The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly

The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly (272 Pages)

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?

Opinion: This is the Newberry Award Winner for 2025 and it definitely deserves it. The way it merges genres is so fun as it contains dystopian and historical elements that sends home a more realistic genre book message just in a more fun way. I also really liked that the reader gets a glimpse into the future and those characters with the sporadic logs included in the book. Additionally, Michael has great character development and portrays anxiety well. Would definitely recommend. 

The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill - 388 pages

Once a year, the youngest baby in the Protectorate is taken and left in the woods for the witch.  The witch steals the baby and eats it . . . .

Once a year, a witch finds an abandoned baby in the woods and rescues it.  She takes it to a loving family on the other side of the forest . . . .

One year, Xan the witch discovers a baby girl that steals her heart.  That year, Xan falls in love with the baby and feeds it moonlight enmagicking her.  This is the year that everything starts to change . . . for Xan, for the baby, for the forest, for the Protectorate, for the world.


I have loved all of Kelly Barnhill's books.  They are very sophisticated original fairy tales for children.  So I was looking forward to reading her latest.  Then it was declared the winner of the Newbery Award and I immediately checked it out.  I absolutely loved this book.  It's probably my favorite Newbery winner since The Invention of Hugo Cabret.  The characters capture your interest while the plot twists keep you reading.  This is a great read for all children and teens.

Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo

Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo - 233 pages

Flora is a lonely girl.  Her parents are separated.  Her mother is a romance writer that cares more for a lamp than her daughter.  She spends all her time reading the comic "The Adventures of Incandesco".

Ulysses is a squirrel that has just been eaten by a vacuum.  The first thing he sees after being rescued is Flora.

Flora is convinced Ulysses is a superhero.  And he does seem to have special powers.  He understands humans.  He types poetry.  He flies.  He also has an arch-nemesis -- Flora's mother.

This was the Newbery Award winner for this year.  I started out listening to this on CD.  However, I was completely bored and ended up quitting by the end of the first CD.  However, the print version was much, much better.  For one thing, with the audio you miss the occasional comic strip that forwards the story.  I liked the print version so much better I actually laughed out loud a few times.  I have discovered that I generally don't like Kate DiCamillo's books on audio.  I'm not sure if I don't care for the narrators that are used or if her books just don't lend well to being read aloud.  Then again, maybe it's just me.

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle - 215 pages

I decided to re-read this classic children's book when I started hearing the title mentioned at least once a day.  It is the 50th anniversary of the book's publication and it is getting a lot of notice again.  It was interesting to see how my perspective of the book has changed from when I read it as a kid.  When I read it before I always identified with Meg's character.  However, this time as I was reading it I found myself getting more and more annoyed with her and her blaming everything on her father.  I just wanted to say "Grow up!".  Even with this change, I still enjoyed reading the book and I think I will re-read the entire series as I don't really remember the other books very much at all.