The Trouble with Heroes

After sullen seventh grader Finn Connelly is detained for damaging the headstone of late local hero Edna Grace Thomas, who once corresponded with and encouraged climbers of the 46 Adirondack peaks, Finn sees the event as further proof that he exists in stark contrast to his deceased fireman father, whose heroism on 9/11 was captured in an iconic photograph. Rather than press charges for the damage, Edna’s daughter offers Finn the opportunity to make amends by summiting every peak by Labor Day with Edna’s dog, Seymour. Despite feeling bitter and uncooperative, Finn begins the effort alongside experienced volunteers while simultaneously completing an overdue English class poetry assignment about heroes. As Finn contends with dog drool, mud, and red slime, he gains a new understanding of the impact his father (who “carried things heavier/ than the lady he lifted/ out of the smoke”) had on his life. Messner (Chirp), an experienced Adirondack 46er, mixes moving and profoundly funny verse and prose informed by postpandemic loss to craft a timely meditation on grief, anger, and the solace offered by nature. Main characters cue as white. Ages 9–14. Agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary. (Apr.)