Don't Stand So Close to Me by Eric Walters on September 22, 2020
Goodreads
Thirteen-year-old Quinn and her friends can't believe their luck when spring break is extended an extra two weeks—even if it's because of some virus. But when the impact of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic becomes apparent, everyone, not just the students, has to learn to adjust to their new reality. Quinn’s father is an ER doctor and has to self-isolate to protect his family from the virus. Isaac’s mother is the chief of police and now has to enforce new physical-distancing bylaws.
Reese can’t visit her grandmother in her care home anymore. And their entire school has moved to online classes. Sacrifices have to be made to keep everyone safe, but there’s more to life than rules and scary news reports. In an effort to find some good in all this uncertainty, Quinn comes up with an idea that she hopes will bring the entire community together.
When I first saw this book what struck me was the humor of the title. Obviously, those of us old enough to remember know it’s a song by The Police. I thought inserting a little humor in regards to such a dark subject was very fitting. As many of you know this week marks a milestone no one wanted to achieve of 400K passing away from COVID.
This book is actually a middle-grade novel. I have yet to find any YA that tackles coronavirus. It centers around a girl named Quinn and her friends from her class. Her Dad works in the local hospital’s emergency room and that is how she first learns about Coronavirus.
She even uses some of the diagrams her dad teaches her about how COVID spreads and such to explain the process to her class. Not only that but they come together to help their local community (from a safe distance of course)
The novel is a quick read being that it’s middle grade so it does not take much time to finish. Even if the genre is middle grade is not usually your style I strongly suggest you read this book because it explains the virus in easy-to-understand terms.
A lot of what makes coronavirus so scary is the fact that science can get confusing and confusion breeds fear. This novel whether you’re the age group it’s meant for or not breaks it down in a way that takes away a decent amount of that confusion. If you have children of your own I suggest they also read this book so that they can be more informed and less scared. It might even inspire more readers to help their communities like Quinn and her friends helped theirs!
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