Cover of The First State of Being

The First State of Being

by Erin Entrada Kelly

The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly is assigned in US schools at grades 6–8. It appears across 2 curriculum references and 1 state, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.

This page shows where The First State of Being is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.

Grade range
Grades 6–8
Age range
Ages 11–14
Pages
263
Reading time
about 4h 50m (est.)
First published
2024
Genre
Middle Grade Fiction
ISBN-13
9780063337312
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About this book

In August 1999, anxious twelve-year-old Michael Rosario's ordinary life — fretting over Y2K and a crush on his babysitter — is upended when a teenage boy named Ridge appears claiming to be the world's first time traveler, carrying a book that outlines the next twenty years. Erin Entrada Kelly's grades 6-8 novel won the 2025 Newbery Medal and is a 2025-2026 Sunshine State Young Readers Award (Florida) nominee.

Why widely assigned

This Middle Grade Fiction title, typically at grades 6–8. Written in the 2020s; pairs with curriculum units on friendship and identity; cited across 2 curriculum frameworks.

Themes

friendship · identity · courage

Where this book is assigned

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See all books like The First State of Being→ — matched on theme + reading level.

Common questions

What grade level is The First State of Being?
The First State of Being is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 6–8. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.
How long does it take to read The First State of Being?
It takes about 4h 50m to read The First State of Being (263 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 290 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
What curricula assign The First State of Being?
The First State of Being appears on reading lists for Newbery Medal, Sunshine State Young Readers Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Is The First State of Being banned in schools?
The First State of Being does not appear in PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. No documented multi-district removals on record, but individual districts may challenge titles locally.
What themes does The First State of Being explore?
Central themes in The First State of Being include friendship, identity, courage. These themes match how the book is discussed in most curriculum guides and AP Literature prompts.

Why this book is on this list

Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.

Lexile measure
Not classified — this book has no published Lexile measure.
Grade band
Grades 6–8 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
Curriculum alignment
Cited in 2 curricula on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
State-level evidence
Cited in 1 state ELA framework or DOE list (see citations above).
Removal / banning records
No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
Seasonal / contextual tags
Tagged for: award-winner, book-club.