local fifth-grader maliyah rue
publishes book about growing up
during the coronavirus pandemic
Baking? Board games?
Winston Academy of Engineering fifth-grader
Maliyah Rue had something else in mind when
it came to filling her coronavirus lockdown days:
She wrote a book.
“Biscuit … The Little Girl Growing Up in 2020,”
chronicles Rue’s spring break and summer
vacation amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s about my 2020,” said Rue, 10, whose nickname
is Biscuit. “The world is a very different place
than I expected when I was little. Writing this
book helped me to process my feelings. I hope it
inspires my readers.”
Rue began writing her book in June, when so
many of her typical summer pastimes became
inaccessible. Instead of going to friend’s house or
the beach, she turned to her computer keyboard
to document the historical event and emotions
she was experiencing.
Readers of all ages will recognize their own
feelings of isolation in Rue’s words, such as those
found in Chapter 4:
“So many things were changing right before my
eyes. We went from going to church in person to
church being held online. Many stores were forced
to close, and restaurants were ‘carry out’ only … My
dad had planned a two-week road trip, but that
was canceled due to ‘The Rona.’ … This virus was
canceling everything.”
To replace the connections she once had in
person, Rue turned to social media, she writes
in Chapter 3:
“Social media was already trending with different
apps, but once COVID hit, TikTok was in. People
of all ages took to TikTok, re-creating videos and
voiceovers. Waking up and seeing a new dance
routine was the highlight of my day.”
The pandemic became more than an interruption
to Rue’s daily life when her mother, Marchina
Smith, tested positive in July. Rue describes her
mother’s quarantine in Chapter 5:
“This pandemic definitely made me realize how
important family is and to cherish all the time
you can with them … The time that she was on
quarantine, we FaceTimed a lot, just to help the
time go by. I’m 10 years old, and every chance I
get, I still crawl in the bed and sleep with her. Me
getting sick was not a risk she was willing to take.
I wondered what it was like for those who had to
quarantine with family members who were exposed
to ‘The Rona.’”
While writing the book, Rue had the idea to turn it
into a useful tool for other children — or anyone,
for that matter — seeking a way to express their
feelings about 2020. She created discussion
questions and left blank spaces for readers to
write in their answers.
Winston Academy Principal Ava Brown says she
plans to use Rue’s book to get the entire fifth
grade reading and talking about their pandemic
experiences.
30 WomanToWomanMagazine.com
/WomanToWomanMagazine.com