In August 1999, 12-year-old Michael Rosario is preparing for possible disaster with the turn of the new century (Y2K) when he meets Ridge, a teenager who’s time-traveled from 2199. Ridge shares the next day’s headline story to prove his claim to Michael and Michael’s teenage neighbor and sometimes babysitter, Gibby. For Michael (“half Filipino” American), who’s been stealing canned food his mom can’t afford to buy to stock up on supplies, Ridge holds the answers to what will happen with Y2K. But Ridge won’t risk impacting the timeline by revealing that future; he also has worries of his own. He time-traveled without permission and isn’t sure he can get back to 2199 due to damaged tech. Ridge is also fascinated by Michael and Gibby’s world: 1999 is his favorite year in history. While Gibby and Michael are Ridge’s guides to life on earth in 1999 (correcting his humorous misuse of slang; taking him on a thrilling—for Ridge–trip to a mall), Ridge’s family in 2199 is frantically trying to unravel what happened and bring him home—sections of narrative that read like a script, with amusing insight into the family’s lively dynamics. Ridge’s unexpected presence, along with an unexpected loss, give anxious, lonely Michael a new a new perspective, buoyed by the friendship that he, Ridge and Gibby develop: The future is unknown, but life in the moment (the “first state of being”) is full of possibilities. (Ages 9-12)