Kate Messner
@katemessner.com
NYT bestselling author of 80+ books for kids. Educator. Speaker. Adirondack 46er. Passionately curious. Coming soon: KEEP THE GHOST LIGHT ON
www.katemessner.com
www.katemessner.com
Happy book birthday to @lindsayncurrie.bsky.social & THE SECRET BOOKSTORE SLEUTH SOCIETY! Can't wait to get my hands on this one! bookshop.org/p/books/the-...
The Secret Bookstore Sleuth Society (Deluxe Edition)
In this exciting series starter, four best friends are trapped in a book-themed inn during an ice storm and they must use each of their special skills, as well as a few tips from an armchair-detective...
bookshop.org
September 15, 2026 at 8:03 PM
Happy book birthday to @lindsayncurrie.bsky.social & THE SECRET BOOKSTORE SLEUTH SOCIETY! Can't wait to get my hands on this one! bookshop.org/p/books/the-...
Reposted by Kate Messner
Happy Book Birthday to @dontate.bsky.social! Three starred reviews for A POEM FOR DUDLEY RANDALL!
September 15, 2026 at 5:46 PM
Happy Book Birthday to @dontate.bsky.social! Three starred reviews for A POEM FOR DUDLEY RANDALL!
Saving this post from @rebeccamakkai.bsky.social for my next project - such a smart idea. rebeccamakkai.substack.com/p/write-your...
Write Your Novel in a Calendar
the one weird trick doctors absolutely don’t care if you know
rebeccamakkai.substack.com
September 12, 2026 at 1:08 AM
Saving this post from @rebeccamakkai.bsky.social for my next project - such a smart idea. rebeccamakkai.substack.com/p/write-your...
"Messner turns the well-known fairy tale on its feathery, gilled head in this appealing, science-informed remix."
Thrilled that AXOLOTL-ELLA: A SORT-OF CINDERELLA STORY earned a starred review in @thehornbook.bsky.social!
www.hbook.com/story/review...
Thrilled that AXOLOTL-ELLA: A SORT-OF CINDERELLA STORY earned a starred review in @thehornbook.bsky.social!
www.hbook.com/story/review...
Review of Axolotl-Ella: A Sort-of Cinderella Story
Messner turns the well-known fairy tale on its feathery, gilled head in this appealing, science-informed remix. From the beginning, readers know that...
www.hbook.com
September 10, 2026 at 1:42 AM
"Messner turns the well-known fairy tale on its feathery, gilled head in this appealing, science-informed remix."
Thrilled that AXOLOTL-ELLA: A SORT-OF CINDERELLA STORY earned a starred review in @thehornbook.bsky.social!
www.hbook.com/story/review...
Thrilled that AXOLOTL-ELLA: A SORT-OF CINDERELLA STORY earned a starred review in @thehornbook.bsky.social!
www.hbook.com/story/review...
Some great audiobook recommendations from Reading Middle Grade! readingmiddlegrade.substack.com/p/audiobooks...
Ask Afoma: The 11-year-old with ADHD and dyslexia who's looking for new audiobook favorites
He loved The Bletchley Riddle and Because of Winn Dixie
readingmiddlegrade.substack.com
September 10, 2026 at 1:40 AM
Some great audiobook recommendations from Reading Middle Grade! readingmiddlegrade.substack.com/p/audiobooks...
Did you know that Saadia Faruqi and Shadia Amin have a spooky new graphic novel out this week! Just in time for Halloween...but DON'T BE SCARED! bookshop.org/p/books/don-...
Don't Be Scared: A Graphic Novel
For fans of Stranger Things, and Goosbumps comes a graphic novel filled with thrills, chills, and friendship."Horror fans will delight." —School Library Journal, starred review.Riz is determined to pr...
bookshop.org
September 9, 2026 at 9:20 PM
Did you know that Saadia Faruqi and Shadia Amin have a spooky new graphic novel out this week! Just in time for Halloween...but DON'T BE SCARED! bookshop.org/p/books/don-...
Teacher & librarian friends! Lots of you were on vacation when this book came out in June, so I just want you to know that if you have kiddos who love axolotls and/or fairy tales, illustrator @liantomato.bsky.social and I have just the picture book for them!
bookshop.org/p/books/axol...
bookshop.org/p/books/axol...
Axolotl-Ella: A Sort-of Cinderella Story
Cinderella has never been so adorable--or amphibious!--as in this fractured fairytale picture book by New York Times bestselling author Kate Messner, with art by award-winning illustrator Lian Cho.Axo...
bookshop.org
September 9, 2026 at 9:18 PM
Teacher & librarian friends! Lots of you were on vacation when this book came out in June, so I just want you to know that if you have kiddos who love axolotls and/or fairy tales, illustrator @liantomato.bsky.social and I have just the picture book for them!
bookshop.org/p/books/axol...
bookshop.org/p/books/axol...
Reposted by Kate Messner
Supporting the freedom to read doesn’t have to cost a thing.
You don’t need to make a donation or have hours of free time to make a difference. Small actions. Zero dollars. Real impact.
The freedom to read belongs to all of us, and protecting it can start with something small today.
#FreedomToRead
You don’t need to make a donation or have hours of free time to make a difference. Small actions. Zero dollars. Real impact.
The freedom to read belongs to all of us, and protecting it can start with something small today.
#FreedomToRead
September 8, 2026 at 1:17 PM
Supporting the freedom to read doesn’t have to cost a thing.
You don’t need to make a donation or have hours of free time to make a difference. Small actions. Zero dollars. Real impact.
The freedom to read belongs to all of us, and protecting it can start with something small today.
#FreedomToRead
You don’t need to make a donation or have hours of free time to make a difference. Small actions. Zero dollars. Real impact.
The freedom to read belongs to all of us, and protecting it can start with something small today.
#FreedomToRead
Reposted by Kate Messner
👻 55 Scary (And Not-So-Scary) 2026 Middle Grade Books To Get Readers In The Halloween Spirit 👻
popgoesthereader.com/55-scary-and... #BookSky #KidLit #MGLit
popgoesthereader.com/55-scary-and... #BookSky #KidLit #MGLit
September 8, 2026 at 3:57 PM
👻 55 Scary (And Not-So-Scary) 2026 Middle Grade Books To Get Readers In The Halloween Spirit 👻
popgoesthereader.com/55-scary-and... #BookSky #KidLit #MGLit
popgoesthereader.com/55-scary-and... #BookSky #KidLit #MGLit
Reposted by Kate Messner
⭐ #PictureBook #HBReviewoftheWeek AXOLOTL-ELLA: A SORT-OF CINDERELLA STORY by @katemessner.com ; illus. by @liantomato.bsky.social (Ten Speed): "Messner turns the well-known fairy tale on its feathery, gilled head in this appealing, science-informed remix." www.hbook.com/story/review...
September 8, 2026 at 2:04 PM
⭐ #PictureBook #HBReviewoftheWeek AXOLOTL-ELLA: A SORT-OF CINDERELLA STORY by @katemessner.com ; illus. by @liantomato.bsky.social (Ten Speed): "Messner turns the well-known fairy tale on its feathery, gilled head in this appealing, science-informed remix." www.hbook.com/story/review...
Reposted by Kate Messner
Happy happy book birthday to @booksbyintisar.bsky.social and Nafiza Azad's A Thousand Nights! This book looks amazing, and I cannot wait to read it: www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/813768...
#booksky
#booksky
A Thousand Nights: 9781536241549 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books
"A folkloric tour de force." —School Library Journal (starred review) In the mold of Arabian Nights, this groundbreaking YA anthology—featuring seventeen Muslim women writers—links...
www.penguinrandomhouse.com
September 8, 2026 at 11:15 AM
Happy happy book birthday to @booksbyintisar.bsky.social and Nafiza Azad's A Thousand Nights! This book looks amazing, and I cannot wait to read it: www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/813768...
#booksky
#booksky
Apparently I'm late on this one - it came out last month but still - yay and go read it!
Happy Book Birthday to @ziibiing.com's RACE TO THE TRUTH: BOARDING SCHOOLS AND THE INDIGENOUS STORY! Looking forward to reading & recommending this one - this whole series from @randomhousekids.bsky.social is perfect for HISTORY SMASHERS fans who want to go even deeper. bookshop.org/p/books/boar...
Boarding Schools and the Indigenous Story
Created in collaboration with Race2Dinner, here's the harrowing true story of America's history with boarding schools, and the forced assimilation of Indigenous kids and families.Education is a powerf...
bookshop.org
September 8, 2026 at 11:38 AM
Apparently I'm late on this one - it came out last month but still - yay and go read it!
Happy Book Birthday to @ziibiing.com's RACE TO THE TRUTH: BOARDING SCHOOLS AND THE INDIGENOUS STORY! Looking forward to reading & recommending this one - this whole series from @randomhousekids.bsky.social is perfect for HISTORY SMASHERS fans who want to go even deeper. bookshop.org/p/books/boar...
Boarding Schools and the Indigenous Story
Created in collaboration with Race2Dinner, here's the harrowing true story of America's history with boarding schools, and the forced assimilation of Indigenous kids and families.Education is a powerf...
bookshop.org
September 8, 2026 at 11:37 AM
Happy Book Birthday to @ziibiing.com's RACE TO THE TRUTH: BOARDING SCHOOLS AND THE INDIGENOUS STORY! Looking forward to reading & recommending this one - this whole series from @randomhousekids.bsky.social is perfect for HISTORY SMASHERS fans who want to go even deeper. bookshop.org/p/books/boar...
Happy Book Birthday to Steve Sheinkin, Maurice Ashley, and illustrator @thiendog.bsky.social's MAN VS MACHINE, a graphic novel about the historic 1997 chess match between Garry Kasparov and Deep Blue! bookshop.org/p/books/kasp...
Mind vs. Machine: The Chess Match That Changed the World
The hopes of humanity rest on the shoulders of one chess player in this true graphic novel about the epic chess match between a human and a super computer, by bestselling author Steve Sheinkin, Chess ...
bookshop.org
September 8, 2026 at 11:34 AM
Happy Book Birthday to Steve Sheinkin, Maurice Ashley, and illustrator @thiendog.bsky.social's MAN VS MACHINE, a graphic novel about the historic 1997 chess match between Garry Kasparov and Deep Blue! bookshop.org/p/books/kasp...
Happy Book Birthday to @dashkaslater.bsky.social's THE WILD SEASON: THE REMARKABLE TRUE STORY OF A RABBIT RESCUE! I've loved Dashka's YA books and can't wait to read this one - her first work of MG nonfiction! bookshop.org/p/books/the-...
The Wild Season: The Remarkable True Story of a Rabbit Rescue
When four abandoned bunnies turn up in a city park, the community rallies to save them in award-winning, bestselling author Dashka Slater's unforgettable middle grade nonfiction debut. No one knows h...
bookshop.org
September 8, 2026 at 11:32 AM
Happy Book Birthday to @dashkaslater.bsky.social's THE WILD SEASON: THE REMARKABLE TRUE STORY OF A RABBIT RESCUE! I've loved Dashka's YA books and can't wait to read this one - her first work of MG nonfiction! bookshop.org/p/books/the-...
Happy book birthday to @jamesponti.bsky.social and THE SHERLOCK SOCIETY: ART ATTACK! As a fan of James, mysteries, and Miami's street art, I could not possibly be more excited for this one! bookshop.org/p/books/art-...
Art Attack
The Sherlock Society goes undercover in the Miami street art scene to find an anonymous graffiti artist in this third book in the hilarious, New York Times bestselling Sherlock Society middle grade se...
bookshop.org
September 8, 2026 at 11:30 AM
Happy book birthday to @jamesponti.bsky.social and THE SHERLOCK SOCIETY: ART ATTACK! As a fan of James, mysteries, and Miami's street art, I could not possibly be more excited for this one! bookshop.org/p/books/art-...
Happy book birthday to HIJACKED BY GOATS by @annbraden.bsky.social! This MG novel is about a girl struggling with a bully that's hijacked her brain. If you know Ann's work, you know that this heartfelt story about OCD is in the very best of hands. bookshop.org/p/books/hija...
Hijacked by Goats
The moving story of a girl struggling with OCD—the bully hijacking her brain—who gets the help she needs to push back.Josie arrives at Bryce Haven Psychiatric Hospital sure that she’s a bad person and...
bookshop.org
September 8, 2026 at 11:29 AM
Happy book birthday to HIJACKED BY GOATS by @annbraden.bsky.social! This MG novel is about a girl struggling with a bully that's hijacked her brain. If you know Ann's work, you know that this heartfelt story about OCD is in the very best of hands. bookshop.org/p/books/hija...
If you've just about had it with AI, this story about the very human collaboration between an elder mathematician and a teenaged mentee just falling in love with the field is what you need today.
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/06/s...
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/06/s...
The 92-Year-Old Mathematician and the Teenage Apprentice
Joan Birman thought her major discoveries were behind her. Then came an email from a young neighbor — a girl who knew little but wanted to learn.
www.nytimes.com
September 7, 2026 at 1:23 PM
If you've just about had it with AI, this story about the very human collaboration between an elder mathematician and a teenaged mentee just falling in love with the field is what you need today.
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/06/s...
www.nytimes.com/2026/09/06/s...
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!](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:fwwbu5at3wtvmordkh23ygx4/bafkreia5izlgaajp4qdpb2xtz2hhhkcd7ixk4ftpq73wioweildguidc2q)
September 6, 2026 at 8:23 PM
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.
Reminder that you don't need a huge budget to host author visits! @authorgracelin.bsky.social & I are offering virtual visits w/ pre-orders of our new books!
Info for KEEP THE GHOST LIGHT ON: bloomsbury.my.canva.site/keep-the-gho...
Info for THE LITTLE STONE BUDDHA: carlemuseum.org/visit/progra...
Info for KEEP THE GHOST LIGHT ON: bloomsbury.my.canva.site/keep-the-gho...
Info for THE LITTLE STONE BUDDHA: carlemuseum.org/visit/progra...
Keep the Ghost Light On - landing page
From New York Times bestselling author Kate Messner
bloomsbury.my.canva.site
September 5, 2026 at 5:57 PM
Reminder that you don't need a huge budget to host author visits! @authorgracelin.bsky.social & I are offering virtual visits w/ pre-orders of our new books!
Info for KEEP THE GHOST LIGHT ON: bloomsbury.my.canva.site/keep-the-gho...
Info for THE LITTLE STONE BUDDHA: carlemuseum.org/visit/progra...
Info for KEEP THE GHOST LIGHT ON: bloomsbury.my.canva.site/keep-the-gho...
Info for THE LITTLE STONE BUDDHA: carlemuseum.org/visit/progra...
Reposted by Kate Messner
@apensfan.bsky.social will be getting this one soon! MG readers interested in mystery, ghosts, theater and performing arts will love this. Interesting formats and point of view storytelling. Thank you @katemessner.com and @bloomsburybooksus.bsky.social
! #BookPosse
! #BookPosse
September 3, 2026 at 11:47 PM
@apensfan.bsky.social will be getting this one soon! MG readers interested in mystery, ghosts, theater and performing arts will love this. Interesting formats and point of view storytelling. Thank you @katemessner.com and @bloomsburybooksus.bsky.social
! #BookPosse
! #BookPosse
Thrilled to be partnering with @parnassusbooks.bsky.social on a special KEEP THE GHOST LIGHT ON preorder offer for educators & librarians - a virtual author-in-residence program for this school year! parnassusbooks.net/book/9781547...
Keep the Ghost Light On: Deluxe Limited Edition (Educator Pre-Order Offer!)
Keep the Ghost Light On: Deluxe Limited Edition (Educator Pre-Order Offer!)
parnassusbooks.net
September 3, 2026 at 9:35 PM
Thrilled to be partnering with @parnassusbooks.bsky.social on a special KEEP THE GHOST LIGHT ON preorder offer for educators & librarians - a virtual author-in-residence program for this school year! parnassusbooks.net/book/9781547...
Looking forward to this collaboration between @philbildner.bsky.social & @mikecurato.bsky.social & preordering today! Hope you'll read Phil's great post about why you should, too - and why preorders are important!
**Six Months From Today -- TOO BIG TO SAY Arrives**
Please consider preordering a copy (or copies) of our upper middle grade novel TOO BIG TO SAY.
@mikecurato.bsky.social and I are partnering with HIGH FIVE BOOKS, an inclusive kids’ bookstore in Massachusetts.
highfivebooks.org/products/too...
Please consider preordering a copy (or copies) of our upper middle grade novel TOO BIG TO SAY.
@mikecurato.bsky.social and I are partnering with HIGH FIVE BOOKS, an inclusive kids’ bookstore in Massachusetts.
highfivebooks.org/products/too...
Too Big to Say
Heartfelt illustrated novel about two friends making tough decisions on a hiking adventure. Perfect for fans of The Trouble with Heroes and Hey, Kiddo.
highfivebooks.org
September 3, 2026 at 2:48 PM
Looking forward to this collaboration between @philbildner.bsky.social & @mikecurato.bsky.social & preordering today! Hope you'll read Phil's great post about why you should, too - and why preorders are important!
Today's purchase from Flying Pig Bookstore!
September 2, 2026 at 5:14 PM
Today's purchase from Flying Pig Bookstore!