All public libraries in the D.C. region are currently closed to encourage social distancing amidst the coronavirus pandemic. But librarians at the D.C. Public Library still want people to come together over books.

The city’s library system announced Wednesday that it’s launching a special edition of its DC Reads Book Club from March 18 through April 8 centered on Elizabeth Acevedo’s novel “With the Fire on High.”

DCPL has worked with its ebook provider OverDrive to make digital copies of the novel available to anyone with a library card who wants to join the book club. Residents without a library card can still get a temporary card from DCPL’s website, where they can then also access audiobooks, movies and digital learning content.

“With the Fire on High” tells the story of high school senior and teen mother Emoni Santiago as she tries to balance her family responsibilities with her love for cooking.

“We love the fact that Ms. Acevedo is a local D.C. author,” said Richard Reyes-Gavilan, DCPL’s executive director. Acevedo’s debut novel, “The Poet X,” won the 2018 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature. She is also a National Poetry Slam Champion and holds degrees from George Washington University and the University of Maryland.

Starting on March 19, DCPL will share discussion questions on its Twitter account. The book club will meet on Saturdays at 2 p.m. to discuss different sections of the book on Twitter.

The appetite for at-home entertainment has spiked in the wake of official orders to avoid group gatherings and stay at home as much as possible to mitigate the spread of coronavirus. Reyes-Gavilan said more physical books were borrowed from public libraries in the District last weekend than in the entire month of February. D.C. libraries closed Monday and are currently slated to reopen Apr. 1.

“It pains us to close our doors,” Reyes-Gavilan said. “Lots of folks who don’t have as much virtual access really need us to be there in a very physical way, but in the meantime we’re doing our best to stay as connected to as many people as possible.”

Meanwhile, some local booksellers have come up with creative ways to reach customers amidst the shutdown. Capitol Hill Books is closed except by appointment: Patrons can sign up for one-hour time slots to peruse the bookstore in groups of four or fewer.

Other area stores have started expanding the ways they get books to customers. Loyalty Bookstore’s Petworth and Silver Spring locations offer curbside pickup, and Old Town Books delivers for free within Alexandria and for $1 otherwise. Customers ordering from Mahogany Books in Anacostia will get discounted shipping rates through March 25 if they order through the store’s website.