As an adult reader, it is always a bit of a shock to see books set during my adulthood considered historical, or in the case of THE FIRST STATE OF BEING by Erin Entrada Kelly, to have my freshman year of college be a time period that can be traveled BACK to. Of course, in this novel, the future isn’t now, but instead 2199, and experimental technology called STP allows teenager Ridge Sabio to place himself in 1999 with 12-year-old Michael and his 16-year-old babysitter Gibby. Ridge is shocked to discover the technology actually worked, and at first attempts to minimize the dangers of this situation – can he get back? Will he get sick from viruses he is not protected from? – in favor of the novelties of the era – malls! cars! phones!.
Intermingled with the time travel storyline are themes of class, race and wealth disparities, environmentalism, and discussions of anxiety, guilt and grief. There are numerous explanatory interludes within the book with explanations of terms and period-specific language, including about the Y2K panic.
“You have a weighted mind,” Ridge said. “That’s what my mom calls it when people carry a lot of worries and anxieties—a weighted mind. Because it can feel heavy. Some people get upgrades for it where I’m from.” “What do you mean, upgrades?” “You can get artificial upgrades for certain things. My mom says it’s not really an upgrade, though, because upgrade implies that all our so-called imperfections are problematic, and she says that’s not true. The Global Science Council agrees. But the AI companies—the ones who offer the upgrades—think the GSC is wrong. They say it’s another era of human evolution. There’s a lot of debate on the topic.”
Chapter 18 pg. 139
We welcome all discussion on this title, but I would especially love thoughts on whether nostalgia by adult readers are driving popularity of this title, or if having a unique time travel story with neither time setting in the now makes the story have a universal appeal. The Newbery criteria includes “The book displays respect for children’s understandings, abilities, and appreciations.” as one of its factors, and it is interesting to ponder this in relation to this story and its setting.
Heavy Medal Award Committee members and others are now invited to discuss this book further in the Comments section below. Let the Mock Newbery discussion begin!
