The Trouble with Heroes

By: Kate Messner

Narrated by: Mack Gordon

Bloomsbury presents The Trouble with Heroes by Kate Messner read by Mack Gordon

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.©2025 Kate Messner (P)2025 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Critic reviews

Take one drooling dog, add one pretty desperate kid, mix in mountains—a lot of mountains—sprinkle with unexpected cookie recipes and hard-nosed quirkiness, and let rise. You’ll know it’s finished when the generosity and hope and truth of this novel run over. Let it.

With astute intention and invention, each verse touches your soul and puts tears in your eyes--the kind of tears that comfort and heal.

Split this story like a log, and you'll find concentric circles of metaphor and meaning on every page. There are passages that will gut you, and others that will leave you laughing out loud.

Equal parts suspenseful adventure and heartrending emotion, this beautiful book will capture your heart.

The Trouble with Heroes is a heartfelt, moving page-turner that tackles grief, loss, anger and redemption. Another Kate Messner triumph!

The pitch-perfect tween voice spills out of the poetry with raw authenticity. Any tween who’s ever lost someone, made bad choices, or felt unworthy of love will identify with Finn.

As always, Kate Messner writes with an acute understanding of the emotional lives of today’s kids, and her respect for readers shines on every page. Messner is the Judy Blume of a new generation.

Pack your tissues and hold onto your hearts as Finn sweeps you into a tale that traverses the peaks and valleys of adolescence, of life, of grief, of growth.

A masterpiece. . . . Part funny, part fascinating, and fully rooted in a deep emotional soul, readers of all kinds will be rooting for Finn Connelly with everything they've got.

Finn’s journey will speak to every kid who’s felt the weight of the world on their shoulders.

Magnificent and moving. The Trouble with Heroes is a triumph—as healing and inspiring as the view
from a mountain peak.

Tenderly proffers the healing power of nature. . . . A gently reflective, bittersweet, and redemptive story.

An adventurous work whose authentic voice celebrates the outdoors and everyday heroism.

A timely meditation on grief, anger, and the solace offered by nature.

This is a must-purchase for all libraries. Finn’s journey from loss to gain is both breathtaking and deeply satisfying.

Sincere, and heartrending. . . . Hiking, and the way it encourages us to test our physical and emotional limits, could be an apt metaphor for healing.

This verse novel covers a lot of ground, literally and metaphorically, and thoughtfully grapples with the big ideas of life.

Hopeful . . . with complex, imperfect characters that feel effortlessly real. . . . [Reminds] readers that everyone, including heroes, faces challenges, but by working hard and finding support and community, they can move forward, one step at a time.

Tween and young teen readers who appreciate contemporary fiction or mixed media novels should find plenty to ponder in this emotionally potent narrative that contains more heart-wrenching moments than the Adirondacks have high peaks.

What stood out to me The most was the characters and landscape and all of the hikes and my favorite hike he took was big slide

Loved it so much very different from anything I’ve ever read before. I love how they put the dates of the year in the book.

The story of resilience

A wonderful journey with a boy struggling to find his way after his fathers is gone. I felt like I was hiking along with him in this book.

Awesome Story and Awesome Narrator

I loved how Finn changed after hiking. He became less of a punk and more of a kind guy. I also love the creative cookies recipes. I also liked how Seymour stayed by his side the whole time and how Finn finally accepted him.
To angry people , I say “ Go take a hike buddy…and Read this book! Alex, age 13

Finns journey

The way you feel like your actually there with Finn is incredibly this story is so heartwarming and inspirering

Life lessons

The story kept me captivated. I used to be a hiker and now I want to start up again. I could see, smell, and hear everything Finn experienced on his hikes. I love Kate Messner.