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Tuesday, July 7, 2020

‘Don’t Stand So Close to Me’ by Eric Walters

Book cover, 'Don't Stand So Close to Me' by Eric Walters. Image depicts a face-mask for a person's nose and mouth, red with white polka-dots with a yellow-smiley-face pin or applique in the lower right corner of the mask. The mask has white loops on each end, to go over the wearer's ears
A short read at about 125 pages, Don’t Stand So Close to Me offers young readers an entertaining and informative story about the COVID-19 pandemic.

It centers around 13-year-old Quinn and her friends, whose spring break is unexpectedly extended. Quinn and her classmates find themselves attending school via video conferencing — while they, their families, and their community adjust to the need for physical distancing.

Conceived as an idea on April 22, this book was a reality in digital format just 41 days later.

Eric Walters does a good job balancing the need to tell a story, while addressing the concerns by teachers and librarians that prompted him to write this book : namely, that students didn’t understand what was going on. (Learn more about the circumstances behind creation of this book in my Book-Talk video.)

Reading this book, I was struck by just how much Mr. Walters was able to incorporate of an event that is still unfolding. Don’t Stand So Close to Me is available as an eBook through my public library, via the Hoopla platform. A print edition is expected in September.

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