by Kate Messner (Author), Kelley McMorris (Illustrator)

  RANGER IN TIME, Hurricane Katrina Rescue by Kate Messner is an exciting, suspenseful middle-grade book. It has a very unusual and fun premise.  I know you’ve all heard of time-travel novels when a person (or two) travels to different historical times. There are many of them out now. (I especially like Gabrielle Meyer’s “Timeless” books.)  But, back to THIS book.  It features a time-traveling Golden Retriever! Yes, a dog!

Ranger is a search and rescue dog who failed his final test because he chased a squirrel. But his training is not lost. A special First Aid Kit that he dug up in the garden alerts him when someone is in trouble. He keeps the box buried among the blankets in his doggie bed in the mudroom of the family house where he lives. When it starts humming and glowing, Ranger paws the leather strap over his head and closes his eyes.  The next moment, he’s somewhere else in the middle of an emergency.

See, I told you.  A clever premise.

In this book, Ranger is whisked away to New Orleans, where the city is preparing for Hurricane Katrina, the deadliest storm ever to hit the area.  Why? Because a girl named Clare needs help. Her father has gone to get gas for the car. When he returns, they will leave. Clare’s grandmother, who lives with them, has a touch of dementia and needs watching.

The storm hits. The flood waters rise… and rise… and RISE!  Clare is frantic. Her “Nana” is confused.  Her dad hasn’t returned.  And…  ta da!  Ranger appears.

It is so cool how he helps them.  After all, he knows “Find,” “Stay,” and “Fetch.”

The book is also suspenseful.  Clare is a courageous and smart girl, but nature gets the upper hand.  Several times, it seems all is lost. But … Ranger!  Good Boy!

Fourth-graders will love this book. Especially those who have dogs. (128 pages)  The other books in the series feature places such as the Oregon Trail, Ancient Rome, the Titanic, and the South Pole. Wherever the setting, Ranger is the hero!

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PS: Do you wonder why I read/review so many middle-grade and middle-school books?  I have a Little Free Library at my house.  Often, I thumb through the books that people put in as they take new ones to ensure that nothing inappropriate has been left.  Most of the Little Library book readers are elementary age or younger.  And… sure enough, sometimes a book looks so fun that I take it out and read it myself.  (Yes, I always return it to the box.)