VOAPROS Books
Covid Orphans by Teri Peluso
Chandra Powell did everything right as a single mother of three, but she couldn’t beat COVID-19. Chandra’s last request of Isabella, her teenage daughter, was to take care of her younger sister and brother.
With no family to turn to, the kids fear being split up in foster care and decide to keep their mother’s death a secret. Amid grieving their loss, the trio successfully manages new challenges for a few weeks until a nefarious neighbor suspects their secret and their daily lives spiral into hopelessness and fear.
Once quarantine restrictions are lifted, a co-worker returns Chandra’s personal effects left behind in her locker. Her intervention changes the course of their lives.
Covid Orphans explores the vulnerability of children and offers an aspirational lifeboat where kind, generous people rally to nurture, love, and keep children safe when their parents can no longer do so. It is a journey from despair to the fulfillment of lifelong dreams, underscoring the concept that “It takes a village to raise a child.”
Available in paperback and ebook on AMAZON. The ebook is free with Amazon Kindle Unlimited membership!
What readers are saying about Covid Orphans
“Timely and heartfelt. An Inspirational family story for our fractured society. Congratulations to first-time author, Teri Peluso who documents every step of a family’s journey from despair to achievement. ‘It takes a village to raise a child’, more true than ever before in the wake of Covid-19.”Gary S.
“A Book for Our Times That Simultaneously Thrills and Educates Us! Deftly educating us about a part of the pandemic many of us might not consider and keeping us on the edge of our seats at the same time was a brilliant device by Peluso. Covid Orphans is a page-turner with surprising twists and turns that took me by surprise with characters I very quickly came to care about. With a smooth and engaging writing style, the author has definitely given us a thrilling book for our times. Bravo!” K. G. Weiss
“Gripping COVID Novel With A Twist. Vivid portrayal of COVID’s impact on those on the fringe. Their pain, suffering, loss, hope and struggle for survival are portrayed through a narrative that is hard to put down. Great read.” Tony Collins
“Difficult to Put Down. This book focuses not only on how the loss of a single parent affects her children, but how her life while living affected the world around her. It brings to light to what most people avoid when hearing that someone lost their life to Covid. We find it so easy to go one with life as though nothing has happened when we’re not directly affected. The eldest of the children, Bella, tried so hard to step up and take care of her siblings after her mother passed, but in doing right she was faced with so many wrongs. All you want while you’re reading is for everything to turn out ok, but does it? Read it for yourself and find out.” Kimberly D. Vaughn
“An action-packed story, important messages, and relatable characters. I really enjoyed the read. I found myself rooting for the characters and engrossed in the storylines. Nice to see strong female characters and an imaginative, action-packed plot. I enjoyed this immensely and hope to see more from this author.” Nancy S.
Editorial Reviews
“A pained, realistic novel of children left parentless by the pandemic and vowing to get by on their own. Peluso’s of-the-moment debut novel centers on an imagined but utterly familiar contemporary tragedy. Throughout, Peluso demonstrates a firm command of how complex societal systems work (and fail), from Oakbriar to the state of Florida to a community-minded church and, ultimately, the justice system. She also understands the hearts and fears of kids, how daunting and inhumane those systems can appear from the outside, and the preciousness of stability and love.” — BOOKLIFE by PUBLISHERS WEEKLY Booklife.com Booklife Supplement of Publishers Weekly April 25, 2022
“Loved it! A moving, heartbreaking, and triumphant story about family and community in the face of evil. This story is an important one, and I could even imagine it being made into a film, as there are many highs and lows and twists that would make for an epic, excellent, cinematic story. I look forward to reading more by this author. ” — REEDSY.COM Sacha T. Y. Fortuné Author, editor (15+ yrs) & avid reader/reviewer of most genres. When I love a book, I LOVE a book.
“Covid Orphans by Teri Peluso is a fantastic social novel. There are so many positive aspects of this book. I recommend this book to people who work directly and indirectly with the foster care system. The book shows how faulty the system is and how some of those faults can be fixed through the help of the government and private stakeholders. I also recommend it to individuals who are recovering from any form of sexual assault and rape; this book shows how people can overcome, heal, and seek justice for such crimes.” — ONLINEBOOKCLUB.ORG Darlington O.
“It takes a village to raise a child.” This African proverb has never been more applicable than now, in the aftermath of our twenty-first-century pandemic. Author Teri Peluso shares this staggering statistic from a study published in The Lancet in July 2021: “over one million children worldwide had been orphaned because of Covid. I have hesitated to read books related to the pandemic because the experience remains raw and new variants continue to surface. However, the lonely young woman on the cover and the focus on COVID-19’s effect on children, especially orphans, attracted me to this book. The story was well rounded and contained many subplots, including cyber intelligence and criminal investigation, but my favorite component was its depiction of relationships. The main characters were described thoroughly, and I formed a rooted connection with them. There were also many secondary characters in the story, but it was easy to keep track of them because each one had a niche to fill. I particularly enjoyed the strong female personalities, who were compassionate and competent in their work. They complemented their male counterparts, creating a balanced undertone for the plot. I commend the author on the story’s combination of drama, humor, and suspense—this book would make a gripping television movie.” —ONLINEBOOKCLUB.ORG MsH2k
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