WINNER OF THE NEWBERY MEDAL A FINALIST FOR THE 2024 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ALA Notable Book for Children · Chicago Public Library Best Fiction for Older Readers of 2024 · Shelf Awareness Best Books of 2024 for Kids and Teens · BookPage Best Middle Grade of 2024 · Common Sense Media Best Books of 2024 · 2025 Excellence in Children’s and Young Adult Science Fiction Notable List · Book Riot Best Sci-Fi Books of the Century (So Far) When twelve-year-old Michael Rosario meets a mysterious boy from the future, his life is changed forever. From bestselling author Erin Entrada Kelly, also the winner of the Newbery Medal for Hello, Universe and a Newbery Honor for We Dream of Space, this novel explores themes of family, friendship, trust, and forgiveness. The First State of Being is for fans of Rebecca Stead’s When You Reach Me. 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? A story of time travel, friendship, found family, and first loves, this thematically rich novel is distinguished by its voice, character development, setting, and exploration of the issues that resonate with middle grade readers. Finalist for the National Book Award and Winner of the Newbery Medal.

The First State of Being

Boston Globe–Horn Book Fiction Honor Book A Global Read Aloud Choice Six Starred Reviews "A profoundly relevant dystopian tale powered by one resourceful girl and a robot worth rooting for." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Twelve-year-old Zuzu Santos doesn’t want a robot. She and her best friends would rather explore Bright Valley on their own. But then Zuzu meets Snap, a know-it-all guardian robot with a limited battery life and an abundance of hope. A gripping, stand-alone, thematically rich survival story by two-time Newbery Medalist Erin Entrada Kelly, for fans of The Wild Robot and A Rover’s Story. Bright Valley Subsidized Camp #5 is not a perfect place to live. It’s dusty, there are no trees to provide respite from the beating sun, the trailers are falling apart, and the water supply is heavily rationed. But to twelve-year-old Zuzu Santos and her three best friends, Bright Valley is home. When Zuzu’s dad loses his job at Lockwood, the corporation that controls everything from rations to education, he isn’t given money or food or water as severance, but a dated, first-generation robot. They do not provide a working charging station. Zuzu names the robot Snap, and he soon becomes part of the Bright Valley family. But Snap’s battery is dwindling every day, and though Snap is prepared for his inevitable reset, Zuzu isn’t. She would do whatever it takes to keep Snap alive. The problem is, Snap would do the same for Zuzu and her friends, no matter the cost. Erin Entrada Kelly tells a moving story of friendship and family, rich with themes and characters that will resonate with readers. The Second Life of Snap is a futuristic book for middle graders that is grounded, full of heart and humor, and unforgettable. An excellent choice for fans of The Wild Robot, A Rover’s Story, and Erin Entrada Kelly’s own We Dream of Space.

The Second Life of Snap

In this acclaimed novel from Newbery Medalist Erin Entrada Kelly, two sisters from the Philippines, abandoned by their father and living in impoverished circumstances in Louisiana, fight to make their lives better. School Library Journal called The Land of Forgotten Girls “A charming and affecting novel about sisterhood, the magic of imagination, and perseverance.” For readers of Pam Muñoz Ryan, Rita Williams-Garcia, and anyone searching for the true meaning of family. Winner of a Parents’ Choice Gold Award. Soledad has always been able to escape into the stories she creates. Just like her mother always could. And Soledad has needed that escape more than ever in the five years since her mother and sister died, and her father moved Sol and her youngest sister from the Philippines to Louisiana. After her father leaves, all Sol and Ming have is their evil stepmother, Vea. Sol has protected Ming all this time, but then Ming begins to believe that Auntie Jove—their mythical, world-traveling aunt—is really going to come rescue them. Can Sol protect Ming from this impossible hope? Acclaimed and award-winning author Erin Entrada Kelly writes masterfully about the challenges of finding hope in impossible circumstances, in this novel that will appeal to fans of Cynthia Kadohata and Thanhha Lai. Booklist said, “Kelly’s sophomore novel is both hopeful and heartfelt, but strong emotions are only part of the successful equation here. Told in Sol’s true voice, the direct dialogue brings the diverse characters to vivid life.”

The Land of Forgotten Girls

“Fast-paced and full of wonder, this is a powerful, gripping must-read.”—Kirkus (starred review) “A lush and mysterious fable, full of beauty, full of wonder.”—Rebecca Stead, Newbery Medal–winning author of When You Reach Me Newbery Medalist Erin Entrada Kelly’s debut fantasy novel is a gorgeous, literary adventure about bravery, friendship, self-reliance, and the choice between accepting fate or forging your own path. When Lalani Sarita’s mother falls ill with an incurable disease, Lalani embarks on a dangerous journey across the sea in the hope of safeguarding her own future. Inspired by Filipino folklore, this engrossing fantasy is for readers who loved Grace Lin’s Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and Disney’s Moana. Life is difficult on the island of Sanlagita. To the west looms a vengeful mountain, one that threatens to collapse and bury the village at any moment. To the north, a dangerous fog swallows sailors who dare to venture out, looking for a more hospitable land. And what does the future hold for young girls? Chores and more chores. When Lalani Sarita’s mother falls gravely ill, twelve-year-old Lalani faces an impossible task—she must leave Sanlagita and find the riches of the legendary Mount Isa, which towers on an island to the north. But generations of men and boys have died on the same quest—how can an ordinary girl survive the epic tests of the archipelago? And how will she manage without Veyda, her best friend? Newbery Medalist and New York Times–bestselling author Erin Entrada Kelly’s debut fantasy novel is inspired by Filipino folklore and is an unforgettable coming-of-age story about friendship, courage, and identity. Perfect for fans of Lauren Wolk’s Beyond the Bright Sea and Kelly Barnhill’s The Girl Who Drank the Moon.

Lalani of the Distant Sea

The next evolution in storytelling from New York Times bestselling, Newbery Medal Winning author Erin Entrada Kelly! Twelve-year-old Lila has two goals for the summer: 1. Win back the friends who ditched her for being "too dramatic" 2. Stop being so dramatic But then Lila's estranged Grandpa Clem dies, throwing a wrench in her plans. Now she'll have to spend the summer in Ohio while her parents decide what to do with Grandpa Clem's creepy Victorian Inn. It's supremely unfair. How can she show off the "new and improved" Lila from so far away? Even worse, strange things keep happening. En route to Ohio, the family gets into a scary car accident. No one's hurt, but the remainder of the trip is... odd. At every rest stop, Lila sees people in weird old-fashioned clothes. People no one else can see or hear... Lila convinces herself it's just her overactive imagination until the day of the funeral when she spots an old man sitting in her grandfather's favorite chair. She does a double take -- it's him, Grandpa Clem. He tells Lila that he didn't die of a heart attack: he was murdered. Possibly by someone who wants to control the inn. Because it's not a normal bed & breakfast: it's a portal between the land of the living and the realm of the dead. A hotel for ghosts passing onto the afterlife. With the help of her skeptical brother, Caleb, and their new ghost-obsessed neighbor, Teddy, Lila -- the girl who's vowed to be less dramatic -- must uncover her grandfather's killer AND stop the evil spirits desperate to make their way back into the human world. Enter the world of The Last Resort! Ghosts from the story will emerge from the pages of the book, allowing readers to talk to spirits from the past and help solve the mystery!

The Last Resort

Newbery Honoree Derrick Barnes tackles timely issues of race and prejudice in this powerful, nuanced novel about an accomplished Black boy who strives to be seen as human. CORETTA SCOTT KING BOOK AWARD HONOREE ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Publishers Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, The Week Junior, Audible, Chicago Public Library KIRKUS PRIZE FINALIST NATIONAL BOOK AWARD LONGLIST SELECTION WNDB WALTER AWARD WINNER JANE ADDAMS CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARD HONOR ALSC NOTABLE CHILDREN'S BOOK SOUTHERN BOOK PRIZE FINALIST ★ "Bold, extraordinary storytelling: not to be missed."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review ★ "A powerful tale." —Publishers Weekly, starred review ★ "A modern folktale that leaves a damning indictment." —BCCB, starred review ★ "This is Barnes at his best.” —School Library Journal, starred review In the small town of Great Mountain, Mississippi, all eyes are on Henson Blayze, a thirteen-year-old football phenom whose talents seem almost superhuman. The predominately white townsfolk have been waiting for Henson to play high school ball, and now they're overjoyed to finally possess an elite Black athlete of their own. Until a horrifying incident forces Henson to speak out about injustice. Until he says that he might not play football anymore. Until he quickly learns he isn’t as loved by the people as he thought. Overnight, Henson's town is divided into two chaotic sides—those that support his decisions, and those that don't—when all he wants is justice. Even his best friends and his father can't see eye to eye. When he is told to play ball again or else, Henson must decide whether he was born to entertain those who may not even see him as human, or if he’s destined for a different kind of greatness. Written for children ages 10 and up, Derrick Barnes's groundbreaking novel masterfully combines a modern-day allegory with classic-style tall tales to weave a compelling story of America's obsession with relegating Black people to labor or entertainment. Spanning the 1800s to today, this exceptional novel shows how much has changed over centuries . . . and, at the same time, how little.

The Incredibly Human Henson Blayze

A girl joins the human resistance against sorcerer tyranny in this “breathless” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) first book in the exciting upper middle grade fantasy series The Incorruptibles that’s Keeper of the Lost Cities meets The Marvellers. Fiora Barrowling lives in a world where sorcerers rule over humans. After surviving an encounter with The Radiance—the very worst of the sorcerers—she’s whisked away to the incredible Incorruptibles (“Inc”) Academy, a school for resistance fighters in training. But most of the other students think Fiora hasn’t earned her place there, and when things start to go wrong and it seems the sorcerers have a spy in the academy, all eyes are on Fiora. With all odds stacked against her, can Fiora prove that she belongs?

The Incorruptibles

A speculative middle grade novel about three generations of Black girls connected across time and space through a wormhole in their school locker. What if your locker was a wormhole through time? On the first day of eighth grade, Candace Wells opens her locker and is astonished when an unusual bird flies out. Soon after, a notebook mysteriously appears on the top shelf, labeled Tracey Auburn, 1988. Stranger still, as Candace reads the notebook, new messages start to appear. Professor Tracey Auburn only vaguely remembers a bird flying into her locker in eighth grade, way back in 1988, and losing a notebook she could have sworn she put on the top shelf. Until Candace shows up at her office with the missing notebook forty years later. Quantum physicist Loretta Spencer will never forget the bird flying out of her locker in eighth grade in 1948. Her life’s work has been to study the portal and others like it, and now she needs Tracey’s and Candace’s help to complete her research. So begins an unlikely friendship and a hunt across Chicago to uncover the secrets of the locker, the universe, and everything. One thing’s for sure: Eighth grade will never be the same again.

Candace, the Universe, and Everything

A girl stuck in a time loop repeatedly relives an awkward sleepover at a wildlife center with a wolf-like monster in the woods in this fun and creepy middle grade adventure. When Sydney heads to a sleepover birthday party at a wildlife center, she’s sure it’s a terrible idea. Not only because she’ll be staying in a creepy cabin surrounded by wolf enclosures, but because she wasn’t actually invited to the party. Instead, her mom asked Ari’s mom if Sydney could join, and now she’s crashing the event with a group of kids she barely knows. Ugh. It turns out she isn’t the only party crasher when a strange, wolf-like creature bounds out of the woods and throws the night into chaos. In the rush to escape, Sydney hits her head, is knocked out cold…and wakes up back in the car, headed to the party. Sydney realizes she’s living the same night again and again and again. Why is the evening stuck in a loop, and what is the creature prowling around the center? And—most importantly—how can she break the loop and finally see the morning?

The Replay Trap