Start at the beginning
Begin with Rescue on the Oregon Trail for Ranger's introduction, then continue in order or choose a later historical event that interests your reader.
Book Series · 12 Books
Ranger in Time Books
In order from Rescue on the Oregon Trail to Attack on Pearl Harbor.
Kate Messner's illustrated chapter-book series sends Ranger, a time-traveling search-and-rescue dog, into moments of history where children need courage, help, and a safe path home.
Reviewed by the Bookroo Editors Updated
Reading order
How to Read the Ranger in Time Books
Publication order is the best default because Ranger's home story develops lightly from book to book. Each adventure introduces a new historical setting and new children, though, so most volumes also work when a reader is especially interested in one event.
The series is complete at twelve books, ending with Attack on Pearl Harbor. There is no announced thirteenth adventure.
Sources: Kate Messner's Ranger in Time series introduction, Kate Messner's final Ranger in Time book page.
For parents
What Parents Should Know
The books are rescue-focused and written for younger chapter-book readers, but they place children inside difficult history. Long Road to Freedom includes slavery and the threat of family separation; the war stories include bombs, weapons, injuries, and deaths.
Other volumes cover the Titanic, Hurricane Katrina, earthquakes, volcanic destruction, and the September 11 attacks, with fear, danger, loss, and grief. Courage and empathy lead the stories, and the violence is not graphic, but parents may want to choose historical topics based on a child's sensitivity.
Where to start
Where Should a New Reader Start?
Where the story begins
First Book in the Series
Sale price
$759
Book #1 · Chapter Book · Ages 7–10 · 2015
Rescue on the Oregon Trail
By Kate Messner, Kelley McMorris (Illustrator)
A time-traveling dog must help a family survive the perilous Oregon Trail.
144 pages· 14,363 words· Est. 2 hour read
$7.99Save 5%
Paperback
Summary: Ranger, a time-traveling golden retriever, stumbles upon a mysterious first aid kit and is whisked to 1850. There, he meets Sam Abbott, whose family is journeying west on the Oregon Trail. Though Ranger helps save Sam's sister, the trail's dangers loom large. Can Ranger protect the Abbotts from unseen threats and ensure their safe passage? Adventure and peril await as Ranger discovers his true calling beyond distractions.
In reading order
Ranger in Time Series
12 books · Published 2015–2020
#1
Sale price
$759
Rescue on the Oregon Trail
Chapter Book · Ages 7–10 · 2015
A time-traveling dog must help a family survive the perilous Oregon Trail.
#2
Sale price
$674
Danger in Ancient Rome
Chapter Book · Ages 7–10 · 2015
A young boy is transported back in time to ancient Rome where he befriends a gladiator and helps him win his freedom.
#3
Sale price
$674
Long Road to Freedom
Chapter Book · Ages 7–10 · 2015
A young girl and her brother escape from slavery in Maryland and travel to Canada with the help of a magical dog.
#4
Sale price
$674
Race to the South Pole
Chapter Book · Ages 7–10 · 2016
A young boy named Jack Nin stows away on a ship headed to Antarctica to help his family's struggling market garden.
#5
Sale price
$674
Journey Through Ash and Smoke
Chapter Book · Ages 8–10 · 2017
A young girl named Helga travels through a treacherous landscape to find her father and bring him home to her ailing mother.
#6
Sale price
$674
Escape from the Great Earthquake
Chapter Book · Ages 7–10 · 2017
In San Francisco, 1906, a devastating earthquake strikes, and a young Chinese girl named Lily and a dog named Ranger team up to find her friend's brother and escape the city.
#7
Sale price
$674
D-Day: Battle on the Beach
Chapter Book · Ages 7–10 · 2018
A young boy and a soldier team up to survive the D-Day invasion of Normandy during World War II
#8
Sale price
$674
Hurricane Katrina Rescue
Chapter Book · Ages 7–10 · 2018
In the midst of Hurricane Katrina, a young girl named Clare and her dog Ranger navigate the dangers of the storm and its aftermath to find Clare's grandmother and father, who have been separated from them.
#9
Sale price
$674
Disaster on the Titanic
Chapter Book · Ages 7–10 · 2019
A boy and his dog travel back in time to the Titanic, where they must help a young boy and his sister escape the sinking ship.
#10
Sale price
$674
Night of Soldiers and Spies
Chapter Book · Ages 7–10 · 2019
A young boy helps General Washington's troops escape from the British during the American Revolution.
#11
Sale price
$674
Escape from the Twin Towers
Chapter Book · Ages 7–10 · 2020
A young girl and her friend navigate the aftermath of a devastating terrorist attack on the World Trade Center.
#12
Sale price
$674
Attack on Pearl Harbor
Chapter Book · Ages 7–10 · 2020
A young sailor and a boy from a Japanese American family navigate the aftermath of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Good to know
Common Questions
How many books are in the Ranger in Time series?
There are 12 books in the Ranger in Time series. It began with Rescue on the Oregon Trail in 2015, and the newest book, Attack on Pearl Harbor, was published in 2020.
What order should you read the Ranger in Time books in?
Start with Rescue on the Oregon Trail and follow the series order — the books above are numbered #1 through #12.
What ages are the Ranger in Time books best for?
The series is best for ages 7–10, based on the age ranges of the individual books.
Which Ranger in Time book is the longest?
Race to the South Pole (Book #4) is the longest book in the series at 16,089 words (160 pages).
Which Ranger in Time book is the shortest?
Escape from the Twin Towers (Book #11) is the shortest at 11,915 words (144 pages).
The people
The Creatives Behind the Books
The people who bring Ranger in Time to life.
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