#The First State of Being

[middlegradeeveryday]

The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly

Summary:

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, needs—to get his hands on that book. How else can he prepare for the future? But how far is he willing to go to get it?

A story of time travel, friendship, found family, and first loves, this thematically rich novel is distinguished by its voice, character development, setting, and exploration of the issues that resonate with middle grade readers. A Finalist for the National Book Award and the Winner of the Newbery Medal.

Genre: Historical Fiction

Book Type: Novel

[the-dust-jacket]

Congratulations to the 2025 Newbery Medal winner and Honorees!

[bookcoversonly]

Title: The First State of Being | Author: Erin Entrada Kelly | Publisher: Greenwillow Books (2024)

[mercerislandbooks]

Sarah: A New Bookseller Appears!!

I’ve been a reader for as long as I can remember. I have wonderful memories of visiting the old downtown Bellevue Library on Main Street, signing up for the annual summer reading program at the Eastgate KCLS branch, and running my fingers along the spines of books at the University Bookstore whenever my family ate out at the nearby Azteca restaurant. My mom almost always bought me the latest Baby Sitter’s Club or Sweet Valley Twins book. I was such a devoted reader that I used to force my friends to lounge under our family’s ping-pong table and listen to me read aloud some of my favorite novels, including Fantastic Mr. Fox, James and the Giant Peach, and Wendy and the Bullies. It was a surprise to no one when I became a 6th grade reading teacher and then an elementary librarian!

In late 2020, deciding I needed a break from education, I applied to the Master’s in Children’s Literature program at Simmons University, not knowing where it would lead me, but excited by the prospect of a grand adventure. In July of 2021 my husband, daughter, dog and I moved across the country to Newton, MA so I could study children’s literature and, while I am so grateful for everything I learned and all the fabulous people we met, I can’t wait to be back in the Pacific Northwest, especially because I’ll be working at Island Books! I have always wanted to work at an independent bookstore, so having an opportunity to grow the children’s department, connect readers with books, and meet even more people who are passionate about kidlit is beyond exciting.

I love all kinds of kids' books, from picture books to young adult novels, but I gravitate toward middle grade stories. I even produce the Happy Reading podcast, which spotlights middle grade books by topic. Some of my all-time favorite books include The Westing Game, the Vanderbeekers series, Boy Meets Boy, and Should I Share My Ice Cream? (an Elephant & Piggie book). Some more recent five-star reads include The Mona Lisa Vanishes, The First State of Being, The Color of Sound, and Dear Mr. G (I’m a sucker for picture books that make me cry).

When I’m not reading or browsing the shelves at my local library or bookstore, I also enjoy crocheting (I taught myself a few weeks ago and love it), baking, building with LEGO, planning our next Disney vacation, walking our adorable dog Jefferson, and watching movies with my family while snuggled up on the couch.

I can’t wait to start the next chapter of my life at Island Books!

Find me on Instagram as @kidlit_lover and via my podcast website: https://happyrdng.blogspot.com/

— Sarah Threlkeld

[lemongrad]

I drive between Massachusetts and New York with some frequency, and not too long ago Connecticut put up a sign on I-84 south welcoming people to the state, and declaring it the "basketball capital of the world". This seemed a weird statement, as the Boston Celtics have the most championship titles in the NBA, and Springfield MA is the birthplace of basketball and home to the hall of fame, but whatever.

Driving back from New York today I noticed the "pizza capital of the united states" sign, and realized they are picking fights on purpose.

[clowndensation]

thinking about connor in prague saying "dad's theory was you got two fighting dogs, you send the weak one away, you punish the weak one." in relation to this episode, and the way the siblings view abuse inside their own family.

shiv and kendall and their belief that connor and roman are the weak dogs that got the brunt of logan's worst behavior, because abuse is reserved for the kids who can't behave - the ones who aren't smart and mature enough to make it in the world. abuse evokes pity, because abuse is what happens when you expect too much from people who obviously aren't capable of more.

and then they go forward in life, believing that they're just naturally more intelligent and more capable than connor and roman, as if being raised seeing what happens to you if you aren't a perfect child wasn't the entire point of the "punish the weak dog" mentality that logan instilled in them. the looming threat implied behind any praise they do receive that tacitly tells them "you're not like roman and connor" because everyone knows what happens to roman and connor.

the absolute height of the rich capitalist mindset. "we're succeeding because of our own merit, and other people fail because they don't have what it takes" when in reality they're succeeding because of arbitrary rules made up by someone who knows that infighting makes meaner dogs.

[crazymecjc]

but can you imagine Jace from Act3 end up seeing Viktor from season 1 and BECOMING absolutely crazy, careful, obsessed with staying with him all the time/making sure he doesn't get evil/corrupted by the Hexcore and still with the knowledge that this man saved him countless times from death, that he chose him in all dimensions and possibilities and that Old jace from the past DIDN'T realize it.

HI ANON. IM IMAGINING ‼️‼️‼️‼️

(I’m taking jayvik drawing requests! send me an ask!!)

[vh-rasz]

an appeal that i can draw more actor-accurate ish moremen art

[kuroo-hitsuji]

Made it with an hour to spare 😎

Read right to left bc i Always end up with everyone facing the Worst direction for drawing their hair so i had to fix that--

This is so dumb sjshsshgd happy birthday Mephisto get surprise objectified i guess???

[ruporas]

chapter 90 vash

[soupmanspeaks]

I'm on that Michael Grim Reaper agenda for real for real

[bacchuschucklefuck]

okay unironically I love so much that porter is like this world SUCKS its BAD here and it HURTS you why do you care abt it!!! and literally every single bad kid is like ngl we just hate ur ass it does not matter what ur philosophy is

[wizardsimper]

I love Terry Pratchett and the Discworld series because fat and ugly women are allowed to be loved for their features rather than in spite of them which is just so refreshing for once

[yuwuta]

prince satoru who gets drunk at every ball, gala, and formal gathering because he knows it means you, his knight in waiting, will have to drag him away and spend time trying to sober him up. he really doesn’t care much for liquor (and when it takes merely a half chalice of wine to get him tipsy, he hardly considers what he’s doing a problem), but he does care for you, and he cares a lot about having your attention and your hands on him as you try to get him to settle down and feed him bread and water. it’s a much better way to spend the evening if you ask him

[bitchslapblastoids]

Isn’t it weird how they both found eachother online and are soulmates ranch metaphors etc and they’re both…. So tall??? Only around 3-5% of men are 6ft2 or above!!!

[avesseloflanguage]

i know this is old news but like. it is so fucking insane to me that convicted felons — who can qualify in every other way, citizens who are absolutely affected by elections and politics — are not allowed to vote in the united states. like that alone is fucking crazy. and fucked up and VERY intentional and on track for the usa. but still genuinely crazy to actually think about.

but worse is that donald mother god damn fucking trump can still run for president and could be elected while being a convicted felon. like. bro can't vote for himself i guess. but this guy could still legally become the fucking president. HE CANT LEGALLY VOTE IN ELECTIONS ANYMORE. BECAUSE HE IS A CONVICTED FELON.

BUT HE COULD LEGALLY BECOME THE HEAD OF STATE.