A middle grade science fiction time travel story set in the 90s, featuring time travel, Y2K, and learning to live in the present in spite of all the uncertainties of the future. This is my third EEK book and I think the author’s work just isn't for me. While objectively always good books with a fantastic concepts and amazing lessons, I never seem to feel connected to the story or the writing. I do think this book will appeal to a lot of readers. One comment on this is that it’s divided into two separate story lines, the one set in the present featuring the Filipino MC, and the one set in the future - while the one set in the present seems very age-appropriate for middle graders, the chapters that are set in the future feel very disjointed with vocabulary and prose that may be far too advanced for middle graders. The dissociation of the two writing styles felt very strange.
(+) Filipino American author and MCs, nonbinary secondary characters, autistic-coded MC

It's blasphemous to say as a youth librarian, but I have not yet read an Erin Entrada Kelly before! I really enjoyed this one, so I'm excited to delve deeper into her other works.
To be honest, I'm not typically very into time travel stories--I find the rules to be more of a hindrance in terms of keeping track of details than it is enjoyable. However, this plot was very well thought out and the rules seemed to be in place. It was definitely a kid-friendly version of time travel, which is honestly perfect for me because I'd rather not with the headaches.
All in all, I'm excited to start recommending this one to our young patrons who may be into sci-fi/dystopian/general fiction.

What a different genre for Erin Estrada Kelly (Hello, Universe, We Dream of Space, Those Kids From Fawn Creek, Blackbird Fly, among others) and proves that she has quite a range and can create excellence that appeals to a wide variety of readers. As stated in the publisher’s thorough summary, Michael Rosario, a rising 7th grader who fights feelings of guilt over his mother losing her job and anxiety due to many situations, i.e. public speaking, the economic situation he and his single mom find themselves, the rapidly approaching Y2K event and more, drives the plot and, thankfully, is likable and relatable. While fatherless, he has a strong support system in his hard-working, loving mother, the resident maintenance man, Mr. Mosley, as well as his “babysitter” Gibby, a true friend despite their age difference. When time traveler Ridge makes his appearance, the trio of kids set out to first show him a mall of the 90s but later, to help him get back to his own timeline. Ridge operates under a system of living in the present, the first state of being, and helps Michael begin to find one positive, potential outcome in scary situations. By the book’s conclusion, Michael is less fearful, Ridge is safely home and we get a look at the future for Michael and Gibby. Plenty of potential scientific discoveries included to keep readers wondering if, in fact, time travel, healing HUCK patches, and dissolvable “sumbooks” of all knowledge could be in our future. Keeping a good mix of realism and the futuristic and creating such a clear present day for Michael and those in his immediate circle of influence make this a winner for those in grades 4-8 who enjoy both sci-fi and realistic fiction. Text is free of profanity, sexual content, and violence. Representation: race is not a factor in the plot, but some characters are identified as Filipino and Black without feeling forced.

In The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly (Greenwillow Books, March 2024), Michael is a lonely celebrating his 12th birthday in the summer of 1999 when his life is changed by the appearance of strange kid in his apartment complex. Michael is an awkward kid obsessed with Y2K (yes, that moment when computers will move from 1999-2000 and supposedly cause problems), along with worries about his embarrassing past encounters with kids his age and the hard things to come in his next year at school. But with the arrival of Ridge, a boy from 200 years in the future, Michael is forced to rethink his life and his role in it.

Ridge, a self-proclaimed genius from 2199, has studied philosophical concepts as well as the science of space travel. He knows the names and theories of time travel scientists since his mother is the one that has made the time travel mechanism that brings him to 1999. He’s also studied 1990s history and culture to be better prepared for whatever one would encounter should they travel back in time. Although Michael and his babysitter Gibby have never before thought about their world as unique, with Ridge’s fascination with the mall, the answering machine, the car, and other distinctly 1990s things, they begin to look at the world with new eyes.

At first glance, The First State of Being may be written off as a science fiction time travel book. One could also consider it as a novel of self-discovery, especially for Michael. But in some respects, the 200 years of difference between Ridge and his 1990s friends is not the central theme. Rather, the book just bursts with philosophical questions about what does time and now mean? What does the future hold and why? How does what we do now impact the future? How does what we did in the past impact our now? What are the possibilities of the future? Who and what will we be in one day, one year, two years, twenty years?

The mix of conversations between the 1999 characters and the boy from 2199 brings all sorts of considerations into focus. As a result of Ridge’s encouragement to focus on the First State of Being (meaning the current moment), Michael can move on. He is no longer going to be worried about the past (he can’t change it) and the worries about the future are not set in stone (there is always a possible positive result along with any possible bad result).

I loved the book so much that as soon as I finished, I started rereading it, looking for the moments in the story that helped explain the book as a whole, the things that put all that happened into perspective. Although one can read The First State of Being as being an amusing story that all fits together satisfactorily, I also loved looking at how even this narrative story intertwined the past and the future. It all happens at once.

One more thought: See the cover? That is the reflection of the kids in a puddle of rain. We may think we’re looking at the real thing, but we’re actually looking at the reflection of it. This is kind of the feel of the story: contemplating the here along with the past and the future. Which part of these happenings is real?

WOW, I feel like my thoughts about this book is moving into Plato territory now. What a fascinating look at philosophy, just in that front cover. Nice job, cover artist!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance review copy of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Great read, loved the mix of historical fiction and science fiction! As a person who was almost 10 for Y2K the story really resonated with me, I remember that fear of everything going wrong. The twist at the end was the perfect cherry on top -- looking forward to including this title on our summer reading list!

Thank you to NetGalley for the eArc. Michael Rosario lives in an apartment complex in Delaware in August of 1999 and is very concerned about Y2K, in part because his mother lost her good paying job when he had the flu, so he has been shoplifting canned good and other items they will need in case everything shuts down. Now his mother works three jobs and is never home, so Mr. Mosely, the handyman and Gibby, a neighbor watches him sometimes as well. Michael is scared of a lot of things, and gets worried when he sees a strangely dressed kid sitting on a bench at the complex. Gibby and he discover that this kid (Ridge) has actually traveled back in time because he loves everything about the 90s, especially the malls.
I enjoyed this, and also the parts where Ridge's family was trying to figure out how to get him home. I like the character development, and this was a quick read, which will appeal to my MS students, making easy an easy sell.
The cover is gorgeous!

I loved this book!!! I loved how all the threads got tied up in the end, including threads that I didn't even know would need tying up. The sumbook sections in between chapters was excellent world building for both the near past and distant future. Michael's sense of responsibility for everyone around him was very well-developed and I think will be relatable to lots of readers. Ridge's awe at the late 1990s was very charming, and I loved how the future was depicted as an imperfect place with a handful of improvements to modern day (no bees, but also no illness, for example).

The first state of being was a mix of the past and futuristic. I really enjoyed the references to the 90s, while also enjoying the thoughts of where our future could be several years from now. In true Erin Entrada Kelly form, it was warm, adventurous, heart-wrenching and challenging all at once.

I absolutely love this story. I love the idea of the future and past working together. Well written, engaging and will keep kids interest. Very neat how it all wraps up and comes together

I am a big fan of EEKs writing and easily fall in love with her characters. This story is a creative take on Back to the Future if Doc was a charming and witty teen. But the true story is about Michael, a worrier - a planner of the future and his world is unpredictably scary as Y2K is looming over his future. This story is for the deep thinking kids. The ones who pick safety over being popular. The kids who like predictability over instability. To you, Miss Kelly managed to see you.

Loved this past, futuristic read! Kids will be super into all the tech elements mixed in with Y2K “history”. Many kids will identify with Michael and Gibby- and learn lessons through them. Felt like an abrupt ending, but maybe that’s a sign that I enjoyed it so much, I wanted to know more! May we all try and do better tomorrow and take every breath!

Time travel, the 90s, and Y2K worries?! This is a book full of things that intrigue me! I loved the 90s references. I really connected with the characters. I found that alternating between the storyline taking place in the 90s and the information about the scientific aspects of the time travel in the 2100s added exactly what was necessary to make readers think, to help them understand, and to demonstrate the debates surrounding the potential consequences of time travel. The reasoning behind the title is a message that I needed to hear but also one that will do so much good for young readers. Along with this, I loved the nod to Melanie Conklin via the Conklin Principle. I found myself smiling, worrying, laughing at lines like "maxing and relaxing", and feeling genuine care and concern for the characters in this book.

My only complaint is that it ended too soon! I could have spent so much more time with these characters.

Interesting premise, but the plot fell flat. There wasn't much world building in the 1999 setting or in the future, just vague references to impending disasters and Y2K to set the time period. The characters were likeable and realistic, but not particularly interesting overall.

I've really enjoyed previous books by this author, but this one just didn't do it for me.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

I requested this because I’m a big fan on Erin Entrada Kelly. I really liked the premise but it doesn’t live up to Hello Universe and When You Reach Me. That said, I did enjoy the book but wanted more, more, and more!

The events occur in about about a week in August of 1999. Y2K is looming and seems foreboding, and twelve year old Michael is worried. He’s worried by the fact that his mother has to work three jobs and that Y2K is going to cause mass chaos. He the only kid and his mom is a single parent. Michael feels he must be her protector. He’s squirreled away a secret stash of food, just in case the world ends on January 1, 2000. He also has a crush on Gibby, his babysitter. Yes he still has a babysitter. Gibby is a sweet girl who loves mystery novels and smells like strawberries, to Michael’s delight. Things become exciting one day as a strange boy appears to materialises in the courtyard of their apartment complex. He says his name is Ridge, and he claims to be from the future. He’s very convincing so Michael asks Ridge the effect Y2K will actually have on the world. He gives an evasive answer.
It seems Ridge has misused the time travel devices to go back in time to his favorite year and now it’s malfunctioning. He’s been exposed to germs in 1999 that don’t exist in his future and he’s become very Ill. He needs doctor help but he has some device implanted, he doesn’t want medical folks to discover.
The action cuts from the 20th century where they are hiding and helping Ridge to the 22nd century where his people are working on codes and devices to get the equipment fixed so Ridge can come home and be healed immediately with “the patch”.
I found the 22nd century transcripts hard to follow but that may have been the author’s intent, to keep it technical and futuristic.
It ended a little abruptly for this reader, but still a fun book I’m sure middle grade readers will enjoy.

As a girl who grew up in the 90s, I enjoyed this book and all the nods to 90s pop culture. I wonderful coming of age story of a boy who is trying to find his way preparing for Y2K, a mom who just lost her job, and just trying to find a place where he belongs. There are so many wonderful layers to the book !

Erin Entrada Kelly knocks it out of the park again with her latest novel, THE FIRST STATE OF BEING. Highly recommend for students in grades 5th & up.

I received a free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this because I loved <I>Hello Universe</i>, and once I saw the comparisons to <I>When You Reach Me,</I> I was even more intrigued. This doesn’t *quite* rise to that level, but I still really enjoyed it.

The time frame here is actually pretty short - about a week in August of 1999. Twelve year old Michael is worried about a lot of things, but mainly the fact that his mother has to work three jobs and that Y2K is going to cause mass chaos. He’s kind of your typical “only kid of a single parent” trope in that he feels like he needs to take care of his mom, no matter how many times she insists that’s not his job. Either way, he’s working on a secret stash of food, just in case the world ends. Michael is also nursing the most adorable crush on his babysitter Gibby - she’s a sweet nerd who loves mystery novels and smells like strawberries (this is mentioned frequently!). Then one day, they see a strange boy in the courtyard of their apartment complex. He says his name is Ridge, and he claims to be from the future. Of course, Michael has two immediate concerns – will Y2K actually be that bad? And does Gibby *like* Ridge? (being twelve, both of these are of course equally pressing!).

Ridge drops enough tantalizing tidbits to prove himself, and Gibby and Michael set about helping him hide until he can get back to his own timeline (the device he used is malfunctioning). Ridge is from 2199, and he chose 1999 because it’s his favorite time period. The only thing he really wants to do is go to a mall. Eventually, Ridge reveals that although the *theory* of time travel has been around for a while in his timeline, he’s actually the first person to attempt it. There’s sort of an explanation that actually calls to mind the “net” in Connie Willis’s Oxford Time Travel series (I’ll be interested to read the author’s note when this book comes out and see if that was an inspiration for Kelly). There’s a device called an EGG (named for the person who invented it) that you just…press like a button. I think there are maybe some more complicated functions on the front end, but getting back really does seem to be that simple.

We get some chapters from 2199, as well as some excerpts from “textbooks” about time travel theory. Ridge and his siblings are studying to be Spacial Teleportation Scientists (or STSs). I had some quibbles with the style of a few of these chapters - they’re written like a transcript, which is an interesting choice, but there’s a lot of fake technical gobbledygook in between that just feels unnecessary. I’d rather just…have a scene between those characters. The transcript format was weirdly hard to follow and just created this weird distance. I get that this is really Michael’s story, not Ridge’s siblings’, but still - it grated. I also felt like the ending was a little rushed. One of the most beautiful things about When You Reach Me is how things all come together at the end - this felt like it was trying to imitate that moment, but it doesn't really land.

But writing about time travel is hard! I was on a serious time travel kick several years ago, and I wrote quite a few rants about the topic. It basically comes down to: you need rules, and those rules need to make sense within the world you’ve created. Kelly has done that here, and in a way that’s accessible for younger readers. And in the end, it’s more about friendship and standing up for yourself and not trying to take on all of the world’s problems.

One final note – there’s a substantial bit of business devoted to the fact that Gibby is reading <I>Last Act</i> by Christopher Pike. I was a complete Pike Stan in 1999, and this detail was just absolute perfection. A teen girl in 1999 would absolutely be reading either <I>Last Act</I> or <I>Remember Me</I> (which also gets name-checked).

I love time travel books and The First State of Being satisfies that "what if" curiosity posed by all the best science fiction. Erin Entrada Kelly brings her perceptive emotional handling and attention to detail to bear on Michael's concern about Y2K and the 1999 setting. Ridge and Gibby and all the other characters are well drawn and unique, and the twists bring the story to a neat conclusion. Another winner by one of my favorite authors!

The concept for this middle grade novel is great. I imagine very few middle schoolers know or understand the stress and beliefs around Y2K. It was fun to read about and to bring forth 1999 again.

In this work of fiction, 12-year-old Michael and his friend Gibby meet a boy from the future. The reader is taken through a few days wondering about the impact of this visit.

The story feels a little flat. The multiple story lines are important (struggling parent, Mr. Mosley, Ridge, time travel) but they are all competing equally for space in the text. One doesn’t seem more important than another.

There are some nice surprises and twists but some didn’t seem necessary. For instance, Gibby was already going to be someone great, although Michael’s life was seemingly changed forever. I wanted to have a feeling about Ridge staying or going, and he wasn’t developed enough for me to care. At one point, the Ridge Mystery appears, but I was wondering why it needed to be included based on how the story ends.

The title is cool: The First State of Being. The present moment. The first state of existence. That concept works very well.

I would recommend the book because there are some ideas middle graders will love: time travel, the state of things in the future, the idea of 1999.

Thank you #NetGalley and #HarperCollins for the ARC!

It was fun going back in time (1999) and 200 years into the future in Erin Entada Kelly's new middle grade novel, THE FIRST STATE OF BEING! 12-year-old Micheal (and never Mike!) is worried about Y2K and his huge crush on his 15-year-old babysitter Gibby. When Micheal and Gibby run into Ridge, a teenager with a strange vocabulary and even stranger clothes, everything changes. Ridge relunctantly shares that he is from the future. After convincing Micheal and Ginny that he is telling the truth, Micheal wants to know about the future, especially Y2K. Ridge wants to experience everything there is about 1999, especially malls! While exploring everything 1999 has to offer, Ridge, Micheal, and Gibby work together to get Ridge home. What makes this story unique is that the point of view goes back and forth between Ridge, Micheal, and Gibby in 1999 and Ridge's family in 2199. I really enjoyed this book, and I know my fifth graders will equally enjoy it! Thank you to NetGalley for this advanced digital copy.