Five Feet Apart

Bibliographic Information:  

• Title: Five Feet Apart  
• Author: Rachael Lippincott  
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster   
• Copyright Date: 2019  

Genre: Teen, drama, romantic,  

Awards or Honors: #1 New York Times Bestseller  

Reading Level: Teens  

Plot Summary: Stella has cystic fibrosis, a disease that puts her life at risk and limits what she can do while in high school. She meets and gets to know Will, another teen in the hospital that has cystic fibrosis. Stella is happy to be getting treatment and finding a way to stay alive, while Will rebels and does his best to cause havoc in the hospital. Stella and Will grow to care about each other as they see one another throughout the hospital every day. He agrees to take his treatments more seriously and behave as long as they hang out together. Unfortunately, they must stay five feet apart to prevent giving each other bacteria that could hurt their lungs. Despite this, they fall in love with each other and want to be with each other. They often deal with the seriousness of their disease by trying to have normal teenage lives. When Stella eventually has surgery to get new lungs to have more years to live, Will realizes he can’t see her die because of him, even if that means being apart.   

Author Background: Rachael Lippincott is a best-selling author of the book Five Feet Apart. Lippincott wrote the book with the help of filmmakers Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis. The book was also turned into a feature film in 2019, starring Cole Sprouse and Haley Lu Richardson. She went to the University of Pittsburgh, where she was a pre-med undergrad. She decided science was not the career for her after taking writing classes. Taking a class on Writing Youth Literature and writing led her to be considered for Five Feet Apart. She was selected to be the writer for Five Feet Apart after writing the first chapter of the book (Tomko, 2020).   

Critical Evaluation: The book chapters alternate between the narratives of Will and Stella. The alternating chapters give us a good balance and perspective of the main character’s personality and thinking. The writing is clear to understand, and the plot follows a chronological path. The writing describes the tension between themes of love, friendship, hope, and death. The themes give the story suspense and keep the reader engaged throughout the book. The book takes place in a hospital. The author describes medicine and treatment details to make the reader understand what it’s like to be living in a hospital. The author appeals to teens by writing from the perspective of teenagers and making them the protagonists. The adults have flaws, and the reader will feel connected with the characters as they deal with difficult parents and adults.   

Creative Use Library Program: I would have this book be part of a monthly or weekly book club. I would have the kids read the book first and then have a book discussion. We could discuss cystic fibrosis, health coverage, and what it’s like to live with a long-term disease. We could then watch the recently released Five Feet Apart movie. The library would provide snacks and drinks.   

Book Talk: Stella Grant has always been careful, as she has been in and out of the hospital since she was six getting treatment for cystic fibrosis. When she meets a boy named Will, his attitude towards his cystic fibrosis is one of risk and danger, constantly skipping treatment and disobeying orders. However, as she gets to know Will, she realizes that living is about having a life outside of tests and hospitals. Their love tests the challenges of disease, death, and living life.   

Potential Challenge Issue: There are no potential challenge issues in this book.   

Reason for Inclusion: I picked this book because it is a popular bestseller. It also has a good plot and themes of love and romance that are powerful for the reader. The book has also been turned into a movie, and people might be interested in reading the book if they’ve seen the movie. I liked the look at love and life for people with cystic fibrosis and other serious diseases. It was a different perspective that people should know about.   

Lippincott, R. (2019). Five Feet Apart. [eBook edition]. Simon & Schuster Books. https://dalycity.bibliocommons.com/item/show/2812270076 

Tomko, S. (2020). Strengthening New Voices: A Q&A with Rachael Lippincott and Siobhan Vivian. University of Pittsburgh. Retrieved from https://www.english.pitt.edu/strengthening-new-voices-qa-rachael-lippincott-and-siobhan-vivian