Ranging Through Time with Kate Messner's Time Traveling Rescue Dog

Need a stack of books to sustain your 2nd to 4th graders (and up!) on a road trip this summer? Look no further. The Ranger in Time series will eat up the miles. Why someone hasn't written about a time-travelling rescue dog before now is a mystery, but perhaps Ranger was waiting for Kate Messner to show up, and for Kelley McMorris to capture him in her winsome illustrations.

Squirrel Problems

Ranger is the best rescue dog on the planet. He just has one small problem--squirrels! Chasing one of the fluffy-tailed critters during his rescue test cost him his certification. But Ranger doesn't need paperwork to travel through time, find the lost, save lives, or hope for bacon. He returns home from each mission satisfied with a job well done and a small memento, reminders of the people he's met.

Corners of History

Ranger ends up in often overlooked corners of history.  Messner firmly sets her narrative in these corners without overwhelming young readers with facts. For example, Ranger in Time: Danger in Ancient Rome, leads us beneath the Roman Coliseum, with its wild lions, elaborate stage machinery, and tunnel to the Ludus Magnus gladiatorial school.

In Long Road to Freedom we learn about the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 in the United States and it's devastating consequences for escaped slaves, and the abolitionists who tried to help them. Journey Through Ash and Smoke takes us to 934 A.D. and Viking Iceland where, rather than raiding, we see Viking families settling in a new land--a land of unexpected volcanic eruptions.

Inquiring minds can find many more fascinating facts in the end notes of all the books as well as personal photos from Messner's travels and her first hand observations.

Shadow and Light

History is a messy place full of shadow and light, hard edges and beautiful sunsets. Messner presents readers with fictional protagonists in true stories that include the shadows, but are still accessible to young readers.


For example, Race to the South Pole follows the fictional Jack Nin, a boy of Chinese and Maori descent from New Zealand who stows away on the fateful Scott Expedition to the South Pole. Although a few men survived the expedition, most did not, as well as all the ponies and some sled dogs. Hard truths well told.


Tid Bits:

It's the small concrete details that win me over in any story. Here's one from the Oregon Trail:

"The Fergusons had something called a roadometer attached to their wagon. It used cogs and gears to record the number of times the wagon wheels went around, and then turned that number to miles."

Who knew?!

Home

"Imagine saying good-bye to your house, almost all of your friends and extended family, and most of your possessions. Imagine leaving everything you know to begin a long, long journey to a new home in a place you've never seen." --Ranger in Time: Rescue on the Oregon Trail 

The theme of home runs through the series. Each child Ranger encounters in his time travels is on a journey toward home in some way, whether they are pioneer children, Roman or American slaves, or a viking daughter. Jack Nin journeys to the South Pole looking for adventure and glory only to discover home is the only place he wants to be.

"Ranger stood in the mud and looked up, too. It felt like something should happen. He'd rescued Pa. Would Luke come and take him home now? But when he heard the words 'Good job,' it was Sam's voice--not Luke's."

Home is a theme for Ranger, too. After a job well done of finding and rescuing, Ranger longs to return home to his boy, Luke. Eventually, he does, of course. Yet, each time the call for help comes Ranger answers without hesitation.

Eight Books and Counting!

The Ranger in Time series is eight books strong and counting. The series covers these topics:

1. Oregon Trail, 1850
2. Ancient Rome: Gladiators
3.The Underground Railroad
4. The Scot South Pole Expedition
5. Vikings in Iceland
6. San Francisco Earthquake
7. D-day
8. Hurricane Katrina
9. The Titanic (forthcoming Jan. 2019!)

Ranger in Time has appeal for both boys and girls. I highly recommend them for reluctant readers and agree with others that they are a next step for anyone who has devoured The Magic Tree House series.



Michele Hathaway is an author and freelance editor. She has an M. A. in Social Anthropology and has worked in libraries in California, New Mexico, and Pennsylvania. She writes middle-grade nonfiction and stories set in culturally diverse, historical periods.

Subscribe to get posts automatically and never miss a post. You can use the Subscribe or Follow by E-Mail buttons to the right, or add http://madaboutmghistory.blogspot.com/to Feedly or another reader.