. He has guides/hikers to help him with his climbs. Finn learns a lot about himself and his dad throughout the hikes. He makes cookie recipes after each hike to represent the mountain he just climbed. The recipes may end up saving his grandmother’s business.

This was a wonderful read. It was heartbreaking, heartwarming story I couldn’t put down. I love how everything was woven together and slowly revealed throughout the story. I can’t wait to share it with others!!!

It’s a novel-in-verse about a boy whose father was a a fire fighter who struggled after 9/11, but continued to be a hero until he died during COVID.
Finn struggles to cope with his father’s death and his grades plummet. He kicks over a gravestone of a famous mountain climber and as reparation, must become an Adirondack 46er. The story is told with newspaper clippings, poems Finn writes for school, recipes he writes, and letters he discovers.
As he hikes, the story unravels and he works his way through different stages of grief, learning more and more about his dad. It was close to 300 pages and I couldn’t stop until I’d read it all!

The Trouble with Heroes is a book in verse, one of my favourite formats, especially for middle school fiction. This novel is about grief, anger, and self-discovery. Written in first person, Finn Connelly is still grieving the COVID death of his father. His grief is manifesting in ways that are detrimental to Finn's growth and well-being, and he is, well, he has resorted to skipping school, failing his courses, and vandalizing the local cemetery. To make amends for this crime, Finn is assigned make-up assignments, particularly in Language Arts and Phys Ed. To do so, Finn must complete a poetry project centred around the theme "what makes a hero and put in 14 hours of "moderate to strenuous" activity.
Finn must hike all "forty-six Adirondack High Peaks to atone for his crime AND make up the course material and requirements.
This novel is filled with the most engaging verse, a combination of humour and beautifully emotional lyricism. It also includes the formats of newspaper articles, instructions written in prose, photographs, recipes, and letters, indeed, one of the best examples of a hybrid text.
Finn's journey of self-discovery and overcoming grief is beautifully developed through first-person narration. Messner effectively captured the voice of an adolescent boy through his humour, sarcasm, and view of the world and society.
This novel would be a VERY effective mentor text to use in the classroom. The theme, character development, writing formats, point of view, imagery, various poetic devices, and tone are all literary devices worth noting and can be illustrated effectively using Messners writing as an example.
The Trouble with Heroes is a versatile addition to any school or middle school classroom library. It's not just a great read for individual students, but also a fantastic choice for book clubs and classroom book studies. Its engaging verse, unique writing formats, and relatable themes make it a book that can inspire a variety of learning experiences.

The Trouble with Heroes will be published in April 2025. Thank you to Bloomsbury Children's Books and Netgalley for the free copy.

The Trouble with Heroes by Kate Messner is a phenomenal book that follows a boy on his journey through grief and self-discovery in nature. Finn's father died two years ago. He's been struggling ever since. One day, Finn vandalizes a cemetery and breaks a headstone. The headstone happens to belong to a famous mountain climber. To make reparations, the mountain climber's daughter asks Finn to climb all 46 Adirondack High Peaks with her mom's dog during a span of 3 months. To help him along the way, he will have trail nannies that will accompany him. Finn has no other option. He sealed his fate and had to go on this journey. He can knock out the required PE hours that he needs to make up, and he is working on the poems about heroes that he still needs to finish. Throughout each climb, Finn learns more about himself. He decided to get back to baking and create a cookie for each climb he did. He also starts understanding his dad better.

Messner's writing brings the stunning beauty of the Adirondacks to life, immersing readers in Finn's experiences. Her exploration of grief is both honest and hopeful, offering a message of healing and perseverance. The Trouble with Heroes is a must-read for anyone seeking inspiration and understanding.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

"The Trouble with Heroes" is an incredibly emotional book about healing. Main character Finn has lost his dad, who was a firefighter during 9-11 in NYC. His dad survived, but was forever changed after that experience. Finn conquers mountain peaks as retribution for damaging a gravestone in a cemetery. He doesn't realize that he is conquering so much more. There are twists and turns as Finn learns, changes, and becomes more than he realized he could be. I loved this book- and recommend it for middle grade readers.

This book was wonderful! I actually binged it - I could not stop reading, The sense of place was everything. I truly felt like I was on the journey alongside Finn. I highly recommend it for middle school readers and their adults!

Wonderful novel in verse with all the feels. ❤️ Finn is such a great character - imperfect yet completely lovable. I cannot wait to put several copies in our middle school library…and then watch them immediately get checked out!

This heartwarming tale in verse will break your heart and mend it at the same time the same as it did for Finn. Readers go along with Finn on his journey to make reparations for kicking over a headstone in a fit of anger. He learns about himself and his dad on his journey to climb all 46 of the hikes in the Adriondacks. The hikes will test both his body and his mind.

I absolutely loved this story. It would be perfect for a middle school and even high school.

This is an emotional, endearing story that follows a middle school boy’s journey to find himself in the post-9/11, post-COVID pandemic world in which we are all living. Though it is written as a novel-in-verse, the words and story flow so well that the poetry becomes part of the pacing of the story and ties in perfectly with the plot. This story will likely appeal to anyone who has struggled in school, who enjoys baking (or eating!), likes to hike and explore nature, or who is simply looking for an emotionally driven novel to get lost in.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley.

Absolutely loved this novel-in-verse, filled with poems, articles and even some recipes. Finn is in trouble for kicking over Edna’s gravestone and her daughter, Kelly, wants him to climb the 46 peaks with her mom’s dog that her mom wanted to do but never finished. Kelly tells Finn that people climb for reasons because they are “searching for something like courage” or to “remember someone.” Finn also has to finish a poetry project for school and wonders could he write about his dad who died two years ago. As he starts the hikes he has different mentors. One is his dad’s hockey coach who tells him more about his dad. As Finn hikes he can feel his dad in spirit, and it helps him deal with his anger and grief. One day Finn finds letters from Edna to his dad, and it gives him an idea that he hopes gives him closure.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

To say that I was blown away by this story would be an understatement!

For middle-grade readers who may be struggling with tough emotions, @katemessner's upcoming book "The Trouble With Heroes" will take them on a healing journey. Finn, still reeling from his father's death two years prior, is finishing 7th grade on a low note, and has added accidentally damaging a famous woman's headstone to his list of things that aren't going well. In lieu of paying for a new headstone ($$$$), the dead woman's daughter says Finn can make reparations by climbing all 46 of the Adirondack high peaks in one summer. Initially resentful, Finn slowly comes to find unexpected peace as he works through his complicated emotions for his complicated father: a 9/11 hero with PTSD, pandemic paramedic, someone he loved, someone he was mad at. The story includes poetry, cookie recipes, encouragement, and discovery. And a slobbery but supportive dog. This is a must-have for any library that serves young readers! Pub date: April 29, 2025. Thank you to the @bloomsburychildrens and @netgalley for the ARC.