When Tomorrow Burns

 Rating: 4 out of 5| Buy this for your 6th grade classroom

My Thoughts:

The only other Tae Keller book I’ve read is Jennifer Chan is Not Alone, which explores bullying, alien hunting, a central mystery, and what it means to be unapologetically different. When Tomorrow Burns touches on many of those same themes—friendship, identity, mystery, and embracing who you are—but throws in romance, betrayal, contrasting family dynamics, socioeconomic differences, and a literal world on fire. Keller truly understands the pain and angst of middle school. She honors the "weird" kids, presenting them in their most complex, gifted, and heroic light.

This was a bit of a slow start for me; I put it down several times early on because I wasn't sure I wanted to invest in these three characters. At first, Vi and Nomi felt a bit too overwhelming in that distinct 5th- or 6th-grade way (anyone who has taught middle school girls will know what I mean). Meanwhile, Arthur felt overly needy for acceptance, which seemed at odds with his background and his long-standing friendship with Nomi and Vi.

However, once the three characters start rallying together, the pacing picks up significantly as their actions align more with true seventh-graders. The slow start wasn't a reflection of Keller’s writing—her prose toward the end, along with the poetic tree "memos," is absolutely beautiful. Once those authentic middle school voices truly emerged, the story took off, making this a solid 4-star read.

From the Publisher:

Once there was a tree. For two hundred years, there was a tree. There was a tree. There was a tree. Until the tree fell in a forest--and then there was a book.

When best friends Nomi, Vi, and Arthur were younger, they discovered a book of prophecies. It was so very comforting to know what was coming. But as the kids grew older, they forgot about the book.

Until the final prophecy started coming true.

Now, as seventh grade tests their friendship and wildfires threaten Seattle, the final prophecy promises fire and destruction. Nomi tries everything to prevent calamity. The only problem? She needs help...but Vi's acting strange and Arthur stopped talking to her.

Vi can't tell Nomi, but she's been texting the coolest boy in school, and it's going well--until that boy makes an unexpected request, and she must decide who she wants to be.

Meanwhile, Arthur joined the cross-country team, but he can't outrun the real reason he ended his friendship with Nomi. The best he can do is try to hide it.

As the prophecy escalates, past and present intersect, fate and friendship collide, and secrets spread like wildfire. Together, Nomi, Vi, and Arthur must face the future...even, and especially when it's so uncertain.

Publication Information:

• Author: Tae Keller
• Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
• Publication Date: March 3, 2026
• Print Length: 272 pages
• Grade Level: 5-7

Girl Haven

 

Oni Press

Lilah Sturges (author), Meaghan Carter (illustrator), Joamette Gil (cartoonist)

My Thoughts:

Graphic novels, comics, manga, have always been gender fluid and Girl Haven is no exception with the main character, Ash, being at the brink of a personal realization that he is a trans girl even if others see him as a boy. It is not shocking to bring this type of resource into a middle school classroom. What I know for sure is that comics, especially manga have androgynous and even feminine male characters with big eyes and high cheekbones. It never was a shock and I have been reading manga (in Japanese and in Japan) since the mid 1970s. 

What is different about this book, though, is the note about identity at the end of the book. It makes it more obvious that this is for a younger audience who would like some questions answered around gender identity, gender expression and sexuality. When the stories put characters in a fantasy world to work out issues around fears, gender and the power of love, we are able to get away from the trauma around social "norms" that haunt our children who are targeted as "different," "abnormal," and "queer."

This is another have in the classroom and let it wait for the right child kind of book. Thanks to Oni Press for continuing to allow stories to unfold like this without plastering LGBTQIA and queer youth on the cover or in the merchandising, which sometimes scares the curious reader who just wants to learn more, but also enjoy an adventure. 

From the Publisher:

Full of wonder, humor, and heart, Girl Haven is the newest original story from the author of Lumberjanes.

Three years ago, Ash’s mom left home and never returned, leaving behind a husband and child and a shed full of mystical curiosities related to the all-girl fantasy world she’d created as a child—Koretris. One day Ash invites a new group of friends from Pride Club over, and they try one of the spells to enter Koretris. To their amazement, they’re all transported to a magical realm filled with human-sized talking animals who are fiercely protective of their world and are ready to fight to protect it. But if Koretris is real, why is Ash there? Everyone has always called Ash a boy—shouldn’t the spell have kept Ash out? And what does it mean if it let Ash in?