"Myths! Lies! Failed satellite launches? Head to the launch pad with beloved educator and New York Times bestselling author Kate Messner, because the History Smashers are busting the biggest misconceptions about the Space-Race, and the facts are blasting off in 10-9-8…
On April 14, 1969, President John F. Kennedy announced that the U.S. would put a man on the moon kicking off the Space Race, right? WRONG! The Space Race was already well underway by 1969...and honestly, the U.S. was lightyears behind the Russians when it came to space exploration.
Alright, but once the U.S. got going, it was smooth sailing to the stars, right? Not exactly. Space exploration always comes with risk, and the truth is to learn about our universe, it took the work of many scientists, politicians, and passionate everyday citizens like you.
Grab your helmet and join New York Times bestselling author Kate Messner as she leads the History Smashers to dispel the misconceptions and outright myths about tensions between the U.S. and Russia during the consequential Space Race.
Ready to bust new myths? Check out more titles in the History Smashers series: The Mayflower • The Titanic • The American Revolution • The Salem Witch Trials"
"Bloomsbury presents How to Save a Tortoise by Kate Messner, read by Rita Yee
Bestselling author of the Ranger in Time series Kate Messner continues with the third book in this fun, science-based series about a family dedicated to rescuing animals.
It's summertime and Ana and Sofia are visiting their cousins Ivy and Ezra in Florida! Ana loves being back in her hometown, going to the beach and eating ice cream again. Ever since her family moved to California, Ana's been thinking about trying new things . . . like signing up for the Makers Club instead of playing volleyball again with Sofia.
Then the cousins get a call about an injured gopher tortoise that’s been hit by a car. Ana and Sofia join Ivy and Ezra--as volunteer critter couriers--to transport the animal to the local wildlife hospital. And since the city hasn’t done anything to make crossings safer for the endangered animals, the four kids come up with a plan to do just that. Ana has never been one for the spotlight but the tortoises need her!
If Ana can gather the courage to stand up for the tortoises, can she be brave enough to tell Sofia that she wants to try something new? C 2026 Kate Messner P 2026 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC"
"Bloomsbury presents How to Save an Owl by Kate Messner, read by Rita Yee
From the bestselling author of the Ranger in Time series, Kate Messner, comes a chapter book series about a family dedicated to rescuing animals.
Siblings Ivy and Ezra couldn't be more different, but they have one thing in common: a love of animals. Their family volunteers for the local wildlife hospital as 'critter couriers', helping transport injured and orphaned animals so they can get medical help.
When Ezra starts off his baseball season in a batting slump, he fears that he's not as good a player as the others on his new team. Then, while playing with his friend, Ezra finds two baby screech owls that seem to have fallen from a nest.
Ezra and his family transports the owl chicks to the wildlife hospital, but because their tree was damaged in a recent storm, they’re unable to return to their original nest. Feeling anxious about his own place on his baseball team, Ezra worries that the baby owls will feel scared and alone. Determined to help the owlets however they can, Ezra and Ivy decide to build a human-made nest for the baby animals.
Can Ezra find his batting groove again and help the owls return to the wild? C 2025 Kate Messner P 2026 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC"
"Listeners will laugh aloud at the silly antics of a pair of opinionated sea mammals in a tale presenting two sides of a debate, slyly revealing the way identical facts can be used to support opposite positions.
A boastful whale and a showboating otter compete in a battle of words to prove that each is the greatest animal ever to swim the seas. Listened to one way, the first-person text brags about whales' superiority; listened to the other way, it extols how much better otters are. Using true information about the two marine species to make both arguments, Kate Messner's adroit text brilliantly illustrates how the same words can be used to express contradictory opinions when speakers have a one-sided view of the world. Includes factual back matter about language usage and the actual similarities of whales and otters.
Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook."
"Bloomsbury presents How to Save an Otter by Kate Messner, read by Rita Yee
From the bestselling author of the Ranger in Time series, Kate Messner, comes an adventurous new chapter book series about a family dedicated to rescuing animals.
Ivy and Ezra are “critter couriers” whose family volunteers to transport injured and orphaned animals to their local wildlife hospital.
When they discover a baby river otter with a hurt leg, Ivy worries about the little otter being separated from its family--a feeling she knows all too well. She’s struggled to make new friends since her twin cousin BFFs moved away.
Taking on a big project for the wildlife hospital keeps her busy, but can she find the confidence she needs to make it a success, build new friendships, and help the otter heal enough to return to the wild? C 2025 Kate Messner P 2026 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC"
"Secrets? Myths? One giant boxed set? The award-winning History Smashers series delivers a four-audiobook collection that takes down some of the biggest misconceptions, secrets, and outright lies of early American history!
In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed across the ocean and discovered America. Right? WRONG!
Okay, but in 1620, the Pilgrims did land on Plymouth Rock and made friends with the Wampanoag people. Right? DEFINITELY NOT.
What about on April 18, 1775 when Paul Revere rode through Massachusetts shouting, 'The British are coming!' to start the American Revolution. That happened, right? NOPE!
Does that mean that before the Civil War, abolitionists didn't actually use quilts and signal lanterns to guide enslaved people along the Underground Railroad? NOW YOU'RE GETTING IT!
Smash the stories and learn the TRUTH behind the historical moments of CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS & THE TAINO PEOPLE, THE MAYFLOWER, THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, and THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD!"
"Myths! Lies! Secret mummy curses? Grab your head lamp, the award-winning History Smashers are headed to Ancient Egypt to dig up the truth about this incredible early civilization-and the many myths that will be buried once and for all.
A SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR
In 1922, explorers opened King Tut's tomb and a nasty hex was placed on everyone present. RIGHT? Not so much. Okay, but aliens did soar in on a space craft and build the Pyramids, right? WRONG!
The discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb taught historians a lot about ancient Egyptian culture. But no one incurred the wrath of a mummy. And this early civilization had the money, power, and smarts to build the Pyramids--along with a host of other impressive structures!
Join beloved author and educator Kate Messner as she digs up the truth about life in Ancient Egypt.
Ready to bust new myths? Check out more titles in the History Smashers series: The Mayflower • The Titanic • Pearl Harbor • Plagues and Pandemics"
"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. C 2025 Kate Messner P 2025 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC"
"Myths! Lies! Recycling scams? Join beloved educator and author Kate Messner to get the real story behind the first Earth Day celebration and some of the biggest US climate catastrophes--and their solutions!
In April 1970, twenty million people grabbed their rakes, gloves, and recycling bins to celebrate the first Earth Day. Since that environmental kickoff, nature has never been in better shape. RIGHT?
WRONG! The real deal is a bit muddier than that. It's true that the first Earth Day encouraged people around the globe to clean up their act when it came to the environment. But activists have been working for centuries to save the planet! Native people across the world developed sustainable farming practices, women in eighteenth-century India stood up to protect trees, and amateur scientist Eunice Foote discovered the science behind global warming all the way back in the 1850s!
Join the History Smashers team to bust history's biggest misconceptions and figure out what in the world really went down before (and after!) the first Earth Day-and how you can join the fight to protect the environment.
Ready to bust new myths? Check out more titles in the History Smashers series: The Mayflower • Plagues & Pandemics • The Titanic • The Underground Railroad • The Salem Witch Trials"
"Over the swamp, the barred owl hoots, and the great egret swoops down on snowy wings. The slow mazes of waterways are quiet with the shush of reeds and grasses.
But under the swamp’s soft shadows, there’s a whole hidden world of panthers and orchids, red-bellied turtles and raccoons, lurking alligators and singing frogs.
Discover the magical reaches of the Everglades and all the fascinating creatures living just out of sight in its branches and depths—over and under the wetland."
"How does a kid grow up to become a scientist? This enthralling nonfiction picture book from New York Times
bestselling author Kate Messner explores the unexpected beginnings behind some of the most fascinating
discoveries in scientific history.
Before the world’s great scientists were scientists, they were, in fact, doing all the things kids do:
Taking things apart,
putting things together,
gazing up at the night sky,
drawing, imagining, building, and exploring.
Things that scientists do, too.
This book of unexpected beginnings powerfully shows that the great scientists of the future could be practically
anyone . . . including you. Written by Kate Messner, bestselling author of the acclaimed Over and Under nature
book series and more than fifty books for young readers, and beautifully illustrated by Julia Kuo, this is a
book to gift to any curious kid interested in STEM topics, fascinated by scientific discoveries, and inspired by
biographies of people whose work has had an impact on the world.
CALLING FUTURE SCIENTISTS: Where are today’s future scientists? As this book shows, they could be
practically anyone doing anything, including the kids reading this book!
CURRICULAR CONNECTION: Students discover all kinds of science in elementary school, from astronomy
to zoology. This fun-to-read educational book for kids introduces young learners to the scientists behind some
of the world’s most fascinating scientific discoveries.
ACCLAIMED AUTHOR: Kate Messner is an award-winning children’s author of 50+ tremendously popular
children’s books, and her science-themed picture books have earned especially high acclaim. Her informative,
lyrical text has made her nonfiction a fan-favorite among teachers and parents."
"Over the canyon, the sun scalds the air and bakes the desert mud to stone.
But under the shade of the canyon hides another world, where bighorn sheep
bound from rock to rock on the hillside, roadrunners make their nests in sturdy
cacti, and banded geckos tuck themselves into the shelter of the sand.
Discover the wonders concealed in the curves of the canyon and all the secret life
hidden in its arms."
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