The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly

How I Came Across It... After seeing so many of my online reading friends, raving about Erin Entrada Kelly's new novel, I knew I had to purchase and see what was the praise was about. What It's About - Five Things You Need to Know...

1. The author takes the reader back to August 1999 before the Y2K scare.

2. The main character is twelve-year-old Michael who lives with his mother in an apartment complex in Delaware.

3. Michael has a crush on his fifteen-year-old sitter named Gibby. They are more friends than anything else and enjoy spending time together.

4. When Gibby and Michael come across a stranger in their apartment complex, their lives are changed forever.

5. Believe it or not, the stranger is named Ridge and tells them he comes from the future.

What I Thought of It - Five Observations/Reflections...

1. As with all Erin Entrada Kelly's novels, this was was top-notch and so well written.

2. I loved the concert of a character coming from the future and interacting with characters from present day.

3. Some of the "scientific" stuff in between chapters confused me and lost my interest a bit, but I was glad to get back to the main story line.

4. The characters were a main focus of the story and the author did a great job of bringing them to life on each and every page.

5. To me the sign of a talented writer is that each of their stories are different from each other and this one is like nothing else Kelly has written.

Who Should Read It...

This is definitely a novel for the older middle-grade readers in grades five and above. The story would be perfect for the middle-school reader. I think even high-school kids would enjoy this "sci-fi" story. Happy Reading! Rating... 4 out of 5 stars