CCBC Booklists

CCBC booklist are compiled from books we have recommended in various editions of CCBC Choices. Most of these booklists are updated annually. You can also select books from one or more booklists to create a custom list, which can also include additional books from the CCBC-Recommended Book Search.

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The First State of Being

by Erin Entrada Kelly

CCBC Review:

In August 1999, 12-year-old Michael Rosario is preparing for possible disaster with the turn of the new century when he meets Ridge, a teenager who’s time-traveled from 2199. Ridge shares the next day’s headline story to prove his claim to Michael and Michael’s teenage neighbor and sometimes babysitter, Gibby. For biracial Michael (Filipino American/white), who’s been stealing canned food his mom can’t afford to stock up on supplies, Ridge holds the answers to what will happen with Y2K. But Ridge won’t risk impacting the timeline by revealing that future; he also has worries of his own. He time-traveled without permission and isn’t sure he can get back to 2199 due to damaged tech. Ridge is also fascinated by Michael and Gibby’s world: 1999 is his favorite year in history. While Gibby and Michael are Ridge’s guides to life on earth in 1999 (correcting his humorous misuse of slang; taking him on a thrilling—for Ridge—trip to a mall), Ridge’s family in 2199 is frantically trying to unravel what happened and bring him home—sections of narrative that read like a script, with amusing insight into the family’s lively dynamics. Ridge’s unexpected presence, along with an unexpected loss, give anxious, lonely Michael a new perspective, buoyed by the friendship that he, Ridge and Gibby develop: The future is unknown, but life in the moment (the “first state of being”) is full of possibilities. ©2025 Cooperative Children’s Book Center

CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 9-12
Age Range: Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10) Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Format: Novel
Subjects: Anxiety Filipinos and Filipino Americans Loneliness Multiracial Characters/Families Science Fiction Time Travel
Diversity subject: Asian
On CCBC Booklists: Speculative and Science Fiction for Children and Teens Feeling Anxious: Selected Books about Managing Worry and Fear for Children Asian in America: Selected Books for PreK-Grade 12 to Support Hmong and Asian American Studies in Wisconsin

Publishers: Greenwillow, HarperCollins
Publish Year: 2024
Pages: 253
ISBN: 9780063337312
CCBC Location: Fiction, Kelly

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