iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 27/09/2026

Some fun news about the musical adaptation of ALL THE ANSWERS I've been working on with composer Haley Bennett & director Amy Anders Corcoran... Our creative team has been invited to be part of the Songwriters Showcase at @namt.org's Festival of New Musicals at New World Stages next month!

Black spotlight background with SONGWRITERS SHOWCASE graphic in white and also a listing that reads:

ALL THE ANSWERS
BOOK BY KATE MESSNER
MUSIC BY HALEY BENNETT
LYRICS BY HALEY BENNETT AND KATE MESSNER
DEVELOPED WITH & DIRECTED BY AMY ANDERS CORCORAN

Black background with a spotlight shining down on the cover for the MG novel ALL THE ANSWERS by Kate Messner, with cover art showing a tiny silhouette of a girl pushing a giant blue pencil. Also a screenshot of the script for the play showing an excerpt that reads:

AVA: We can’t use this on tests. That’s cheating, isn’t it?

SOPHIE: There’s no rule about writing questions with a magic pencil.

AVA: I don’t know…it sure would be nice, though. To know everything?
And know for sure you were right?

AVA

IF I HAD ALL THE ANSWERS
I’D NEVER FREAK OUT AGAIN
IF I HAD ALL THE ANSWERS
ALL THE HOWS AND WHYS AND WHENS
I COULD WALK THROUGH LIFE WITHOUT A CARE
INSTEAD OF ALWAYS WONDERING, RUNNING SCARED

White text on the side reads: STAY TUNED

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 22/09/2026

It was Neon Day at the Texas school I visited yesterday. Clearly I did not get the memo. (I had an amazing day with these Lone Star readers, though! ❤️)

Large gym full of elementary school readers dressed in bright neon shirts, with author Kate Messner in a black shirt and chocolate-colored pants, presenting.

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 16/09/2026

Fire trucks? Check! Bernese mountain dogs? Check! A thousand of the most enthusiastic, big-hearted readers you'll ever meet? Check! I had the BEST time with the readers of Richardson, TX this week for their Richardson Reads One Book celebration for THE TROUBLE WITH HEROES!

Author Kate Messner standing by a fire truck with her book THE TROUBLE WITH HEROES and four firefighters

Author Kate Messner and several elementary school readers petting a Bernese mountain dog.

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 06/09/2026

I love writing graphic novels but always wish they didn't take so long. (GNs are SO much work for the illustrator!) It feels weird to be working on book 3 in a series when book 2 is still over a year away.

Screenshot of a Scrivener doc, text reads:

CAMP MONSTER SERIES: BOOK 3

MONSTERS VS UNICORNS
by Kate Messner

[Page 1]

Panel 1

INTERIOR OF THE CAMP MONSTER OFFICE with MOM YETI and DAD YETI working at desks, looking a little stressed out. Invitation to the FIRST ANNUAL MONSTER-UNICORN GAMES (from p. 216 of CAMP UNICORN) is on a desk in the foreground as TASHA pokes her head in the door, excited.

TASHA

The bus is coming!

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 02/09/2026

Today's purchase from Flying Pig Bookstore!

Hand holding a picture book: WE ARE THE KEYSTONES about keystone species, with a flying pig weathervane in the background

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 31/08/2026

It will never not be thrilling to have my books chosen for reading lists on the other side of the world. I'm super grateful, Singapore Red Dot Award & Hong Kong Battle of the Books readers, and I sure hope I get to meet you in person someday to say thanks!

Graphic with Singapore Red Dot Award books - AFTER, SNOOP, SONG OF THE YELLOW DRAGON, BLOOD ON THE WATER, THE TROUBLE WITH HEROES, THE IMMENSE WORLD, ANZU AND THE REALM OF DARKNESS, and THE TEACHER OF NOMAD LAND

Graphic with Hong Kong Battle of the Books Secondary Books 2026-2027 titles: CODEBREAKER, DIVE, THE DYSFUNCTIONAL FAMILY'S GUIDE TO MURDER, THE GHOSTKEEPER, HUNGRY BONES, IF YOU COULD SEE THE GUN, THE INQUISITOR'S TALE, KAREEM BETWEEN, KING OF NOTHING, MID AIR, THE OTHERWHERE POST, SCARY MORNING, SONG OF A BLACKBIRD, THEN THERE WAS ONE, THE TROUBLE WITH HEROES, TRULY DEVIOUS, WHALE EYES, WHEN STARS ARE SCATTERED, WHEN YOU REACH ME, and A WORLD WITHOUT SUMMER

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 30/08/2026

Excited and so, so grateful to share that HISTORY SMASHERS: THE SPACE RACE made the USA Today Bestseller list this past week! This is #12 in the series - and the first to be a national bestseller, which feels pretty great. Thanks to everyone who's read & shared this series! (More to come soon!)

BOOK COVER - HISTORY SMASHERS THE SPACE RACE against a starry dark blue background with some meteorites flying around and a blue and white graphic that reads USA TODAY BESTSELLER

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 27/08/2026

Well, this is fun! HISTORY SMASHERS: THE SPACE RACE is featured on @slj.com's Post-It-Note reviews! As a top fan of both office supplies and the other authors featured here, I am delighted. teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2026/08/27/p...

HISTORY SMASHERS THE SPACE RACE by Kate Messner with a Pink Post-It Note review that reads: This is such a great series. Absolutely packed with information with just enough illustrations and photos to keep things moving. I’m a broken record, but I love children’s nonfiction—I always learn so much. I hope all libraries serving children have this entire series. So good!)

GHOST IN THE NIGHT by Tiffany D. Jackson with a pink Post-It Note review that reads: Kids at my school often ask for murder mysteries. This supernatural thriller will be a popular addition to libraries. Grief, ghost hunting, danger, and folklore come together to create a suspenseful read that’s just scary enough.

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 19/08/2026

It means so much to me that @bookriot.bsky.social included my fairy tale retelling THE SEVENTH WISH on its list of the Best MG Books of the Century and noted the way it sensitively portrays a family coming together to help the main character's older sister as she struggles with opioid addiction.

Navy background with white text that reads: BOOK RIOT: THE BEST BOOKS OF THE CENTURY SO FAR and book cover for THE SEVENTH WISH with this blurb:

The Seventh Wish
by Kate Messner

Charlie's always felt like the last one anyone in her family thinks of, so when she discovers a fish that offers to grant her a wish in exchange for its freedom, she thinks she's now found a way to reconnect with her family. Unfortunately for her, there's a bigger challenge going on with her older sister, Abby, who is navigating opioid misuse. Messner's book garnered controversy upon publication for its real-world, contemporary exploration of drug misuse; that sensitive, timely, and age-appropriate portrayal of a family in peril is precisely why this book earns a place on this list.

- Kelly Jensen

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 07/08/2026

Things you'll find on the landing page for my Broadway ghost story KEEP THE GHOST LIGHT ON: -music video for "Daphne's 'I Want' Song" -sheet music -invite for my virtual author-in-residence program -teaching & discussion guide (it's a great book club pick!) bloomsbury.my.canva.site/keep-the-gho...

Book cover for KEEP THE GHOST LIGHT ON by NYT Bestselling author Kate Messner has white title font against a black background framed by red theatrical curtains and red feathers falling - also a ghost light glowing from the center of the cover. Novel has stenciled edges with vintage typewriter font and more falling red feathers.

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 07/07/2026

Finn, Seymour, and I are celebrating a paperback book birthday today! (Finn is off hiking, Seymour is busy drooling, and I'm celebrating by writing my next book - whee!) Hope you'll pick up a copy of THE TROUBLE WITH HEROES for your favorite reader who loves adventure, humor, and drooly dogs.

Author Kate Messner holding a copy of THE TROUBLE WITH HEROES, a novel with a middle school boy and a Bernese mountain dog on the cover, with a lake in the background.

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 05/07/2026

Teachers & Librarians Write, our free online summer writing camp for teachers and librarians, starts tomorrow!! Are you signed up yet? katemessner.com/get-ready-fo...

Open notebook on a mountain top with white text: TEACHERS & LIBRARIANS WRITE: A FREE ONLINE SUMMER WRITING CAMP ESPECIALLY FOR TEACHERS AND LIBRARIANS STARTING JULY 6

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 27/06/2026

If you're at #ALAAC2026 this weekend, please come find me to say hello and get a book! I'll be signing with @randomhousekids.bsky.social Saturday and with @harpercollins.bsky.social, @bloomsburybooksus.bsky.social, and @chroniclekidsbooks.bsky.social on Sunday!

Bright yellow graphic with Kate Messner's free book signings at ALA2026 in Chicago:

SATURDAY
AXOLOTL-ELLA
4:45pm at Random House - Booth 2412
SUNDAY
THE WHALE'S TALE & THE OTTER'S SIDE OF THE STORY
9-9:30am at HarperCollins - Booth 3912
KEEP THE GHOST LIGHT ON (Advance reader copies)
11am-12pm at Bloomsbury - Booth 2529
OVER AND UNDER THE CORAL REEF
3-4pm at Chronicle - Booth 3625

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 27/06/2026

Kicked off the ALA Conference in style last night at the launch party for Ten Speed Young Readers & got to celebrate AXOLOTL-ELLA: A SORT OF CINDERELLA STORY (with art by @liantomato.bsky.social!) with my agent @literaticat.bsky.social!

Author Kate Messner standing with agent Jennifer Laughran next to a pile of pink plush axolotls and a large poster of AXOLOTL-ELLA: A SORT OF CINDERELLA STORY with a bright pink dancing axolotl on the cover.

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 25/06/2026

Incredibly humbled that the New Atlantic Booksellers Association has named THE TROUBLE WITH HEROES its MG Book of the Year for 2026! I'm so, so grateful to all of the booksellers who have been sharing this novel since it came out last year. Thank you!! ❤️

Sunset sky graphic with clouds and black text against a white background that reads: THANK YOU BOOKSELLERS - NAIBA 2026 BOOK OF THE YEAR! Book cover shows a bluebird sky with a middle school boy wearing an orange backpack, standing on a mountain summit with a Bernese mountain dog looking up at him.

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 19/06/2026

Vermont friends! Bring the kids tomorrow and join us in Burlington for Fletcher Free Library's Summer Challenge Kickoff! There will be authors, giveaways, read-alouds, and Vermont Lake Monsters players, and word is that Champ will be there to take photos & sign autographs, too!

Graphic for MEET THE AUTHORS event at Fletcher Free Library 235 College St. Burlington Saturday, June 20 from 10am to noon with Dayna Lorentz, Kekla Magoon, Kate Messner, and Chris Tebbetts

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 15/06/2026

Just had the first recording session for the music that composer Haley Bennett wrote for my new Broadway ghost story KEEP THE GHOST LIGHT ON & look who's on vocals! Yep - that's Gianna Harris - who plays the title role in & JULIET on Broadway! Can't wait to share the first song with you soon!

Composer Haley Bennett at the piano while actor Gianna Harris (in a Knicks shirt!) stands at a music stand singing

& Juliet star Gianna Harris stands at a mic in a recording studio

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 21/05/2026

It's COVER REVEAL DAY for KEEP THE GHOST LIGHT ON! Shoutout to illustrator Leo Nickolls, who created the amazing cover art; Patrick Collins, who designed the stenciled edges, and art director Jeanette Levy, who pulled it all together. Learn more & preorder: bloomsbury.my.canva.site/keep-the-gho...

Red curtain with black background and red feathers falling - white text reads: "I've read a lot of ghost stories. But this one will haunt me for a long time..." -R.L Stine, author of Goosebumps and Fear Street.

coming February 23, 2027 - Bloomsbury

Book cover KEEP THE GHOST LIGHT ON by NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR KATE MESSNER has white title font with a ghost light on a cast iron stand in the middle of the cover, a red theatrical curtain framing the title, and red feathers falling around it.

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 21/05/2026

Writer friends! The AI-generated email scams targeting authors are getting more sophisticated. I got one today w/ a real editor's name on it, which could be very convincing to someone who doesn't know how actual editors communicate, so I annotated it to highlight red flags. Spread the word, ok?

Photo shows an email that reads:

From: Allison hunter Hill <allisonhunterh@gmail.com>
Subject: Loved the storytelling in Disaster on the Titanic

Message Body:
Hi Kate,

I recently read *Disaster on the Titanic (Ranger in Time #9)*, and I really appreciated how effectively you combine historical detail with fast-moving adventure in a way that feels both exciting and emotionally grounded for young readers. The tension builds naturally throughout the story, and Ranger’s perspective adds a unique warmth and accessibility that makes the historical setting especially engaging.

I’m Allison Hunter, Senior Editor at Nosy Crow US, where I’m currently building a focused list of character-driven, voice-led middle grade fiction. Your work aligns closely with the kind of immersive, emotionally resonant storytelling I’m actively looking to develop for young readers.

I’m reaching out because I’m reviewing a small number of upcoming projects over the next couple of weeks. I’d love the chance to see what you’re working on next or learn more about any new middle grade adventures you may be developing.

If you’re open to it, I’d be glad to connect through your agent.

Warm regards,
Allison Hunter
Senior Editor
Nosy Crow US

It's annotated in red to highlight the following:
Not sent from publisher email.
Weirdly formal opening paragraph - this is AI voice.
Strange that introduction didn't come first.
What does the sentence about "reviewing upcoming projects" even mean?
Offers to connect through agent - but has already reached out directly. ?

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 20/05/2026

Five things you should know about my upcoming MG novel KEEP THE GHOST LIGHT ON (cover reveal coming tomorrow!) 1. It’s a Broadway ghost story. 2. With angry showgirls. 3. Also first crushes, fancy costumes, and nerdy theater kids. 4. Half of it is written as a musical. 5. Directed by the ghost.

Photo shows a creepy staircase at the New Amsterdam, one of many Broadway theaters rumored to be haunted. A face-shaped wall sconce holds five lightbulbs. (The book KEEP THE GHOST LIGHT ON is set at a fictional NYC theater that's loosely based on the New Amsterdam.)

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 19/05/2026

As of today, THE TROUBLE WITH HEROES has now landed on 20 (!!!) state book award lists, and I couldn't be more grateful to all the librarians, teachers, families, and readers who have shared this funny-sad novel about hope and healing in the mountains. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Book cover THE TROUBLE WITH HEROES shows a boy with an orange backpack on a mountain summit with a Bernese Mountain Dog. Yellow text reads: 20 STATE BOOK AWARD NOMINATIONS: ALABAMA

ARIZONA

FLORIDA

IDAHO

IOWA

KENTUCKY

MAINE

MARYLAND

MICHIGAN

MINNESOTA

NEW HAMPSHIRE

OKLAHOMA

PENNSYLVANIA

RHODE ISLAND

TENNESSEE

TEXAS BLUEBONNET LIST

TEXAS LONE STAR LIST

UTAH

VERMONT

WYOMING

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 17/05/2026

Children's book friends! What are your favorite fairy tale retellings & fairy-tale inspired books from BIPOC authors & illustrators? I have a list started but feel like I must be missing a lot of more recent releases.

Book cover MUFARO'S BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTERS by John Steptoe shows a brown-skinned girl holding a hand mirror, against an African landscape.

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 14/05/2026

NYC friends - hope you'll join my colleagues and me in celebrating another year of LitWorld's amazing work bringing stories to readers all over the world! www.litworld.org/spring?fbcli...

Light green poster reads: LitWorld in the Springtime - with photos of authors Kate Messner, Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich, Tracey Baptiste, and Karina Yan Glaser. Event includes buffet dinner, award winning authors, live music, interactive art installation on Monday, June 1st from 6:30-8:45pm. Visit www.litworld.org/spring for tickets & donations. This event held in loving memory of Sue Meigs.

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 12/05/2026

So @loreegriffinburns.bsky.social & I just gave a presentation called "The Curiosity Club" for the most curious 4th and 5th graders at Hunter College Campus School. We talked about the subnivean zone, marching caterpillars, finches, urban wildlife, and manatees and gosh, my heart is full.

Authors Kate Messner & Loree Burns standing in front of a presentation screen with librarians at Hunter College Campus School.

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 08/05/2026

Here's one of the ways I use play to generate book ideas - a three-column brainstorming chart. I shared this in our Teachers Write summer camp a while back. Here's the link: katemessner.com/teachers-wri... (My new picture book AXOLOTL-ELLA grew out of this strategy!)

Book cover AXOLOTL ELLA: A SORT-OF CINDERELLA STORY by Kate Messner & Lian Cho has a blue background with dark blue lettering and a bright pink axolotl in a dancing dress, along with a smaller yellow axolotl prince in a jacket and crown.

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 06/05/2026

My #1 piece of advice for these aspiring writers? Haunt your local library and indie bookstore and read all the new books. You'll learn how many amazing stories with cool angles and fascinating structures are already out there and see how your ideas might fit into what kids are reading today.

Kate Messner sharing a read-aloud with a group of aspiring writers at Books on Third in Naples, FL with a backdrop of green bookshelves filled with books.

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 06/05/2026

Recently, I got to lead an intro-to-children's-books workshop for aspiring writers at the amazing new Books on Third indie bookstore in SW Florida. Here are some of the mentor texts I shared with them. (thread)

Author Kate Messner speaking at a writing workshop in a cute independent bookstore with green book-filled shelves and black and white floors.

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 22/04/2026

Teachers & librarians! We have a great teaching & discussion guide for THE WHALE'S TALE & THE OTTER'S SIDE OF THE STORY: A BOOK TO READ FROM FRONT TO BACK AND BACK TO FRONT - you can download it here: cdn-static.supadu.com/harpercollin...

Author Kate Messner & Illustrator Brian Biggs sitting in Politics and Prose bookstore with copies of their book THE WHALE'S TALE AND THE OTTER'S SIDE OF THE STORY, which has a blue and white cover with a humpback whale and a sea otter.

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 19/04/2026

DC area friends! I'll be at Politics & Prose with illustrator @brianbiggsstudio.bsky.social this Monday, April 20th at 10:30am to celebrate our new picture book THE WHALE'S TALE AND THE OTTER'S SIDE OF THE STORY: A BOOK TO READ FROM FRONT TO BACK AND BACK TO FRONT. Please come say hi if you can!

blue and green graphic showing headshots of author Kate Messner & illustrator Brian Biggs along with their new book cover THE WHALE'S TALE AND THE OTTER'S SIDE OF THE STORY: A BOOK TO READ FROM FRONT TO BACK AND BACK TO FRONT, with cover art showing a whale's tail and a surly looking otter. Text on graphic reads: Politics and Prose presents Kate Messner & Brian Biggs Author Event, 4/20 at 10:30am -P&P Connecticut Ave.

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 08/04/2026

Beyond grateful to learn that THE TROUBLE WITH HEROES is the winner of the Indies Choice Award in the MG category for this year! Thank you SO MUCH, indie booksellers!! ❤️❤️❤️ @bloomsburybooksus.bsky.social

Blue background with a gold star for Indies Choice Awards and text WINNER OF THE MIDDLE GRADE CATEGORY. Cover for THE TROUBLE WITH HEROES by Kate Messner shows a boy on a mountaintop with a Bernese mountain dog.

Blue background with white text: "Messner's book packs a punch -- full of both humor and sadness as well as sweeping vistas -- as we grieve and laugh along with Finn. Much like the mountains that heavily feature in this book, it's absolutely incredible." - Melissa Fox, Watermark Books & Cafe

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 04/04/2026

Artemis II is now closer to the moon than to Earth. Learn more about the history behind this week's launch when HISTORY SMASHERS: THE SPACE RACE comes out July 21st w/ @randomhousekids.bsky.social! (Cover by @dylanmeconis.bsky.social & int. art by @falynnk.bsky.social) bookshop.org/p/books/hist...

Artemis II's Orion Spacecraft in the foreground, approaching the moon, which appears as a small round circle floating in space.

Cover of HISTORY SMASHERS: THE SPACE RACE by Kate Messner has white title font against a space-blue background and shows a series of astronauts floating in spacesuits, including a monkey and a dog, also in spacesuits. The dog's caption reads: Woof! There's more to this story.

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 02/04/2026

Sometimes the world is just too much but then I open my inbox and find that @falynnk.bsky.social has sent a sketch of a unicorn wearing a kilt and tool belt and that doesn't fix everything, but it sure helps.

Pastel sketches of three unicorns - the one on the left is tall & blue, with an orange kilt and tool belt. The middle one is yellow with a whistle around her neck, and the one on the right is light green with sparkles in her mane and tale. All three are standing on hind legs like people.

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 29/03/2026

Here's where to find me at the Texas Library Association Conference in Houston this weekend!

Bright yellow background with a graphic that reads: KATE MESSNER AT TLA 2026 and signing schedule:

THE TROUBLE WITH HEROES
Sunday 12:30-1:30 - Room 360
(Right after the Bluebonnet speed dating event)
WILDLIFE RESCUE: HOW TO SAVE A TORTOISE
Sunday 3:00-3:30pm - JLG Booth 1315
CAMP MONSTER
Monday 10:00-11:00am - Aisle 2
OVER AND UNDER THE CORAL REEF
Monday 2:00-3:00pm - Aisle 13
HISTORY SMASHERS: ANCIENT EGYPT
Tuesday 10:00-11:00am - Aisle 1

Hope to see lots of friends in Houston this weekend!

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 23/03/2026

Sometimes writing books for kids means that I get to have breakfast with manatees... #research #wildliferescue

A manatee underwater, eating a full head of romaine lettuce with other lettuce floating nearby.

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 20/03/2026

Delighted to share that OVER AND UNDER THE CORAL REEF is a 2026 KIDS FAVORITE! @cbcbooks.bsky.social #KIDSFAVS cbcbooks.org/cbc-book-lis... @chroniclekidsbooks.bsky.social

Book cover OVER AND UNDER THE CORAL REEF by Kate Messner and Christopher Silas Neal shows a bright blue sea with a child and adult snorkeling over a bright coral reef with a sea turtle swimming above it.

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 13/03/2026

Thank you, indie booksellers!! I couldn't be more excited to learn that THE TROUBLE WITH HEROES is shortlisted for the 2025 Indies Choice Book Awards in the Middle Grade Category!

Blue background with a gold star that reads INDIES CHOICE AWARDS. Graphic text reads "Middle Grade Shortlist" and shows five book covers - SCARLET MORNING by ND Stevenson, BLOOD IN THE WATER by Tiffany D. Jackson, ALL THE BLUES IN THE SKY by Renee Watson, THE TROUBLE WITH HEROES by Kate Messner, and DRAGONBORN by Struann Murray.

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 10/03/2026

There are two new kids on the block today! Check out these funny, heartfelt titles in THE KIDS IN MRS. Z'S CLASS from @kylelukoff.bsky.social & @traceybaptiste.bsky.social - both illustrated by Kat Fajardo & published by @littlebrownyr.bsky.social!

Bright yellow background with book cover THE KIDS IN MRS. Z'S CLASS: SEBASTIAN METZGER SOLVES A STICKY SITUATION by Kyle Lukoff & illustrated by Kat Fajardo. Cover art shows a third grade boy in a school library, holding a book with an octopus on the cover and looking anxious.

Bright yellow background with book cover THE KIDS IN MRS. Z'S CLASS: FIA HOSEIN FINDS HER BEAT by Tracey Baptiste illustrated by Kat Fajardo. Cover art shows a third grade girl with brown skin and black braids playing a steel drum as two other students play recorders behind her.

Blue and yellow background with a graphic showing twelve bright but tiny books in THE KIDS IN MRS. Z'S CLASS series - all with third graders on the covers.

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 06/03/2026

SUPER excited for the North Texas Teen Book Festival tomorrow! Will I see YOU there? #NTTBF26 @nttbfest.bsky.social

Pastel graphic background with a photo of author Kate Messner and her graphic novel CAMP MONSTER, illustrated by Falynn Koch, with cover art showing a furry white and blue yeti surrounded by other monsters. Text reads: IRVING PUBLIC LIBRARY'S NORTH TEXAS TEEN BOOK FESTIVAL 2026. MARCH 7, 2026. IRVING CONVENTION CENTER, 500 W. LAS COLINAS BLVD, IRVING, TX.

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 03/03/2026

Some gopher tortoises and I are celebrating a book birthday! WILDLIFE RESCUE: HOW TO SAVE A TORTOISE, illustrated by Jen Bricking, is out today from @bloomsburybooksus.bsky.social!

Book cover WILDLIFE RESCUE HOW TO SAVE A TORTOISE by Kate Messner with art by Jen Bricking has yellow title font against a purple-pink sunrise sky, with trees around and two girls watching a gopher tortoise approach some purple flowers in the foreground.

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 02/03/2026

FIRST ASCENT spotted in the wild at Yosemite National Park! (Thanks to author pal Laura Shovan for the photo!)

Author Laura Shovan standing in a Yosemite National Park gift shop oin front of a bookshelf with the book FIRST ASCENT by Kate Messner & Stevie Lewis face-out next to her.

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 27/02/2026

Where are my bookseller, librarian, teacher, & author friends who fall at the intersection of this Venn diagram? (The book is a mystery, and so is this question for now.) * cue spooky music *

Venn diagram has a light blue background with peach and green colored overlapping circles. The peach colored circle reads READERS WHO LOVE MUSICAL THEATER, and the green one reads READERS WHO LOVE GHOST STORIES.

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 26/02/2026

It's a starred review for THE WHALE'S TALE AND THE OTTER'S SIDE OF THE STORY! Coming from @clarionbooks.bsky.social, @brianbiggsstudio.bsky.social, and me in April! (While you wait, give some thought as to whether you are #TeamWhale or #TeamOtter. Launch party hijinks to come...)

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 07/02/2026

Y'all...these texts & photos that librarians are forwarding from parents of kids who saw me on the CAMP MONSTER graphic novel book tour this week are EVERYTHING. #CampMonster @bloomsburybooksus.bsky.social @falynnk.bsky.social

A blond-haired elementary school girl sits at a restaurant table with chicken nuggets in front of her, reading the graphic novel CAMP MONSTER, which has orange title font with a blue and white yeti on the cover. White text against an orange background reads "Just at dinner with our favorite book we take everywhere now..."

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 05/02/2026

Woke up in San Francisco for today's CAMP MONSTER book tour appearances & it's so weird that everyone at my hotel is wearing Seahawks and Patriots baseball hats. Clearly they haven't caught on to the latest trend... (Art by @falynnk.bsky.social & out this week w/ @bloomsburybooksus.bsky.social!)

Author Kate Messner in front of a SFO area skyline wearing a CAMP MONSTER baseball cap and holding her graphic novel CAMP MONSTER, illustrated by Falynn Koch, which has a white and blue yeti on the cover, surrounded by other monsters.

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 04/02/2026

Want me to speak at your conference, book festival, or school/library? I'll be opening up my calendar for 2026-2027 as soon as I get home from the CAMP MONSTER book tour later this month. Here's the request form to fill out if you're interested in a visit! forms.gle/QLtfa3jgw4dU...

Pastel text reads TIME TO BOOK 2026-2027 AUTHOR VISITS - with three photos of Kate Messner at schools. Top right shows Kate taking questions from a crowd of kids with raised hands. Bottom left shows Kate sitting on the floor, surrounded by elementary school readers. Bottom right shows Kate leading a writing workshop in front of a screen & easel with readers raising hands in the foreground.

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 03/02/2026

Thank you, Atlanta and Austin readers!! Such a great start to the CAMP MONSTER book tour. One more morning in Austin & then I'm headed your way tomorrow, San Francisco! #CampMonster

Author Kate Messner holding up an open copy of her new graphic novel CAMP MONSTER on the left. On the right, Kate is standing in front of a library packed with elementary school readers leading a build-your-own-monster workshop.

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 02/02/2026

Happy Monday from the CAMP MONSTER book tour, where two kids just showed up for my presentation dressed in homemade Yeti costumes. Authors visits don't get much better than this! @falynnk.bsky.social @bloomsburybooksus.bsky.social

Author Kate Messner in a library with two second grade girls in homemade yeti costumes, with furry ear muffs and pink and purple construction paper "fur" around their wrists.

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 01/02/2026

Hitting the road today for the CAMP MONSTER book tour! Please come say hello & pick up a signed copy from your local bookstore if I'll be in your city! @bookmarksnc.bsky.social @booksandbooks.bsky.social @bookpeople.com @barnesandnoble.com @flyleafbooks.bsky.social @bloomsburybooksus.bsky.social

CAMP MONSTER BOOK TOUR GRAPHIC READS:

JOIN KATE MESSNER TO CELEBRATE CAMP MONSTER

FEBRUARY 6 - 7PM
B&N ROSEVILLE, SACRAMENTO
CAMP MONSTER PAJAMA PARTY

FEBRUARY 10 - 4PM
BOOKMARKS WINSTEM SALEM
AFTER SCHOOL WITH KATE MESSNER

GET SIGNED STOCK AT:
LITTLE SHOP OF STORIES - DECATUR, GA
BOOKPEOPLE - AUSTIN, TX
THE READING BUG - SAN CARLOS, CA
FLYLEAF BOOKS - CHAPEL HILL, NC
BOOKS & BOOKS - MIAMI, FL

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 01/02/2026

Fun to see CAMP MONSTER (illus. by @falynnk.bsky.social) featured in @publisherswkly.bsky.social's roundup of new books for this week!

Screenshot from Publishers weekly with headline NEW KIDS' AND YA BOOKS WEEK OF FEBRUARY 2, 2026 - and book covers for AFTERMYTH, BECAUSE OF A SHOE, CAMP MONSTER, AND DECOY SAVES OPENING DAY

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Kate Messner @katemessner.com · 24/01/2026

I love that librarians have been sending me photos of the Cascade and Porter cookies their readers baked using the recipe from THE TROUBLE WITH HEROES - I seem to have written a book that makes everyone crave cookies!

Plate of chocolate chip cookies with chocolate covered orange rinds on top and a sign that says "Mountains of Chocolate" above.

Book THE TROUBLE WITH HEROES has yellow title font against a bright blue sky and shows a middle school boy with an orange backpack standing on a mountain summit with a Bernese Mountain dog gazing up at him.

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