WINNER OF THE NEWBERY MEDAL
A FINALIST FOR THE 2024 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
ALA Notable Book for Children·Chicago Public Library Best Fiction for Older Readers of 2024·Shelf Awareness Best Books of 2024 for Kids and Teens·BookPage Best Middle Grade of 2024·Common Sense Media Best Books of 2024·2025 Excellence in Children’s and Young Adult Science Fiction Notable List · Book Riot Best Sci-Fi Books of the Century (So Far)
When twelve-year-old Michael Rosario meets a mysterious boy from the future, his life is changed forever. From bestselling author Erin Entrada Kelly, also the winner of the Newbery Medal forHello, Universeand a Newbery Honor forWe Dream of Space, this novel explores themes of family, friendship, trust, and forgiveness.The First State of Beingis for fans of Rebecca Stead’sWhen You Reach Me.
It's August 1999. For twelve-year-old Michael Rosario, life at Fox Run Apartments in Red Knot, Delaware, is as ordinary as ever—except for the looming Y2K crisis and his overwhelming crush on his sixteen-year-old babysitter, Gibby. But when a disoriented teenage boy named Ridge appears out of nowhere, Michael discovers there is more to life than stockpiling supplies and pining over Gibby.
It turns out that Ridge is carefree, confident, and bold, things Michael wishes he could be. Unlike Michael, however, Ridge isn’t where he belongs. When Ridge reveals that he’s the world’s first time traveler, Michael and Gibby are stunned but curious. As Ridge immerses himself in 1999—fascinated by microwaves, basketballs, and malls—Michael discovers that his new friend has a book that outlines the events of the next twenty years, and his curiosity morphs into something else: focused determination. Michael wants—no,needslĂS
![The First State of Being [Hardcover]](/itemImage/2/7/6/8/2_7084369.jpg "The First State of Being [Hardcover]")