Description A New Newbery Award-Winning Novel from Three-Time Newbery Honoree Erin Entrada Kelly "I hope readers of this book will simply feel a little less lonely. That has always been my goal." What if, one day, a time traveler from the distant future appeared before you, carrying a book that summarized everything that was going to happen? Wouldn't you want to read it, no matter what? But if you did read it—if you knew exactly what was coming—would you really feel less anxious? Today Will Bring Tomorrow is the third Newbery Award-winning novel from Erin Entrada Kelly, following her previous honorees Hello, Universe and We Dream of Space. While an award history alone can't tell the whole story, readers who pick up this book will understand exactly why it earned the honor often called "the Nobel Prize of children's literature." Throughout her body of work, Erin Entrada Kelly has given voice to shy, lonely children much like herself. In this novel, she introduces Michael, a sensitive and isolated boy secretly carrying overwhelming anxiety, guilt, and confusion. At first, Michael avoids eye contact with both the people around him and the reader—but as the story unfolds, readers will feel, deep in their hearts, his quiet courage as he slowly turns to face everyone honestly, and they'll find themselves rooting for him. While her previous novel We Dream of Space was set against the historical backdrop of the 1986 Challenger launch and its tragic aftermath, Today Will Bring Tomorrow unfolds at the turn of the millennium, when "Y2K panic"—the fear that computer system errors might bring about the end of the world—had spread across the globe. Even readers who didn't live through that era will find plenty to relate to; in fact, this story may offer comfort to today's younger generation, who often feel even greater anxiety, isolation, and hopelessness amid a polarized society and an uncertain future. On August 17, 1999, on his twelfth birthday, Michael meets a strange boy named Ridge, who claims to be from the year 2199. Michael is shy and anxious by nature, but he's been managing to get by, at least on the surface. Did Ridge's sudden appearance somehow set off something inside Michael? All the anxiety and confusion he'd carefully kept hidden come pouring out the moment he meets Ridge. Facing an unexpected encounter and a profound goodbye all at once—far beyond anything he could have prepared for—Michael must confront reality, painfully but bravely. "Right here, right now. This is the best place in our lives." Between 99 and 99, a boy who crossed the timeline teaches Michael about the "First State of Being" The original title of this book is The First State of Being. A literal translation would be something like "the initial state of existence," but in the Korean edition, it has been rendered as "the first moment of being." "First State" refers to the story's setting—Delaware, known as "the First State" of America—while also carrying deeper meaning throughout the novel. In the story, Ridge explains the concept of the "First State of Being," quoting his mother, Dr. Maria Saviano: "My mom says it means 'now.' This moment right here. The past is gone and the future hasn't come yet. But right now, here? This is the first moment—the most important moment, the moment when everything matters." Neither past nor future, but this very moment—the first time you truly exist as yourself, the first time you become aware of who you really are. Ultimately, it represents an attitude of focusing on the present and embracing the uncertainty of the future. For Ridge, it captures the confusion and awakening he feels after beginning his journey through time; for Michael, it reflects the painful growth of facing the present head-on; and for these two very different characters, who come to mirror each other in unexpected ways, it also represents that shared experience of connection. Living in 1999 and anxious about what might happen on January 1, 2000, Michael meets Ridge, a time traveler from 2199, and can't stop asking him question after question about Y2K.