Meet the intergenerational Estrada family.

 

Life completely changes for Em, a quirky third grader, when her suddenly school shuts down in March, 2020. She experiences uncertainty and anxiety during lockdown along with her single mother, who is an essential worker.

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Her grandmother from the city joins their “coronavirus bubble” to take care of Em for “a few weeks”. The pandemic lasts much longer than anyone anticipated. Em’s school building closes for the year and remote school begins with its daily challenges for students everywhere.

 

As the isolation continues, Em is profoundly lonely. To deal with her feelings, Em creates Magic Marker Town, a comic world where coronavirus doesn’t exist.  

 

Ultimately, Em, and everyone else, adjusts to a different way of being. Em finds inner strength through her comic stories and discovers a new kind of remote fun with her best friend. 

 

The struggles and joys are relatable in this heartwarming, intergenerational story of resiliency when the unimaginable happened to all of us.

 

Children ten+  and adults will remember their own experiences during the pandemic.  Younger readers will gain an understanding of this strange and historic time. 

 

All readers, in the home and the classroom are encouraged to share their own pandemic story with an online community.​  Discussion questions, prompts and free tutorials are available.