13 August 2026 WHEN TOMORROW BURNS by Tae Keller, Random House, March 2026, 272p., ISBN: 978-0-593-48558-3

“‘We have to prevent complete and utter annihilation,’ she announced, as if that were not a bizarre thing to say to someone you barely spoke to.”

“And the kindness that you show every day 

will help someone along their way 

You’ve got to try a little kindness”

— Curt Sapauch and Bobby Austin (1969)

“But the book–

It was Arthur who’d pulled it off the shelf. ‘Look what showed up last night,’ he’d said. Back then, he was always showing them things, eager and nervous like he cared what they thought.

They were buzzing with energy. Anything would’ve excited Nomi, probably.

But the book was another level. 

There was something about it. Maybe it was the old leather binding and the crinkly, browned paper that said, This is old, like, ancient. Maybe it was the way the scrawled entries were written in faded blue ink, or the way the handwriting was just barely legible, which made each line feel like a puzzle, or the way the little poems and phrases had the lilt and tilt of fantastical prophecies. 

She knew it was silly, but as she read them, the hairs on her neck stood up. She wouldn’t call it magic–she would never–but there was something there that she couldn’t quite describe.

And then the little poems started coming true.

In pea-green pockets, promises of tomorrow.

Nomi found an old pop quiz in her green coat, and the next day their teacher surprised them with another one.

When leaves flutter, too high to climb, too far to fall.

Violet tried to help her Dad clean the gutters in the fall, and then fell off the ladder, spraining her ankle,

A taste of something new, and something blue.

Arthur’s other dad, Brian, arrived at dinner one night with a brand-new flavor of ice cream: blue bubble gum.

These might’ve seemed like coincidences if they hadn’t happened so often, with the prophecies coming true in order, one after the other, reliable and undeniable.”

The book about which Nomi speaks–specifically an old, worn out diary–was discovered by Arthur amongst the donations to the “Museum of Lost and Found.” Arthur’s other father, Anthony, established the museum in their Seattle home, building it around pieces of artwork abandoned on the street or sitting at the curb, awaiting garbage day. These days, the “museum” is trendy and getting good press. Anonymous donations of paintings, sculptures, and poems are regularly being left outside the “museum” doors.

But that book!

“Pink and gray both on one day.

The world has tipped, you have no say.”

– beginning of the final prophecy

“Nomi spent months dreading the future. What would happen when the final poem came true? Something terrible, horrible, ominously awful, clearly, and then that would be it. No more safe, predictable world–

The only comfort she could find was scribbled in tiny script at the bottom of the last page. The words Volume 1 of 2. Somewhere out there, her future had a sequel.”

Now that they believe the final prophecy has reared its head, Nomi and Vi feel compelled to team up with Arthur–whose near-lifelong friendship with them has somehow become estranged–in order to seek out that second volume and save creation from “complete and utter annihilation.”

Meanwhile, in the concrete world of middle school, where Nomi, Vi, and Arthur are seventh graders attending a Seattle private school, that world is about to fall apart, too. The second-most popular boy at school has suddenly begun texting with Vi. Sadly, he is not what he seems, and he takes advantage of the situation.

Given the number of cautionary stories still being written about this most vulnerable time in a young person’s life, it seems certain that I’ll leave this planet with middle school kids still being mercilessly abused to the breaking point.

WHEN TOMORROW BURNS by Newbery Medalist Tae Keller is a creative, standout, coming-of-age tale that highlights the value of real friendships whilst dealing with the brutality of middle school. It’s a story that–I guarantee you–will sooner or later be responsible for saving a life. It’s one that will enlighten tween readers about the necessity of speaking out in opposition to physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, rather than going along with the crowd or just looking the other way. I urge you to get it, read it, and booktalk it.

Richie Partington, MLIS

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