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Review: When Tomorrow Burns

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By Tae Keller
New York, NY : Random House Books for Young Readers, 2026. Fiction, 265 pages.

When faced with changes around, between, and within themselves, three seventh graders in Seattle revisit a mysterious book they discovered years earlier that seems to foretell the future. Vi tries to reclaim a sense of identity after realizing she has been the subject of her mother's social media account for most of her life. Arthur is confused about his feelings towards Nomi and grapples with how other boys his age treat girls. And Nomi worries about keeping her scholarship to her private school—each step in her plan is necessary for her future wellbeing. She believes solving the mystery of this book of prophecies will prevent calamity.

Newbery winner Keller has created unusually relatable twelve-year-old protagonists who are beginning to see what privilege, power, and autonomy look like in a complicated world. She balances their miscommunications and shortcomings with a narrative device that brings poetry, magic and history. All together, When Tomorrow Burns is a thoughtful book about cycles of destruction and regrowth. Keller clearly believes that, with resilience, wisdom, and community, our next generation of young people are the right ones to bloom from today's ashes. 
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