When Tomorrow Burns, Tae Keller
When Tomorrow Burns, Tae Keller
List: $15.00 | Sale: $10.50
Club: $7.50

When Tomorrow Burns

Author: Tae Keller

Narrator: Eddy Lee, Annie Q. Riegel, Sara Matsui-Colby, Emily Woo Zeller, Tae Keller

Unabridged: 6 hr 3 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/03/2026


Synopsis

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Three middle school students embark on a quest to find a book that may just save their lives in this spectacular novel about fate and friendship--from the Newbery Medal-winning author of When You Trap a Tiger.

"Another unforgettable novel from one of my favorite authors. I loved Nomi, Arthur, and Vi. I have a prophecy that readers will love them, too."—Erin Entrada Kelly, two-time Newbery Medalist and National Book Award finalist

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.

About The Author

Tae Keller is the Newbery Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of When You Trap A Tiger and The Science of Breakable Things. She was born and raised in Honolulu, where she grew up on purple rice, Spam musubi, and her halmoni's stories. After high school, she moved in search of snow, and now lives in Seattle.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Erin Entrada on July 28, 2025

Loved.......more

Goodreads review by Melanie on December 06, 2025

Tae Keller (Newbery winning When You Trap a Tiger, The Science of Unbreakable Things and more) gives middle grade readers another thoughtful look at the myriad of social and personal complexities faced by so many in that grades 5-8 age group. Nomi, Vi and Arthur are a trio of friends who find a book......more

Goodreads review by Ashley on November 10, 2025

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a review. Wow. This book was just…wow. So many themes woven together. There were times I wasn’t sure it was working, but by the end I was blown away. Told through a middle grade perspective, Tae Keller reflects on the ways that fire destroys and rebui......more

Goodreads review by Laura on March 09, 2026

Fantastic! Love how it deals with male toxicity, cyber bullying and misogyny. What a wonderful friendship between Vi and Nomi!!!......more

Goodreads review by Heather on August 01, 2025

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Books for Children for access to a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This was an incredibly powerful story!! The world is a scary place right now, and not only do the kids know it, they experience it in ways that adults don’t completel......more


Quotes

[A] pretty profound dose of reality….Keller asks and answers a fundamental question about community, friendship and family: 'What do you do when your biggest fear comes true?'” —The New York Times

★ "The result is a complex, carefully woven exploration of fate, autonomy, power, privilege, identity, and friendship. As beautiful and intricate as the rings of an ancient tree."
Kirkus Reviews, starred review

★ "[Keller] elegantly and movingly captures that fleeting and transformative period of the tween years....This is a beautiful testament to interdependence and resilience."
The Horn Book, starred review

★ "Keller has crafted another stimulating and significant story about friendship, magic, and growing up. Fans and readers of this author will be pleased to know their expectations are met with this novel that is a must-have for all library collections." —School Library Journal, starred review

"Threading a grounded story following three tweens on the precipice of change with adroit musings about climate disaster, misogyny, and the cyclical patterns of history, Keller delivers a moving, clear-eyed exhortation on the necessity of community."
Publishers Weekly

Captivatingly thoughtful, utterly unforgettable, and singularly brilliant. Part probing exploration of prophecy, part searing call to action, part pitch-perfect rendering of middle school dynamics—all woven into a masterful tapestry. I haven’t stopped thinking about it since I read it. Tae Keller is one of my absolute favorite writers, and this just might be her best work yet.”
—Jasmine Warga, #1 New York Times bestselling and Newbery Honor–winning author

Another unforgettable novel from one of my favorite authors. I loved Nomi, Arthur, and Vi. I have a prophecy that readers will love them, too.”
—Erin Entrada Kelly, two-time Newbery Medalist and National Book Award finalist

“In our uncertain world, Tae Keller’s tender and powerful novel explores the impact of stories, friendship, and ultimately, hope.”
—Lisa Yee, Newbery Honor winner and National Book Award finalist

“Tae Keller hopes When Tomorrow Burns will offer readers ‘a resting place for big feelings and big questions,’ and wow, does it ever. Keller’s writing brims with empathy and compassion as her characters endure excruciating embarrassments, messy friendships, and the myriad complications of growing up in the twenty-first century. A story as lovely as the mystery woven throughout it, When Tomorrow Burns will be a spark in the dark for young readers everywhere.”
—Megan E. Freeman, New York Times bestselling author

When Tomorrow Burns is for anyone who’s ever sensed a whisper of magic in a tree, a book, a friendship—or anyone who wants to. I loved it.”
—Elana K. Arnold, National Book Award finalist and Printz Honor–winning author