Ranger the golden retriever once aspired to be a search and rescue dog, but flunked out on the final exam due to running off to chase a squirrel. However, he gets a chance to put that training to use in a way no one could have foreseen when he digs up a magical first aid kit and attached strap in his backyard. Whenever the kit starts glowing and vibrating, it's time for Ranger to put it on and be transported back in time to a child that needs help, in the middle of some of history's most desperate and dangerous events.
A children's Edutainment series by Kate Messner, Ranger in Time has received numerous accolades for its entertaining way of teaching kids about history, and in the process not shying away at all from the nastier aspects of the events it covers.
Contains examples of:
- Action Girl: Helga from "Journey Through Ash and Smoke," who's so good at getting herself out of trouble that Ranger is baffled at what he's actually supposed to save her from.
- Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: Zig-zagged, as Ranger missed out on being an official search and rescue dog due to getting distracted by a squirrel during his final exam. But that was only because he knew it was just a test and no one was in real danger, and if someone really does need his help, nothing can stop him.
- Badass Adorable: Ranger is a sweet, cuddly golden retriever, who will move heaven and earth to save children's lives.
- Bittersweet Ending: Ranger always saves the child he was sent to help, but there's often a lot of damage around them, plus they'll never see each other again, sometimes after months of bonding. Luckily, the magic seems to allow the children to instinctively understand that he needs to go and help other people.
- The Collector of the Strange: Not that he ever actually goes looking for them, but each adventure ends with Ranger bringing back a souvenir from the child he helped. It doesn't take long for his present day owners to get quite bemused at all the weird stuff he somehow arranges in his bed.
- Continuity Nod: Each book has Ranger reminiscing over his souvenirs from his adventures, though starting with the sixth book Messner realized it would be too unwieldy to keep listing out every single one, so just a couple are mentioned from then on.
- Darker and Edgier: The series doesn't shy away from some uncomfortable parts of history, and got especially public attention with a book about the September 11th attacks. Messner was driven to explain her decision to address the event on Twitter, saying that for quite a while she had no intention of doing it despite being one of the most frequent requests she got, thinking it was too "raw and recent." But eventually she realized that with a whole generation having been born after the attacks, they could use a book like this to give them some idea of what it was like.
- Excuse Plot: We never get the slightest explanation of where the magic first aid kit came from, and Ranger doesn't care at all and is just grateful he gets to put his training to good use.
- Narnia Time: Ranger's adventures can last for days or even months, but he always returns to the same moment he left.
- Running Gag: Each scene of Ranger in the present day before the first aid kit starts calling has him chasing a squirrel (and one time a seagull).
- Shown Their Work: Each book has an afterward where Messner lays out the impressive amount of research she did, and reveals which parts were actually taken straight from true history. She also did a lot of research on search and rescue dogs, and makes sure to be as realistic as possible about what a reasonably intelligent dog would make of each situation, with half of each book being from the perspective of the person he's saving to provide the historical context.
- Strictly Formula: Each book is 15-16 chapters of similar length, with one introducing the child Ranger will have to save and their historical context and ending with a cliffhanger of them in danger, one of Ranger with his present day family chasing a squirrel until the first aid kit calls him, one of him saving the child and integrating into their life, ten or eleven of staying by their side and continuing to save them until the situation is resolved, one saying goodbye and getting a souvenir before the first aid kit calls again, and one returning to his family who are confused at the souvenir but put it with the others. So far there's only been one slight deviation, with "D-Day: Battle on the Beach" having two people he needs to save with each getting their own chapter.
