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Ranger in Time #11
Escape from the Twin Towers
Ranger, the time-traveling golden retriever with search-and-rescue training, travels to New York City on the morning of the 9/11 attacks.
COURAGE IN THE FACE OF DANGER!
Ranger has never needed his search-and-rescue training more than when he arrives at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. There he meets Risha Scott and her friend Max who have come to work with Risha's mother for a school project. But when the unthinkable happens and the building is evacuated, Risha is separated from her mom. Can Ranger lead Risha to safety and help reunite her family?
COURAGE IN THE FACE OF DANGER!
Ranger has never needed his search-and-rescue training more than when he arrives at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. There he meets Risha Scott and her friend Max who have come to work with Risha's mother for a school project. But when the unthinkable happens and the building is evacuated, Risha is separated from her mom. Can Ranger lead Risha to safety and help reunite her family?
144 pages, Paperback
First published February 4, 2020
61 people are currently reading
305 people want to read
About the author
Kate Messner
126 books1,684 followersKate Messner is an award-winning author, TED 2012 speaker, and former middle school English teacher. Her books for kids include THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z.,SUGAR AND ICE, and EYE OF THE STORM (Walker/Bloomsbury Dec. 2010) the MARTY MCGUIRE series (Scholastic), SEA MONSTER'S FIRST DAY, and OVER AND UNDER THE SNOW (Chronicle, Books). Kate also wrote SPITFIRE and CHAMPLAIN AND THE SILENT ONE, both Lake Champlain historical novels published by North Country Books.
Kate lives with her family on Lake Champlain, where she loves to read, write, hike, swing on birch trees, and eat chocolate. She also hangs out in various places online.
Visit Kate's website: http://www.katemessner.com
Find Kate on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/KateMessner
...or follow her on Twitter - @katemessner
Kate lives with her family on Lake Champlain, where she loves to read, write, hike, swing on birch trees, and eat chocolate. She also hangs out in various places online.
Visit Kate's website: http://www.katemessner.com
Find Kate on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/KateMessner
...or follow her on Twitter - @katemessner
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
September 11, 2022
(Pg. 88)-“Ranger’s head felt heavy, and his tail drooped. How could he do his job when it felt like there was no one to save?”
This sentence brought back a memory of the first tour I took at the 9/11 Memorial. The tour guide mentioned the wonderful search and rescue dogs that were brought quickly to Ground Zero and told to “go find!” Unfortunately, they were unable to find many live people. After this occurred repeatedly, these dogs began to show signs of depression; they knew they weren’t successful at doing the job they were trained for. Some firefighters and policemen “buried” themselves in the rubble to be “found”, so the dogs could feel successful.
Ranger, the dog who travels through time to help people through catastrophic situations, has been trying to locate survivors at Ground Zero. He keeps smelling a “sad, quiet smell” , but is unable to dig out any live people, so the searchers create a “find” for him.
This book is short, written for younger readers, but it packs an emotional punch. The sights, sounds, smells, and terrors of 9/11 are depicted, but not in a way that would cause younger readers to become traumatized.
**May We Never Forget**
This sentence brought back a memory of the first tour I took at the 9/11 Memorial. The tour guide mentioned the wonderful search and rescue dogs that were brought quickly to Ground Zero and told to “go find!” Unfortunately, they were unable to find many live people. After this occurred repeatedly, these dogs began to show signs of depression; they knew they weren’t successful at doing the job they were trained for. Some firefighters and policemen “buried” themselves in the rubble to be “found”, so the dogs could feel successful.
Ranger, the dog who travels through time to help people through catastrophic situations, has been trying to locate survivors at Ground Zero. He keeps smelling a “sad, quiet smell” , but is unable to dig out any live people, so the searchers create a “find” for him.
This book is short, written for younger readers, but it packs an emotional punch. The sights, sounds, smells, and terrors of 9/11 are depicted, but not in a way that would cause younger readers to become traumatized.
**May We Never Forget**
January 3, 2021
Though I have enjoyed every Kate Messner book I have read and would recommend her unreservedly to every teacher and student I work with, and though my 7 year old absolutely loves every other Ranger in Time book we have read, I avoided Escape from the Twin Towers for a long time...9/11 still just feels too fresh, too sad, too real, and too attached to disastrous decisions our country made in its aftermath, and I wasn't sure I wanted to immerse my 7 year old into thinking that much about it yet. I am so, so glad that I followed my trust in Kate Messner and took the risk to read it with my 7 year old.
Messner handled the story beautifully and with sensitivity to younger readers, without sugar coating the horror entirely. My son was suitably distressed while reading it, but that distress was combined with appreciation for the courage of first responders and curiosity about and respect for the work of rescue dogs. He cried at the losses, but wasn't haunted or plagued with nightmares, and he loved getting to follow Ranger into another adventure. For him, 9/11 really is history, and I am glad that he first got to learn about it from Kate Messner.
Highly recommended for school and classroom libraries, especially grades 2-4.
Messner handled the story beautifully and with sensitivity to younger readers, without sugar coating the horror entirely. My son was suitably distressed while reading it, but that distress was combined with appreciation for the courage of first responders and curiosity about and respect for the work of rescue dogs. He cried at the losses, but wasn't haunted or plagued with nightmares, and he loved getting to follow Ranger into another adventure. For him, 9/11 really is history, and I am glad that he first got to learn about it from Kate Messner.
Highly recommended for school and classroom libraries, especially grades 2-4.
July 18, 2025
I saw this book on a cart of returned items, and I felt so weird about an event that happened in my conscious lifetime being made into historical fiction for kids, let alone historical fiction featuring a time-traveling dog, that I had to know. Know what? I‘m not entirely sure. What this was, I guess. How it handled such a major and traumatic event. How some random friendly dog played into the story.
Reader, I am not a connoisseur of j-fic. I can remember being a kid and enjoying historical fiction like American Girl, the Dear America series, and Number the Stars, so I know I did in fact read and enjoy books about terrible world events that were broken down for a child audience, but it’s a little difficult to put myself into that headspace now.
I was 15 when 9/11 happened. I remember our teachers playing us the footage all day of people jumping from buildings while reporters openly wept. It was a bridge one cannot un-cross. I learned not only about the horrors humans can enact upon each other, but also that the adults did not know much more about how to handle those horrors than the kids and teenagers did. I also learned that a lot of adults will use something like that to excuse or even enjoy their own ignorance and bigotry, and that they will be swayed by hateful rhetoric to treat innocent people cruelly. These are hard, dark lessons.
This book depicts the destruction and fear surrounding that day, but it emphasizes the bravery and kindness many people exhibited in trying to help total strangers when their own lives were on the line. It would be hard not to be moved by the scene with first responders crying into Ranger’s neck. I’m still not sure I think things like war and terrorism can be made into stories that are both appropriate for kids and also true to the reality at the heart of those situations, though this is not a bad attempt.
I read this book thinking I might find an angle on the absurdity of a time-traveling dog without supernatural powers being repeatedly made responsible for solving human trauma, and on one level I did, but really I ended up just being sad. I’m sad that we live in a world that necessitates explaining these things to kids. Since this is aimed at children, it didn’t go into any backstory about why 9/11 happened (a topic which would be even more daunting to break down for a young audience), but that does mean it’s left seeming almost like an accident or natural disaster.
All in all, I don’t know why I read this or what I was expecting, but it was more serious than I’d anticipated, for which I am grateful.
Reader, I am not a connoisseur of j-fic. I can remember being a kid and enjoying historical fiction like American Girl, the Dear America series, and Number the Stars, so I know I did in fact read and enjoy books about terrible world events that were broken down for a child audience, but it’s a little difficult to put myself into that headspace now.
I was 15 when 9/11 happened. I remember our teachers playing us the footage all day of people jumping from buildings while reporters openly wept. It was a bridge one cannot un-cross. I learned not only about the horrors humans can enact upon each other, but also that the adults did not know much more about how to handle those horrors than the kids and teenagers did. I also learned that a lot of adults will use something like that to excuse or even enjoy their own ignorance and bigotry, and that they will be swayed by hateful rhetoric to treat innocent people cruelly. These are hard, dark lessons.
This book depicts the destruction and fear surrounding that day, but it emphasizes the bravery and kindness many people exhibited in trying to help total strangers when their own lives were on the line. It would be hard not to be moved by the scene with first responders crying into Ranger’s neck. I’m still not sure I think things like war and terrorism can be made into stories that are both appropriate for kids and also true to the reality at the heart of those situations, though this is not a bad attempt.
I read this book thinking I might find an angle on the absurdity of a time-traveling dog without supernatural powers being repeatedly made responsible for solving human trauma, and on one level I did, but really I ended up just being sad. I’m sad that we live in a world that necessitates explaining these things to kids. Since this is aimed at children, it didn’t go into any backstory about why 9/11 happened (a topic which would be even more daunting to break down for a young audience), but that does mean it’s left seeming almost like an accident or natural disaster.
All in all, I don’t know why I read this or what I was expecting, but it was more serious than I’d anticipated, for which I am grateful.
January 31, 2020
More intense than the others due to the subject.
February 23, 2020
I picked this up both as a children's librarian who wants to be knowledgeable about popular series for kids now and as a person who remembers 9/11 vividly and wondered how a book about a time-traveling dog would handle it. Color me IMPRESSED.
First of all, I like the setup. Ranger is a golden retriever who trained to be a search-and-rescue dog, but failed the test and is now a happy family pet. However, he has a mysterious first aid kit on a leather strap that periodically starts humming, prompting him to put his head through the strap and be summoned to another time and place where someone needs his help. Once he has helped them, he returns home. This brings him to a variety of dangerous situations in history, from the Underground Railroad to the Titanic to Hurricane Katrina, with his human family at home none the wiser.
Like the massively popular I Survived series, this series features fictional kids in real historical situations. This book feels extremely well-researched, and has notes, photos, and further reading suggestions at the end. At the same time, it's very kid-friendly. I would have DEVOURED this series as a kid!
And despite its cute kids-and-dog perspective, this book doesn't sugarcoat 9/11. For the first half or so of the story, Ranger is helping two kids get out of the North Tower. It's scary for them, but between the low visibility, their location, and the urgency of their escape, the author avoids having them actually see any dead bodies. However, when Ranger returns to the wreckage to help search for survivors, he does smell a lot of dead bodies under the rubble. There's also a moment when a woman stops the kids to ask what floor they were on, then runs off crying, and the kids realize that she must be looking for someone who was higher up. I teared up there, no lie. Kudos to the author for acknowledging that many people did not make it out of this disaster, and touching on that horror and tragedy, while still writing a book that shouldn't wreck young readers too badly.
First of all, I like the setup. Ranger is a golden retriever who trained to be a search-and-rescue dog, but failed the test and is now a happy family pet. However, he has a mysterious first aid kit on a leather strap that periodically starts humming, prompting him to put his head through the strap and be summoned to another time and place where someone needs his help. Once he has helped them, he returns home. This brings him to a variety of dangerous situations in history, from the Underground Railroad to the Titanic to Hurricane Katrina, with his human family at home none the wiser.
Like the massively popular I Survived series, this series features fictional kids in real historical situations. This book feels extremely well-researched, and has notes, photos, and further reading suggestions at the end. At the same time, it's very kid-friendly. I would have DEVOURED this series as a kid!
And despite its cute kids-and-dog perspective, this book doesn't sugarcoat 9/11. For the first half or so of the story, Ranger is helping two kids get out of the North Tower. It's scary for them, but between the low visibility, their location, and the urgency of their escape, the author avoids having them actually see any dead bodies. However, when Ranger returns to the wreckage to help search for survivors, he does smell a lot of dead bodies under the rubble. There's also a moment when a woman stops the kids to ask what floor they were on, then runs off crying, and the kids realize that she must be looking for someone who was higher up. I teared up there, no lie. Kudos to the author for acknowledging that many people did not make it out of this disaster, and touching on that horror and tragedy, while still writing a book that shouldn't wreck young readers too badly.
December 10, 2021
I have seen this series at the library for years, and I usually get enthusiastic responses when I recommend it to kids who like dog books or historical books and are looking for something new. Back in October, I decided that I should try out the series for myself, and I gravitated towards the title that covers an event from my living memory.
It was so good. I read this a month after the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and then never got around to reviewing it just because I didn't know what to say. This made me cry, and the dog's POV was incredibly unique and powerful. The idea of a time-traveling rescue dog could be gimmicky, but the characters and their situations all seemed powerful and authentic, and the story's level of emotional depth surprised me.
I found this story very vivid and memorable, and the author did a wonderful job of researching and including extremely specific details about escaping one of the towers. She also incorporated elements related to the ongoing rescue efforts after the towers fell, and the note at the end honors the real rescue dogs who helped search for survivors and comfort emergency personnel in the aftermath of the attacks.
I would highly recommend this book to children and adults. The content could be difficult for sensitive children to handle, but the author presents it in a very accessible way. The prose is very simple and easy for kids to read, and even though there are scenes of intense peril and terror, the dog's perspective provides a little bit of distance to help kids process what happened. At the same time, the story also has enough depth to appeal to adults as well. Even though I read this two months ago, I often think of it and remember details from it, and I am very glad that I read it.
It was so good. I read this a month after the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and then never got around to reviewing it just because I didn't know what to say. This made me cry, and the dog's POV was incredibly unique and powerful. The idea of a time-traveling rescue dog could be gimmicky, but the characters and their situations all seemed powerful and authentic, and the story's level of emotional depth surprised me.
I found this story very vivid and memorable, and the author did a wonderful job of researching and including extremely specific details about escaping one of the towers. She also incorporated elements related to the ongoing rescue efforts after the towers fell, and the note at the end honors the real rescue dogs who helped search for survivors and comfort emergency personnel in the aftermath of the attacks.
I would highly recommend this book to children and adults. The content could be difficult for sensitive children to handle, but the author presents it in a very accessible way. The prose is very simple and easy for kids to read, and even though there are scenes of intense peril and terror, the dog's perspective provides a little bit of distance to help kids process what happened. At the same time, the story also has enough depth to appeal to adults as well. Even though I read this two months ago, I often think of it and remember details from it, and I am very glad that I read it.
August 16, 2025
Great book for the middle grade. I had not read this series before and started with this title. Kate Messner really brings the characters and settings to life as well as the thrill of the story. I love the idea of Ranger, the rescue dog! I was reading this book because I am working on writing a middle grade book with a historical background. Thus, reading books in the genre you are writing in is important. I actually cried through the last part of the book! I was on the edge of my seat hoping... (don't want to give away the great ending!)
My emotional involvement in the characters and the story therefore tells me this is an excellent book for not only the age level it is intended for, but for anyone. I was the library director for a nonprofit hospital association in the region. I was also interested in this story because I was intimately involved in helping family and friends find missing loved ones, as well as communication with hospitals, sometimes on an hour-by-hour basis. I lived through the horror. We did so much to help. The story and details are very accurate, and well-researched, from my knowledge. Well done. I would recommend this story for any middle-grade history class.
My emotional involvement in the characters and the story therefore tells me this is an excellent book for not only the age level it is intended for, but for anyone. I was the library director for a nonprofit hospital association in the region. I was also interested in this story because I was intimately involved in helping family and friends find missing loved ones, as well as communication with hospitals, sometimes on an hour-by-hour basis. I lived through the horror. We did so much to help. The story and details are very accurate, and well-researched, from my knowledge. Well done. I would recommend this story for any middle-grade history class.
April 13, 2020
This children's novel was written for the age group for year ranges from second grade to fourth; however, I must admit that it was so well written that my first grader loved this story and so did I. This novel was read as a family and was used to teach my children, some too young to truly understand, about a time in America's history that was truly dark and terrible.
I believe if a different author would have attempted this story, or if another would have tried to add more or take out than was added, it would have been too much or less than what was needed to make this novel truly remarkable. From the way that story was told, until the very last sentence, I highly recommend every thing for every age.
I believe if a different author would have attempted this story, or if another would have tried to add more or take out than was added, it would have been too much or less than what was needed to make this novel truly remarkable. From the way that story was told, until the very last sentence, I highly recommend every thing for every age.
June 27, 2023
Over the years I can only remember reading two other fictional books that use the twin towers one a Jack reacher novel and a 9/11 marvel anniversary comic. Lay there are many non-fiction books that cover 9/11 there are few books that are fictional and use the place /time-frame to create a story on a location that became a battle wound on the American psyche.
It’s only threw stories that grow out They’s moment an we find the strength to move forward that we has a people even the very nation can finally let go of the pain an grow into the person we’re to before the tragic moments of 9/11. That is why Kate Messier story is sign that we’re healing from that time and to show from that pain like in the story there is hope for people has there individual there give a hand/paw for you.
It’s only threw stories that grow out They’s moment an we find the strength to move forward that we has a people even the very nation can finally let go of the pain an grow into the person we’re to before the tragic moments of 9/11. That is why Kate Messier story is sign that we’re healing from that time and to show from that pain like in the story there is hope for people has there individual there give a hand/paw for you.
July 29, 2020
A gentle way to introduce young kids to the 9/11 attacks.
Told from the perspective of a 5th grader, this is a story about bravery, friendship, and gratitude. It is intense but not too scary. I read this to my rising 3rd grader, in two sittings. My emotional reactions to this, being someone who remembers vividly, sparked many important side conversations.
Well done! Thank you @KateMessner!
Told from the perspective of a 5th grader, this is a story about bravery, friendship, and gratitude. It is intense but not too scary. I read this to my rising 3rd grader, in two sittings. My emotional reactions to this, being someone who remembers vividly, sparked many important side conversations.
Well done! Thank you @KateMessner!
November 2, 2021
As a fan of historical fiction and a children's librarian, the Ranger in Time books are a favorite of mine. This one made me cry though. Reliving that horrible morning through the eyes of two kids and a dog who were in the North Tower.... tear-worthy. As with all the Ranger books, Kate Messner's research is impeccable and her ability to take that research and turn it into a book accessible for third graders is astounding.
July 17, 2020
I am so impressed with this book! It’s no small feat to write a book for young kids about 9/11, much less to do it well. It has real stuff in it, including some that will mostly go over kids’ heads (a mention of a terrible smell that the dog didn’t even want to think about what it was) and was heartfelt, but still wasn’t too scary for kids to handle.
April 25, 2022
Another 5 star book in this fav series of mine and Nathan’s. I’ve read a bunch of kid-geared 9/11 books and this may be my favorite: factually descriptive without being too overwhelming for the target audience, a mostly realistic and engaging plot line and a gentle invitation to learn more of the history through the provided resources at the end.
March 8, 2024
I like the pictures. I liked how they thought Ranger was part of the K9 and saved Risha's mom. I didn't like that they always start at Rangers house. The story was about Max and Risha on floor 91 of 9-11 there mom went to floor 68 then the plane came and hit there mom came up to get them so they could evacuate together but the kids evacuated already.
July 2, 2020
This was a great book about the horrific events that happened on 9-11. This is a great series to read for children to understand some of our country’s history! I will recommend it to some students in the fall.
March 28, 2025
"Ranger In Time" is a very popular series. I read one of the later ones to get a feel for them and I definitely recommend it! Series like these are very cookie-cuter so I would say any of the previous ten books will be ok for your reader!
Found in L4M YT Volume 20.
Found in L4M YT Volume 20.
March 28, 2025
"Ranger In Time" is a very popular series. I read one of the later ones to get a feel for them and I definitely recommend it! Series like these are very cookie-cuter so I would say any of the previous ten books will be ok for your reader!
Found in L4M YT Volume 20.
Found in L4M YT Volume 20.
Want to read
February 26, 2020As someone old enough to remember every horrible detail of the day that changed the way the world works, I'll be interested to see how this plays out ...
July 17, 2020
I loved it so much!
November 4, 2020
A wonderful story. You can learn about history and have fun. I really liked this book.
June 8, 2021
I read this with my 3rd grade class and they loved it
August 1, 2021
Turtle: great! Return to library.
October 4, 2021
What a thoughtful sensitive book ! Helps kids understand the enormity and tragedy and danger of 9/11 towers while still leaving the reader with hope and resources and resolution.
July 24, 2022
Great books for youth. It has some triggers about the twin towers and made me think about things I'd never thought of. My daughter loves Ranger.
January 4, 2023
Love reading these books with my kids.
January 9, 2023
Love how realistic this series is and how there is factual information and pictures in the back of the book.
January 17, 2024
Catch me crying over middle grade historical fiction while I wait for Emily Wilde 2. Anyway, this was wonderful.
October 11, 2024
Great book great main charters. And Ranger the dog is so cute! :3
November 27, 2024
The book, Ranger in time by Kate Messner, is amazing and has very good detail. In this book the characters are in the twin towers because the girls mom works there. The girl has brought a friend to her moms work and then the building starts shaking and everything falls, and a shelf falls on them. Then a rescue dog Ranger comes to their rescue and calls strong people over to get them out then they had to evacuate the building. Max, the girls friend, needs an inhaler but he lost it when they were evacuating the building, so he can't breath. Then a lady gave them an inhaler so Max can breath. They get out and call Max's dad and he was waiting for a boat to get out of the city. The girl is worried about her mom because she called her and she did not answer. This book is a good book I think and my favorite part is when they find the dog looking because he was an old rescue dog and was looking for her mom. My opinion this book is for adventurous people.
June 14, 2021
From Grab & Go bag children’s books collection (Part II - 2/5) of Toronto Public Library – A heroic act of Ranger, a golden retriever who is trained as a search-and-rescue dog, who helps Risha and her friend to escape from twin towers crash (on September 11, 2001). Eventually, he helps to find and rescue Risha’s mom too.
Without making the incident too graphic, the level of detailing about the Twin tower attack is worth appreciating. It gives a quick introduction to such events to kids. Other than beautiful friendship and affection portrayed here, the gratitude towards firefighters and the unsung heroes such as Ranger is nice to read!
Without making the incident too graphic, the level of detailing about the Twin tower attack is worth appreciating. It gives a quick introduction to such events to kids. Other than beautiful friendship and affection portrayed here, the gratitude towards firefighters and the unsung heroes such as Ranger is nice to read!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews