This book was absolutely fantastic. A middle grade novel in verse, THE TROUBLE WITH HEROES tells the story of a boy dealing with grief after losing his father and the healing journey he goes on while hiking. A beautiful story that so accurately captured what it feels like to lose a parent. Highly, highly recommend.

This was a heart-felt story about a boy whose punishment for kicking over a headstone is to hike the 46 Adirondack High Peaks. His story is told through free verse, poetry, text messages, etc. This was an enjoyable and fast paced read. I loved the varied formats used to tell the story.

This middle grade novel is told in a series of poems that starts as a make-up assignment for a 7th grade ELA assignment, but becomes much more.

Finn is in trouble for vandalizing a gravestone, skipping PE, and not finishing a poetry project with a hero theme. In return for not going to court over his cemetery misdeeds, he is to hike 46 mountains. He learns a lot about himself during this journey that includes many adults helping him, and a dog that he must take on most of the hikes.

I will purchase this for my library when it comes out in the spring. This would make an excellent book group book.

I can't wait to share this book with my readers. Finn is an endearing, relatable character who overcomes grief and anger. Seymour the dog is also so loveable. Will definitely be purchasing this book as a book group read and anticipate it will be on state book award lists.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214868940-the-trouble-with-heroes

When I began reading The Trouble with Heroes, by Kate Messner, I expected an encouraging, coming-of-age story about a young boy who got off on the wrong foot and spent a summer making reparations for his misdeeds while learning about himself in the process. What I did not expect was that a middle grades story told almost exclusively through poems written by aforementioned troublemaker would be so unputdownable that I’d have to finish it in one sitting or that I’d be sobbing by the end of it. This story is powerful and deeply moving.

Finn Connelly is struggling with the untimely death of his father, and as a result, he’s flunking out of PE and his language arts class. In order to scrape a pass and advance to 8th grade, he has to complete a poems assignment and log PE hours over the summer — and this summer begins with a trip to a cemetery and subsequently with a court date for vandalism of a grave of a mountaineer town hero named Edna. Kelly, the surviving daughter of Edna, decides to make a deal with Finn— summit all 46 of the Adirondack mountains over the summer and Kelly would agree to drop all charges. Finn navigates mountains as he works through the reality that his father was both a hero and a haunted soul who struggled with PTSD and addiction in the aftermath of 9/11 and then the pandemic. Additionally, Finn had to work through the idea that the image his father had of him was not an accurate representation of who he was and that was okay. Noah was a hockey star of the town while Finn loves baking. This is such a normal struggle in a coming of age book but it’s made more difficult because Finn no longer has his father to work through the struggle with. This book masterfully deals with grief and all related emotions- it was poignant and tender - and the poetry throughout was so thought provoking. I loved this beautiful book. Some of the themes might be better grappled with on the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade audiences, but this book is absolutely a masterpiece.

I would like to thank Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This novel in verse is a wonderful story of grief, anger, and self discovery. The verse format adds to the story and it is sure to be a great addition to any middle grade classroom or library.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC.

My 5th grade son and I read this one together and it was a great adventure story but also a great opportunity for us to talk about decisions and consequences and being truthful.

The Trouble With Heroes tells the tale of Finn Connelly, a boy who is angry with the world. After taking out his emotions on a gravestone, which toppled under the force of his repeated kicks, he finds himself having to either pay thousands of dollars to the relative of the deceased or, in penance, he can hike all 46 of the Adirondack mountain peaks throughout the coming summer. He chooses the mountains. Over the course of the hikes, he learns a lot about himself, his father and the people who are ready and willing to be his friends.

This is an easy read, as the novel is in verse. The writing is engaging, funny and poignant. I laughed and I cried. I would recommend this book to middle grades on up. There is mention of death, the pandemic, grief and anger issues.

Finn is struggling after his dad's death. He is caught vandalizing in a cemetery and the daughter of the headstone he kicked down decides to offer him a unique way to pay off his vandalism. She tells him he can climb all 46 Adirondack peaks that summer and then he won't have to pay for a new headstone. Finn reluctantly agrees, but as the summer goes on he learns a lot about himself, his dad, and grief. This heartwarming story is great for middle grade readers!

This novel in verse had all the feels. It reminded me of a Dan Gemeinhart or K. A. Holt book, which guarantees it will be a winner.

Finn is struggling with losing his father and is having trouble at school and home. In a fit of rage, he kicks over a Edna’s gravestone. In order to pass 7th grade, he must make up all of his missed PE classes and complete a poetry project about a hero. Edna’s daughter insists that for reparation he must climb all 46 peaks of the Adirondacks like her mother did, along with her mom’s dog.
Readers will hike along with Finn as he hikes each peak and works through his grief and anger by writing poetry along the way.

“You carry it into the woods and some stays inside you, solid and unchanged. But some of it you breathe out into the trees. The wind lifts it, carries it off into hazy layers of hillsides, trees, and sky. So when you come down the mountain it’s not quite as it was before.”

This book is sure to be a hit in our library. My students are always looking for good stories and a NIV is a great way to tell Finn’s story. I would love to climb the 46’ers.

Thank you Bloomsbury Children's Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Summary: Finn Connelly, a troubled seventh grader who’s struggling to live up to his late father’s legacy, embarks on a life-changing journey to climb 46 Adirondack peaks with the daughter of a legendary mountain climber, learning about courage, loss, and his own identity along the way.

My review: The Trouble with Heroes is a captivating novel-in-verse that creatively blends poetry, articles, and recipes. This book is packed with so much that it holds the reader’s attention from start to finish. I love the inclusion of "choose-your-own-disaster" moments and pictures adds a delightful touch. The book definitely needs to be read in print as I feel like the digital copy lost some of the shape/form of the poetry.

This is a versatile addition to any middle school library. The engaging verse, varied writing formats, and deeply relatable themes make it a perfect tool for sparking a variety of learning experiences. The poetry itself is both heartbreaking and beautiful, capturing the full spectrum of human emotion—from the wonders of nature to feelings of sadness, anger, and loss. It touches on love and the process of healing as well, all while hitting on to two significant moments in American history: the tragedy of 9/11 and the impact of the Covid pandemic.

Juvenile Fiction / Family - General (see also headings under Social Themes) / Social Themes - Death, Grief, Bereavement / Sports & Recreation - Camping & Outdoor Activities

The Trouble with Heroes is scheduled for publication on April 29, 2025, by Bloomsbury Children's Books.

While grappling with his father’s death, Finn Connelly gets himself in a situation in which he is required to hike the 46 Peaks of the Adirondack Mountains and finish an incomplete poetry anthology for school over the summer. Just what every kids wants to do on their summer break. Messner’s novel in verse combines the beauty and wonder of nature, feelings of sadness, anger, loss and love into an amazing middle grade novel that kids and teachers everywhere will remember long after they read it.

I love an angry main character, and I love that angry main character going on a journey to find what he needs to feel more at peace with the world and people around him. Recommended!

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.