The First State of Being

Michael Rosario, an eleven-year-old Filipino boy living with his single mother in an apartment complex in Delaware, meets a mysterious boy from the future in this suspenseful stand-alone novel by the award-winning and bestselling Erin Entrada Kelly. For fans of Rebecca Stead’s When You Reach Me. It's September 1999. For eleven-year-old Michael Rosario, life at Fox Run Apartments in Red Clay, 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 Y2K supplies and pining over Gibby. Ridge is carefree, confident, and bold, things Michael wishes he could be. Unlike Michael, however, Ridge isn't where he belongs. He soon reveals that he's traveled to 1999 from the year 2220 and isn't able to return home. Ridge is forced to navigate a strange new world of pay phones, allergies, and malls—none of which exist in his lifetime—and soon becomes like a big brother to Michael, the only child of a single mom. When Michael unwittingly discovers a path home for Ridge, he's faced with a difficult decision: Say goodbye to his only friend and let Ridge return to 2220, or keep him in 1999, where they can grow up together? A story of time travel, friendship, found family, and first loves, this thematically rich story is distinguished by its voice, character development, setting, and exploration of the issues that resonate with middle grade readers.