Will I love The Trouble with Heroes?

This is my favorite Kate Messner novel to date! I loved the premise of kid-having-to-climb-mountains in order to make reparations for his misbehavior. The changes in Finn across the book felt well-earned, and the storytelling style of including newspaper articles, recipes, and poems, helped make it a quick, engaging read.

Every time I start a novel in verse, rolling my eyes, expecting not to like it, I'm proved wrong. The Trouble with Heroes, like other NIVs All of Me by Chris Baron and Starfish by Lisa Fipps, touched me deeply. From page one, Messner captured my attention and wouldn't let me put the book down. Heartfelt, funny, absorbing, and poignant, it's the best middle grade book I read in the last year.

The multimodal format is perfect for this moving new book by Kate Messner.

I loved how the main character learned new things about himself with every peak he climbed, the number of obstacles that were in his way, and how directly he examined metaphorical language.

The backstory about the father really came to a satisfying conclusion, and I felt like it was well-earned.