Schools and libraries
A story your students will argue about, in a good way
Who Will Build Tomorrow? puts the engineering design process inside a story kids care about. Students watch four friends define a problem, test ideas, fail, and improve.
Built for the classroom
Engineering design in story form
The story follows the engineering design process in the Next Generation Science Standards for grades 3 to 5: define a problem with criteria and constraints (3-5-ETS1-1), compare solutions (3-5-ETS1-2), and test a model to find failure points (3-5-ETS1-3).
Ready-made discussion
"Your Turn" questions close chapters 1 to 7. The back of the book includes discussion starters, a chapter-by-chapter guide, and five hands-on challenges using paper and household items.
Career exposure without pressure
Students meet a construction manager, an environmental engineer, a facilities manager, and the people who maintain buildings, and learn that curiosity is a real answer to "What do you want to be?"
The case for this book
of U.S. 4th graders read below the NAEP Basic level in 2024, the largest share since 2002.
The Nation's Report Cardof employers call analytical thinking a core skill. Creative thinking and curiosity are close behind.
World Economic Forum, Future of Jobs 2025new construction workers the U.S. needs in 2026 alone.
Associated Builders and Contractorsof children base their dream job on people they know. Kids can't picture careers they never see.
Drawing the Future, Education and EmployersAuthor visits
Bring DT to your school
DT is a construction manager who leads large industrial projects. Her visits mix a read-aloud, a live build challenge, and real stories from the job site.
- Virtual or in-person
- Assemblies, classroom visits, career days, and library programs
- Signed copies available
The app
The Building the Future app for classrooms and after-school programs
The Building the Future app is the free companion to the books. Students design a builder, run hands-on design challenges, and explain their thinking. When they miss, it coaches them toward a better next try.
- Works in any web browser on Chromebooks, tablets, and phones
- No student accounts, no ads, and no student data collected
- Each challenge pairs a screen activity with a real build using paper and household materials
- Follows the engineering design process in NGSS 3-5-ETS1
Running an after-school, summer, or library program? Ask about a classroom set of books with an app lesson plan for each week.
Classroom sets
Order classroom copies through Amazon
Every copy ships straight from Amazon, so you can order one book or a whole grade level the same way you order other classroom supplies.
- Pick your book.Book 2 paperback or hardcoverBook 2 ebookBook 1
- Choose the quantity in your cart. Amazon lets you set any number of copies.
- Ordering for a school or district? Use your school's Amazon Business account. Most schools already have one, and it handles purchase orders, invoicing, and tax-exempt buying.
Classroom sets work great with the free Building the Future app. No accounts or student data needed.
Next Generation Science Standards is a registered trademark of WestEd. Neither WestEd nor the lead states and partners that developed the Next Generation Science Standards were involved in the production of this website or the books, and they do not endorse them.