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.

eARC provided by HarperCollins via NetGalley in exchange for honest review.

TL;DR: Such a fun middle grade read! Fast paced, with time travel, early 2000s nostalgia, and characters that you’ll love sitting with.

The First State of Being is Erin Entrada Kelly’s newest entry to classroom bookshelves, and in my opinion, her most poignant and heartfelt to date. The story follows Michael, a 12 year old with a lot of questions about himself, his place and purpose, and the impending Y2K crisis, all while being hopelessly crushing on his fifteen year-old babysitter, Gibby. In the midst of his doomsday prepping, things come to a halt when a weird new boy, Ridge just… shows up one day, wearing weird clothes and speaking in slang that nobody actually says. When Ridge reveals that he is actually from the distant future, Michael and Gibby must help him find a way back to his own time, all while making sure they don’t accidentally destroy the space-time continuum in the process.

Teachers, parents, and kids will find so many teaching opportunities and life lessons to share from this book. The characters and their dynamics are so heartwarming and meaningful, and the fast-paced plot will keep readers of all ages and abilities engaged. This one sat with me for a good while after I closed it. I cannot wait to get it in the hands of kids this March!

This is an auto-read/buy author for me. I love the creativity of mixing always unique situations with down-to-earth human emotions, life events, environmental themes and also always showing us great character growth.

Michael speaks to a strange boy who claims to be from the future. Although he is concerned with the knowledge that this future boy may possess, he slowly starts to understand that the present is more relevant and that he must act now whether it is something personal, or related to his family, community, or planet.

He learns a great lesson to improve himself daily and takes responsibility for it. It is scary to think of the future of our planet even when it is presented wrapped in a fun story of a visit of a boy from a better future. It's up to us in "the past" to take action.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this e-ARC.

Another absolutely lovely middle grades novel from Erin Entrada Kelly!

The characters are authentic and lovable and everything you want them to be. Michael’s anxieties over the future are relatable and make him even that much more lovable.

A must have for any middle grades library.

As a former nineties kid, I loved the setting and the references to pop culture I'd almost forgotten about. For my students, this will be a hit, as they will identify with the anxieties of the characters, which are not so different from the anxieties of the 2023 tweens.