Kate Messner

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About Kate Messner
Kate Messner is passionately curious and writes books that encourage kids to wonder, too. Her titles include award-winning picture books like Over and Under the Rainforest, Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt, The Next President, and How to Read a Story; novels that tackle real-world issues like Chirp, Breakout, All the Answers, and The Seventh Wish; high-interest nonfiction like Tracking Pythons and the History Smashers series; the Fergus and Zeke easy readers; and the popular Ranger in Time chapter books about a time-traveling search and rescue dog.
Kate’s titles are frequently selected for One School, One Book and One School/One Author programs and other community-wide reads. Her books have been New York Times Notable, Junior Library Guild, IndieBound, and Bank Street College of Education Best Books selections. Her novel The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z. won the E.B. White Read Aloud Medal, and her science picture books have been finalists for the American Academy for the Advancement of Sciences/Subaru SB&F prize for excellence in science writing. In 2020, Kate was honored with New York’s Knickerbocker Award for creating a superior body of work supporting curriculum and educational goals.
Before becoming a full-time writer, Kate was a TV news reporter as well as a National Board Certified educator. She grew up in Medina, NY and graduated from Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. Kate spent seven years working as a television news producer and reporter in Syracuse, NY and Burlington, VT before going back to school to earn a master’s degree in education for secondary-level English Language Arts. She taught middle school language arts for fifteen years before leaving the classroom to write full time but still spends much of her time in schools, working with kids as a visiting author.
Kate lives on Lake Champlain with her family and is trying to summit all 46 Adirondack High Peaks in between book deadlines. Learn more at her website: www.katemessner.com and follow her on Twitter @katemessner.
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Books By Kate Messner
Nora Tucker is looking forward to summer vacation in Wolf Creek--two months of swimming, popsicles, and brushing up on her journalism skills for the school paper.
But when two inmates break out of the town's maximum security prison, everything changes. Doors are locked, helicopters fly over the woods, and police patrol the school grounds.
Everyone is on edge, and fear brings out the worst in some people Nora has known her whole life. Even if the inmates are caught, she worries that home might never feel the same.
A Mighty Girl Best Book of the Year
In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed across the ocean and discovered America. Right? WRONG! Columbus never actually set foot in what is now the United States. His voyages took him to islands in the Caribbean and along the coast of South America.
The truth is, when Columbus first arrived, Indigenous peoples, including the Taino, had been living there for thousands of years, raising their families, running their societies, and trading with their neighbors. He didn’t “discover” the lands at all! And his name? Not even really Christopher Columbus! Cowritten by bestselling author Kate Messner and our country’s premier Taino scholar, this fascinating addition to the series is the one that teachers have been asking for and that kids need to read.
Discover the nonfiction series that demolishes everything you thought you knew about history. Don’t miss History Smashers: The Mayflower, Women's Right to Vote, and Pearl Harbor.
A careful snip, a delicate fold.
Fabric the color of new petals.
Skirts that flare like upside-down blossoms.
A garden bursts into bloom!
There is no "good enough."
For Ann, only the best will do.
Award-winning author Kate Messner, costume historian Margaret E. Powell, and fashion designer and illustrator Erin Robinson tell the powerful story of the ground-breaking Ann Lowe, who grew up in a small Alabama dress shop and became the first nationally-known African American fashion designer. Sought after by millionaires and movie stars, her designs walked the red carpet and graced the wedding of Senator John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Bouvier.
At a time when the world around her thought African Americans deserved no more than second-class treatment, Ann expects no less of herself, and no less FOR herself, than the BEST.
THE FIRST, FAMED BLACK FASHION DESIGNER: Although she faced many hardships, Anne's spirit, talent, and belief in herself always shone through. This story provides an empowering, real-life role model for young girls—and especially Black girls—to relate to and see themselves in, at an age when building self-confidence is more important than ever!
ENCOURAGES CREATIVITY AND PERSERVERENCE: Full of interesting details about how Anne came up with her designs, and how she always forged ahead in spite of setbacks, this true story will captivate aspiring artists and young creative thinkers alike.
SURE OF HER OWN WORTH: This book makes a perfect gift for anyone looking to celebrate, empower, and inspire the women in their lives—whether daughters, granddaughters, nieces, cousins, or friends. Ann Lowe stands as a testament to the power of knowing we're both capable of and deserve ONLY THE BEST.
BEAUTIFUL, IMMERSIVE PROSE: Wonderful, vivacious writing by award-winning author Kate Messner and expert historian Margaret E. Powell brings Anne's pride in herself and her work to life in rich detail!
Perfect for:
- Parents, grandparents, and caregivers
- Teachers and librarians
- Readers who loved Little Leaders and Parker Looks Up
- The vast #WeNeedDiverseBooks community
- Anyone seeking books about Black excellence, female empowerment, or Black history
- Gift-givers looking for a beautiful, inspirational book for the girls (or women) in their lives
Award-winning duo Kate Messner and Christopher Silas Neal return in this latest addition to the Over and Under picture book series, this time exploring the rich, interconnected ecosystem of the ocean!
Over the waves, the sea lions bark and seagulls wheel and call. The bay is smooth and bright in the sun. But under the waves, there's a whole hidden forest, full of whales and wolf eels, sardines and sea bass, leopard sharks and luminous jellies, as well as the waving kelp that shelters them all. Discover the magical depths of the kelp forest, and all the fascinating creatures living just a paddle's length away—over and under the waves.
SO MANY FASCINATING FACTS: Kids are endlessly curious about the natural world and the wildly varied animals and plants living in it—and the ocean is FULL of amazing and surprising life!
ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS MADE WONDERFUL: Preservation of our wilderness—and of our oceans in particular—is essential, and this book makes such a great, upbeat jumping-off point for discussions of the importance and wonder of our world's natural habitats and ecosystems.
THE GORGEOUS UNDERWATER WORLD: This new book in the Over and Under series illuminates the magic and amazing biodiversity of the kelp forest by telling the story of one family's kayaking trip through a real-world ocean ecosystem. Lyrical prose and color-drenched illustrations will draw even the most reluctant readers into the world.
STRONG CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS: The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) emphasize learning about animal habitats/biomes in K-2 curriculums, while later grades address topics like food chains, conservation, and endangered species. With a depth of research and an engaging, highly visual narrative, this book is an excellent resource for librarians and primary school educators.
FROM A FAVORITE AUTHOR-ILLUSTRATOR TEAM: Kate Messner and Chris Neal make nonfiction approachable and appealing! These two award-winning creators have received countless accolades and published books to critical acclaim, making them the perfect team to tackle any nonfiction topic.
Perfect for:
- Those who loved Over and Under the Snow and other books in the Over and Under series
- Fans of Kate Messner
- Lovers of the ocean and marine life
- Parents and grandparents seeking beautiful books to read aloud together
- Teachers, educators, and librarians seeking illustrated nonfiction books with STEM content
- Anyone seeking a distinctive gift for a child who loves animals or nature
Before the Civil War, there was a crack team of abolitionists who used quilts and signal lanterns to guide enslaved people to freedom. RIGHT? WRONG! The truth is, the Underground Railroad wasn't very organized, and most freedom seekers were on their own.
With a mix of sidebars, illustrations, photos, and graphic panels, acclaimed author Kate Messner and coauthor and Brown Bookshelf contributor Gwendolyn Hooks deliver the whole truth about the Underground Railroad.
Discover the nonfiction series that smashes everything you thought you knew about history!
During the Black Death in the 14th century, plague doctors wore creepy beaked masks filled with herbs. RIGHT?
WRONG! Those masks were from a plague outbreak centuries later--and most doctors never wore anything like that at all!
With a mix of sidebars, illustrations, photos, and graphic panels, acclaimed author Kate Messner delivers the whole truth about diseases like the bubonic plague, cholera, smallpox, tuberculosis, polio, influenza, and COVID-19.
Discover the nonfiction series that smashes everything you thought you knew about history! Don't miss History Smashers: The Mayflower, Women's Right to Vote, Pearl Harbor, Titanic, and American Revolution.
Over and Under the Canyon takes young readers on a thrilling tour of a desert canyon ecosystem. Over the canyon, the sun scalds the air, baking desert mud to stone. But under the shade of the cliffs 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, the magic of a desert wildflower bloom, and all the unexpected creatures that bring the desert to life.
DISCOVER AMAZING ANIMALS: Kids are endlessly curious about the natural world and the wildly varied animals living in it—and the desert is FULL of amazing and surprising animals!
CAPTIVATING NONFICTION: Like its predecessors, this latest offering in the Over and Under picture book series illuminates the magic of the natural world and its amazing inhabitants by telling the story of one family's hike through a real-world desert ecosystem in lyrical prose and color-drenched illustrations. Even the most reluctant readers will be drawn into a fact-filled story this compelling!
GREAT FOR TEACHING: The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) emphasize learning about animal habitats/biomes in K–2 curriculums, while later grades address topics like food chains, conservation, and endangered species. With a depth of research and an engaging, highly visual narrative, this book is an excellent resource for librarians and primary school educators.
ENCOURAGES ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS: Concern for and preservation of the wilderness is an increasingly talked-about topic. This book provides a great, upbeat jumping-off point for discussions of the importance and wonder of our world’s natural habitats and ecosystems.
ACCLAIMED AUTHOR-ILLUSTRATOR TEAM: Kate Messner is an award-winning author whose books for kids have been New York Times Notable, Junior Library Guild, IndieBound, and Bank Street College of Education Best Book selections. In addition to his work on this acclaimed series, Christopher Silas Neal is an award-winning illustrator and author who regularly contributes to the New York Times and The New Yorker, and he has been awarded a medal from the Society of Illustrators.
Perfect for:
• Parents
• Nature lovers
• Fans of Kate Messner
• Fans of Over and Under the Snow and previous books in the series
• Educators and librarians seeking nonfiction books with STEM content
Galápagos giant tortoises are fascinating—and endangered. They live only on the Galápagos Islands, a chain of volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Ecuador. These tortoises face threats from the humans who live on—and visit—the islands, as well as from Earth's warming climate.
Join author Kate Messner on an a journey to the Galápagos Islands to see these incredible creatures up close and discover how cutting-edge technology is helping scientists to study and protect them.
Las tortugas gigantes de Galápagos son fascinantes y están en peligro de extinción. Viven solo en las Islas Galápagos, una cadena de islas volcánicas en el Océano Pacífico frente a la costa de Ecuador. Estas tortugas se enfrentan a hilos de los humanos que viven y visitan las islas, así como del cambio climático.
Únase a la autora Kate Messner en un viaje a las Islas Galápagos para ver de cerca a estas increíbles criaturas y descubrir cómo la tecnología está ayudando a los científicos a estudiarlas y protegerlas.
Galápagos giant tortoises are fascinating—and endangered. They live only on the Galápagos Islands, a chain of volcanic islands in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Ecuador. These tortoises face threats from the humans who live on—and visit—the islands as well as from Earth's warming climate.
Join author Kate Messner on an a journey to the Galápagos Islands to see these incredible creatures up close and discover how cutting-edge technology is helping scientists to study and protect them.
On April 18, 1775, Paul Revere rode through Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts, shouting, "The British are coming!" to start the American Revolution.RIGHT?
WRONG! Paul Revere made it to Lexington, but before he could complete his mission, he was captured!
The truth is, dozens of Patriots rode around warning people about the Redcoats' plans that night. It was actually a man named Samuel Prescott who succeeded, alerting townspeople in Lexington and then moving on to Concord. But the Revolutionary War didn't officially start for more than a year after Prescott's ride. No joke.
Discover the nonfiction series that smashes everything you thought you knew about history. Don't miss History Smashers: The Mayflower, Women's Right to Vote, Pearl Harbor, and Titanic.
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Before he was Dr. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Anthony Fauci was a curious boy in Brooklyn, delivering prescriptions from his father’s pharmacy on his blue Schwinn bicycle. His father and immigrant grandfather taught Anthony to ask questions, consider all the data, and never give up—and Anthony’s ability to stay curious and to communicate with people would serve him his entire life.
This engaging narrative, which draws from interviews the author did with Dr. Fauci himself, follows Anthony from his Brooklyn beginnings through medical school and his challenging role working with seven US presidents to tackle some of the biggest public health challenges of the past fifty years, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Extensive backmatter rounds out Dr. Fauci’s story with a timeline, recommended reading, a full spread of facts about vaccines and how they work, and Dr. Fauci’s own tips for future scientists.
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