The following edition of the text was used in the creation of this study guide: Entrada Kelly, Erin. The First State of Being. Greenwillow, HarperCollins, 2024. Kindle AZW file.

The novel is set in August 1999. Twelve-year-old Michael lived in Delaware and feared the Y2K computer crash would cause society to collapse. To prepare, he shoplifted food from a grocery store for himself and his mother, despite normally being well-behaved. At his apartment complex, Michael saw the maintenance man, Mr. Mosley, who gave him twenty dollars for his birthday. Michael felt guilty about stealing and considered returning the food. They met a strange teenager named Ridge, dressed in an odd uniform and speaking unusually. Michael’s babysitter, sixteen-year-old Gibby, gave him a Red Hot Chili Peppers CD for his birthday. Mr. Mosley joined them for lunch and discussed Gibby’s book. They talked about Ridge, and Michael imagined dangerous scenarios that could happen. Michael and Gibby fed stray cats and found Ridge staring at a dumpster, asking what it was.

A page from a future book, The Pop Culture Omnibus (1990–2020), interrupted the story, explaining 1990s slang used by Ridge.

Michael continued worrying about Y2K and checked his stolen food stockpile. His mother, Gloria, worked three jobs after being fired from the grocery store: something Michael blamed himself for. She gave him Air Jordans for his birthday, which made him feel guilty because he worried they couldn’t afford them. Later, he saw Ridge with a stray cat and called Gibby to make sure the cat was safe.

The story included excerpts from Best Practices for Responsible Spatial Teleportation, which warned that time travel could alter history and advised travelers not to reveal future events to people in the past.

Michael and Gibby questioned Ridge, who claimed he was from the future. Ridge said he had been the first to use the Spatial Teleportation Module (STM) after being goaded into it by his brothers. To prove he was from the future, he predicted an earthquake in Turkey that night.

A transcript from the year 2199 showed Ridge arguing with his brothers before impulsively using the STM.

Michael worried about Ridge’s prediction while watching TV with his mom. Gibby called to confirm the earthquake had occurred.

A transcript recorded scientists debating the STM’s dangers, including the risk of altering history and exposure to past diseases. Ridge’s mother, Maria Sabio, defended the project despite the risks.

Michael and Gibby found Ridge again. He confirmed he was from 200 years in the future. Michael asked about Y2K, but Ridge refused to answer, saying telling him about it could alter history. He told them he wanted to visit a mall before returning home. Michael and Gibby fetched clothes for Ridge and met Mr. Mosley, who was resting after injuring his back. He shared a story about his mother saving money for him. When they returned, Ridge was talking with brothers Jamar, Elijah, and Darius, who invited Michael to play basketball. Gibby told Ridge he would need to share more about the future if he wanted them to take him to the mall. Ridge explained his sumbook, a digital record of world events that must not be read by anyone in 1999. He also showed them an EGG, a device that could return him to the future. He said he had chosen 1999 because it was his favorite year.

Michael visited Mr. Mosley and admitted blaming himself for his mom getting fired because she had called in sick to take care of Michael when he was sick. Mr. Mosley reassured him and shared advice from his own mother about self-improvement. Michael privately decided to share his Y2K food stockpile with Mr. Mosley. Gibby invited Michael to the mall with her and Ridge. During the trip, Ridge urged Michael to stop worrying about Y2K and focus on the present moment rather than the future. They explored the mall, visiting a toy store and bookstore. Michael bought a book to impress Gibby and met her school friends. A girl named Paige gave him her number before he started at their school in the fall.

After returning home, Michael listened to a message from Mr. Mosley, who had stopped by for lunch but found Michael was not home. Ridge refused to discuss Y2K and instead talked about the future, where anxiety could be treated with AI upgrades and illnesses cured instantly. He said his mother opposed such technology and revealed he was named after a mysterious piece of paper with the word “ridge” written on it which was found among the possessions of the founder of Spatial Teleportation technology. Ridge urged Michael to call Paige, teaching him to focus on the present rather than future worries. Michael decided not to call because of his fear of rejection.

Ridge fell ill, saying he needed to return home because his immune system couldn’t handle 1999. However, his EGG device failed, trapping him in the past. A transcript in 2199 showed scientists, including his family, unable to bring him back. Ridge’s condition worsened, but he refused medical help to avoid doctors discovering futuristic technology in his body, the discovery of which could alter the course of history.

Michael learned Mr. Mosley had died of a heart attack and blamed himself. Michael lied to his mother, saying Ridge was Mr. Mosley’s nephew so he could stay with them. Gibby’s brother Beejee accused Ridge of stealing tools. Ridge admitted it, and Beejee took back his belongings, including the sumbook, which contained information about the future. Realizing the danger, Michael promised Ridge he would retrieve it. Michael’s mother gave him a jar of money left to him by Mr. Mosley, which made Michael feel undeserving.

Another transcript showed Ridge’s family still trying to repair the teleportation device.

Michael discovered that Mr. Mosley’s jar contained five thousand dollars. Ridge advised him to invest it, then noticed his EGG device flashing. Michael told Gibby the device was working again, and they prepared to say goodbye. Ridge wrote Michael a note and signed his name for Gibby. Michael and Ridge both realized that the piece of paper was the piece of paper Ridge was named after, meaning that Gibby must eventually become the founder of Spatial Teleportation in the future. Neither boy said anything about the realization. Gibby gave Ridge her book, and he learned her full name was Elizabeth Gibson. Ridge activated the EGG and disappeared. His note told Michael to invest in Netflix in 2002. Michael reflected that everything had happened as it was meant to.

A transcript showed Ridge returning to the future, where his family cured him of his illness. He told them he had lost his sumbook and revealed that Gibby was actually Elizabeth Gibson, future founder of Spatial Teleportation.

Michael and his mother visited Mr. Mosley’s apartment. Michael wanted to keep canned food for his Y2K stockpile, but his mother insisted it be donated to people who needed it. Michael found Ridge’s sumbook in the dumpster but couldn’t read its code. He reflected on Mr. Mosley’s advice to do your best every day to be a good person. He called Paige and donated his entire Y2K stockpile to charity. He destroyed the sumbook and asked to join the Prince brothers to play basketball.

The story ends with pages from the sumbook revealing that Elizabeth Gibson-Gray (Gibby) founded Spatial Teleportation, the EGG was named after her, and that Michael’s Netflix investment would have made $1.4 million by 2020.