The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic was alarming, and compounding this traumatic shift in the world's cultural awareness of safety was the social and political unrest that unfolded during this time, which students were acutely aware of through the news and social media. After experiencing that unprecedented trauma, rich novel studies in the English language arts classroom can point young people in the direction of healing. This article presents three contemporary novel studies--including practical worksheets and activities--for English teachers to acknowledge and enrich students' understandings of those experiences of the pandemic era, as well as to teach coping strategies that will help students through trauma.