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Fever 1793
From Fever 1793
August 1793. Fourteen-year-old Mattie Cook is ambitious, adventurous, and sick to death of listening to her mother. Mattie has plans of her own. She wants to turn the Cook Coffeehouse into the finest business in Philadelphia, the capital of the new United States.
But the waterfront is abuzz with reports of disease. "Fever" spreads from the docks and creeps toward Mattie's home, threatening everything she holds dear.
As the cemeteries fill with fever victims, fear turns to panic, and thousands flee the city. Then tragedy strikes the coffeehouse, and Mattie is trapped in a living nightmare. Suddenly, her struggle to build a better life must give way to something even more important -- the fight to stay alive.
"Where's Polly?" I asked as I dropped the bucket down the well. "Did you pass by the blacksmith's?
"I spoke with her mother, with Mistress Logan," Mother answered softly, looking at her neat rows of carrots.
"And?" I waved a mosquito away from my face.
"It happened quickly. Polly sewed by candlelight after dinner. Her mother repeated that over and over, 'she sewed by candlelight after dinner.' And then she collapsed."
I released the handle and the bucket splashed, a distant sound.
"Matilda, Polly's dead."
August 1793. Fourteen-year-old Mattie Cook is ambitious, adventurous, and sick to death of listening to her mother. Mattie has plans of her own. She wants to turn the Cook Coffeehouse into the finest business in Philadelphia, the capital of the new United States.
But the waterfront is abuzz with reports of disease. "Fever" spreads from the docks and creeps toward Mattie's home, threatening everything she holds dear.
As the cemeteries fill with fever victims, fear turns to panic, and thousands flee the city. Then tragedy strikes the coffeehouse, and Mattie is trapped in a living nightmare. Suddenly, her struggle to build a better life must give way to something even more important -- the fight to stay alive.
252 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2000
2673 people are currently reading
87982 people want to read
About the author
Laurie Halse Anderson
100 books17.4k followersUPDATE! Rebellion 1776 is out! The New York Times wrote, "Filled with immersive detail, expert delineations of complex characters, and both harsh and loving reality, Rebellion 1776 provides young readers with a true experience of a historic moment in time that resonates with today's world." Huzzah!
Laurie Halse Anderson is the New York Times-bestselling author of many award-winning books including the groundbreaking, modern classic Speak, a National Book Award finalist which has sold over 3.5 million copies and been translated into 35 languages.
In 2023, Anderson was named the Laureate of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, long considered to be the de facto 'Nobel Prize for Children's Literature.'
A passionate spokesperson for the need to combat censorship, she has been honored for her battles for intellectual freedom by the National Coalition Against Censorship and the National Council of Teachers of English. She lives near Philadelphia. Go Birds!
Follow Laurie on Bluesky at @halseanderson.bsky.social, Instagram at halseanderson, and Facebook at lauriehalseanderson, or by visiting her website, madwomanintheforest.com.
Laurie Halse Anderson is the New York Times-bestselling author of many award-winning books including the groundbreaking, modern classic Speak, a National Book Award finalist which has sold over 3.5 million copies and been translated into 35 languages.
In 2023, Anderson was named the Laureate of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, long considered to be the de facto 'Nobel Prize for Children's Literature.'
A passionate spokesperson for the need to combat censorship, she has been honored for her battles for intellectual freedom by the National Coalition Against Censorship and the National Council of Teachers of English. She lives near Philadelphia. Go Birds!
Follow Laurie on Bluesky at @halseanderson.bsky.social, Instagram at halseanderson, and Facebook at lauriehalseanderson, or by visiting her website, madwomanintheforest.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 7,944 reviews
May 6, 2015
Many years ago I took my now adult kids out of public school to home-school them, and this was one of the first books I bought to add to their reading curriculum and library when I was looking for entertaining ways to teach history. Well, guess what? We all loved this book!! I've thought about it often through the years and now... I think it's time for a re-read. It's thought provoking in a way younger readers can understand, and older readers can appreciate.
Blurb...
It's late summer 1793, and the streets of Philadelphia are abuzz with mosquitoes and rumors of fever. Down near the docks, many have taken ill, and the fatalities are mounting. Now they include Polly, the serving girl at the Cook Coffeehouse. But fourteen-year-old Mattie Cook doesn't get a moment to mourn the passing of her childhood playmate. New customers have overrun her family's coffee shop, located far from the mosquito-infested river, and Mattie's concerns of fever are all but overshadowed by dreams of growing her family's small business into a thriving enterprise. But when the fever begins to strike closer to home, Mattie's struggle to build a new life must give way to a new fight-the fight to stay alive.
I HIGHLY recommend this for readers of all ages.
Purchase on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004...
December 24, 2023
This middle grades historical fiction was just absolutely fantastic.
Both my daughter and I feel like experts now, on the topic of the yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia in 1793, and a lot more knowledgable, in general, about Philadelphia history.
I've said it before, I'll say it again: wrap history into a riveting story with fictional characters and I'll learn it and remember it. Tell me dates and dry bullet points and they'll fly right out of my ear.
Did you know that coffee houses were all the rage when our nation's capital was still in Philadelphia?
I didn't, and I also knew nothing about the prolific Peale family whose many members not only established the first natural history museum in America, but who also painted famous portraits of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Absalom Jones.
(Freed slave, and co-founder of the Free African Society, Absalom Jones, as painted by Raphaelle Peale).
This epidemic was one of the most aggressive ones in American history, taking the lives of 10% of the city's total population in just three months.
It was good for us to learn that the survivors of this savage and deadly epidemic found their way back to family, friends and fun again.
Both my daughter and I feel like experts now, on the topic of the yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia in 1793, and a lot more knowledgable, in general, about Philadelphia history.
I've said it before, I'll say it again: wrap history into a riveting story with fictional characters and I'll learn it and remember it. Tell me dates and dry bullet points and they'll fly right out of my ear.
Did you know that coffee houses were all the rage when our nation's capital was still in Philadelphia?
I didn't, and I also knew nothing about the prolific Peale family whose many members not only established the first natural history museum in America, but who also painted famous portraits of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Absalom Jones.
(Freed slave, and co-founder of the Free African Society, Absalom Jones, as painted by Raphaelle Peale).
This epidemic was one of the most aggressive ones in American history, taking the lives of 10% of the city's total population in just three months.
It was good for us to learn that the survivors of this savage and deadly epidemic found their way back to family, friends and fun again.
January 15, 2019
This is a great little YA book that delves into the Yellow Fever epidemic of 1793 in Philadelphia. Mattie's gumption and drive see her through some horrific experiences, as she becomes an adult and has to survive on her own in the city of brotherly love which loses that appellation fairly quickly as the disease takes hold. She starts out a child in what was then the capitol of the United States and emerges as her tough mother's daughter with a strength she didn't know she had.
September 5, 2017
In 1793, Philadelphia, PA was the largest city in the established colonies. The city streets, called alleys at the time, were laid out in a grid pattern as many modern cities are laid out today. Located on the Delaware River made it an ideal spot for accessibility and trade. Markets, banks, coffeehouses, a university and the State House made it a desirable, modern city of its' time.
The central location was one of the reasons the Constitutional Convention was called to order in Philadelphia during a very hot summer six years earlier.
Despite its “modernism” imagine dirt roads, outhouses, animal droppings in the streets, and trash that was put out at night for rats to scamper through as disposal. Therefore, your daily life consisted of swapping away flies and mosquitos' not to mention the smells around. Personal hygiene did not consist of baths or showers and doctors had opinions, perhaps a few remedies, but no modern medicines at hand. Bleeding was the favored method of some of the doctors around to get rid of the sickness.
He’s the best physician that knows the worthlessness of most
Medicines. –Benjamin Franklin
Poor Richard’s Almanac, 1733
Get to know Mattie and her family in this historical young adult fiction novel. Her mother and grandfather run a wonderful, successful respectable coffeehouse on a busy corner in Philadelphia among the hustle and bustle. Only 2 blocks away from President Washington’s house. Along with servants they work from sunrise to sundown, serve homemade delicious dishes to loyal guests and pass through travelers. Spirits were not served at this coffeehouse, but there was always time for a good card game.
Mattie is an obedient hard working and resilient girl. She runs errands at market and dislikes fancy dress up tea parties. One day, Polly, their servant girl does not show up for work. Stricken sick with a fever that people first called the “grippe”. In the next few days things change very quickly for this family and other Philadelphia residents, as it is thought that a ship docked at the harbour brought mosquitos along that infected people with Yellow Fever.
The patient is to be placed in a large empty tub, and two
buckets full of water, of the temperature 75 or 80 degrees
Fahrenheit’s thermometer, ….are to be thrown on him.
-Dr. Adam Kuhn, Philadelphia, 1793
As this story unfolds you will find out what happens to this family and how this young girl with some help struggles, persists through and helps others in need in this tragic time.
Hot, dry winds forever blowing,
Dead men to the grave-yards going;
Constant hearses,
Funeral verses;
Oh! What plagues-there is no knowing!
-Phillip Freneau
Pestilence: Written During the Prevalence
of a Yellow Fever, 1973
This is a beautiful, heartbreaking, story of a real event in our history. Yellow Fever was not reserved for the poor or unfortunate. It did not stop for class, race gender, the wealthy or the leaders of this young nation. Many families evacuated into the country and were not even accepted into some towns as guards told them to turn around if they had been in contact with the fever. Supply and demand of needed items drove prices sky high. The people that remained suffered in their homes, hallucinating and starving.
The haunting toll of the church bells, the mass graves and the desperation of the people, our people, was heart wrenching to read. The author did a fantastic job interweaving fictional characters with this real time event.
In the Appendix of the book you will find interesting historical information that relates to the writing of the book. There are many things that I did not know prior to reading this. I love that about Fever 1793. The author took a period of history and held it under a lens to examine it, and then magnified it to this event for the reader to enjoy. I would have not found out about the Free African Society, or famous people touched by the fever, or the battle of the doctors in this time period. This is an outstanding piece of historical literature. I highly recommend this book to any middle grade student and up, studying American History in school.
The central location was one of the reasons the Constitutional Convention was called to order in Philadelphia during a very hot summer six years earlier.
Despite its “modernism” imagine dirt roads, outhouses, animal droppings in the streets, and trash that was put out at night for rats to scamper through as disposal. Therefore, your daily life consisted of swapping away flies and mosquitos' not to mention the smells around. Personal hygiene did not consist of baths or showers and doctors had opinions, perhaps a few remedies, but no modern medicines at hand. Bleeding was the favored method of some of the doctors around to get rid of the sickness.
He’s the best physician that knows the worthlessness of most
Medicines. –Benjamin Franklin
Poor Richard’s Almanac, 1733
Get to know Mattie and her family in this historical young adult fiction novel. Her mother and grandfather run a wonderful, successful respectable coffeehouse on a busy corner in Philadelphia among the hustle and bustle. Only 2 blocks away from President Washington’s house. Along with servants they work from sunrise to sundown, serve homemade delicious dishes to loyal guests and pass through travelers. Spirits were not served at this coffeehouse, but there was always time for a good card game.
Mattie is an obedient hard working and resilient girl. She runs errands at market and dislikes fancy dress up tea parties. One day, Polly, their servant girl does not show up for work. Stricken sick with a fever that people first called the “grippe”. In the next few days things change very quickly for this family and other Philadelphia residents, as it is thought that a ship docked at the harbour brought mosquitos along that infected people with Yellow Fever.
The patient is to be placed in a large empty tub, and two
buckets full of water, of the temperature 75 or 80 degrees
Fahrenheit’s thermometer, ….are to be thrown on him.
-Dr. Adam Kuhn, Philadelphia, 1793
As this story unfolds you will find out what happens to this family and how this young girl with some help struggles, persists through and helps others in need in this tragic time.
Hot, dry winds forever blowing,
Dead men to the grave-yards going;
Constant hearses,
Funeral verses;
Oh! What plagues-there is no knowing!
-Phillip Freneau
Pestilence: Written During the Prevalence
of a Yellow Fever, 1973
This is a beautiful, heartbreaking, story of a real event in our history. Yellow Fever was not reserved for the poor or unfortunate. It did not stop for class, race gender, the wealthy or the leaders of this young nation. Many families evacuated into the country and were not even accepted into some towns as guards told them to turn around if they had been in contact with the fever. Supply and demand of needed items drove prices sky high. The people that remained suffered in their homes, hallucinating and starving.
The haunting toll of the church bells, the mass graves and the desperation of the people, our people, was heart wrenching to read. The author did a fantastic job interweaving fictional characters with this real time event.
In the Appendix of the book you will find interesting historical information that relates to the writing of the book. There are many things that I did not know prior to reading this. I love that about Fever 1793. The author took a period of history and held it under a lens to examine it, and then magnified it to this event for the reader to enjoy. I would have not found out about the Free African Society, or famous people touched by the fever, or the battle of the doctors in this time period. This is an outstanding piece of historical literature. I highly recommend this book to any middle grade student and up, studying American History in school.
October 4, 2021
did everyone's middle school have Yellow Fever Day, or was that just mine?
like, was it normal to play 18th century jeopardy, and eat approx one bite of historical food, and read passages from this book aloud, or was that just my school?
the whole day was canceled. instead of having 8 classes, we had 0. everything was yellow fever. thanks to laurie halse anderson.
i don't know why i hated this book so much, but i did.
maybe because i grew up in the philly suburbs and it was much more interesting to go on field trips to the places in question than it was to read about them? (to be fair, the reading didn't stand a chance. my class quickly learned that a candy shop near where we stopped for lunch sold $14 jawbreakers the size of your fists together, and Fever 1793 has nothing of the kind.)
maybe because i'm distantly related to one of the real-life-based characters in it, and so i have had to hear the loose version of this story a million times before and after?
maybe it's because i suddenly started hating historical fiction at some point, even though it was my favorite genre in childhood, and it took me years to realize?
or maybe it's just because the concept "Yellow Fever Day" is unhinged.
who knows! but i was never a fan.
part of my review books i read a zillion years ago and give insight into my upbringing series
like, was it normal to play 18th century jeopardy, and eat approx one bite of historical food, and read passages from this book aloud, or was that just my school?
the whole day was canceled. instead of having 8 classes, we had 0. everything was yellow fever. thanks to laurie halse anderson.
i don't know why i hated this book so much, but i did.
maybe because i grew up in the philly suburbs and it was much more interesting to go on field trips to the places in question than it was to read about them? (to be fair, the reading didn't stand a chance. my class quickly learned that a candy shop near where we stopped for lunch sold $14 jawbreakers the size of your fists together, and Fever 1793 has nothing of the kind.)
maybe because i'm distantly related to one of the real-life-based characters in it, and so i have had to hear the loose version of this story a million times before and after?
maybe it's because i suddenly started hating historical fiction at some point, even though it was my favorite genre in childhood, and it took me years to realize?
or maybe it's just because the concept "Yellow Fever Day" is unhinged.
who knows! but i was never a fan.
part of my review books i read a zillion years ago and give insight into my upbringing series
August 3, 2020
“The yellow fever outbreak that struck Philadelphia in 1793 was one of the worst epidemics in United States history. In three months it killed nearly five thousand people, 10 percent of the city’s population.”
Philadelphia, 16 August 1793. Matilda Cook lives with her mother and grandfather above their coffeehouse. Today, before the day is in full swing with their chores, they learn that they lost Polly, their serving girl, to fever. It happened very quickly, in a matter of hours.
“A week later, sixty-four people had died.” The grandfather is skeptical about all those deaths being blamed on fever. He insists, “Even a few hundred isn’t enough to call it an epidemic.”
“There are forty-thousand people living in Philadelphia.” Half of them left the city. Over three thousand are dead. “Those who don’t die of the fever are beginning to starve.”
Matilda, a dreamy girl, now needs to learn how to survive the plague.
Loved the character of Matilda. She is so opposite of her mother, who is a very hard worker and that’s what distinguished her from the early childhood. Matilda pours her thoughts how she feels about it.
The rage of fever is very real. “Bodies are piling up like firewood.” The doors are shut in your face as each family tries to stay alive behind their own walls. “The streets were ghosted, colorless and hushed.” Except lonely children without their mothers and thieves breaking into empty houses.
Loved the atmosphere of the coffeehouse, filled with “gentlemen, merchants, and politicians enjoying a cup of coffee, a bite to eat, and the news of the day.” Matilda’s grandfather, former army officer, is “the heart of all gossip and tall tales in the coffeehouse.” He is quite a character, which I enjoyed very much.
The storyline and the writing are very impressive. The plot is engrossing, moving the story forward as fast as the rage of epidemic.”
Historical fact, “In a few short weeks the city was transformed into a living nightmare, with the sick dying, the healthy paralyzed with fear, and the doctors helpless. (…) The brave people who stayed in the city and helped the sick were extraordinary.”
Philadelphia, 16 August 1793. Matilda Cook lives with her mother and grandfather above their coffeehouse. Today, before the day is in full swing with their chores, they learn that they lost Polly, their serving girl, to fever. It happened very quickly, in a matter of hours.
“A week later, sixty-four people had died.” The grandfather is skeptical about all those deaths being blamed on fever. He insists, “Even a few hundred isn’t enough to call it an epidemic.”
“There are forty-thousand people living in Philadelphia.” Half of them left the city. Over three thousand are dead. “Those who don’t die of the fever are beginning to starve.”
Matilda, a dreamy girl, now needs to learn how to survive the plague.
Loved the character of Matilda. She is so opposite of her mother, who is a very hard worker and that’s what distinguished her from the early childhood. Matilda pours her thoughts how she feels about it.
The rage of fever is very real. “Bodies are piling up like firewood.” The doors are shut in your face as each family tries to stay alive behind their own walls. “The streets were ghosted, colorless and hushed.” Except lonely children without their mothers and thieves breaking into empty houses.
Loved the atmosphere of the coffeehouse, filled with “gentlemen, merchants, and politicians enjoying a cup of coffee, a bite to eat, and the news of the day.” Matilda’s grandfather, former army officer, is “the heart of all gossip and tall tales in the coffeehouse.” He is quite a character, which I enjoyed very much.
The storyline and the writing are very impressive. The plot is engrossing, moving the story forward as fast as the rage of epidemic.”
Historical fact, “In a few short weeks the city was transformed into a living nightmare, with the sick dying, the healthy paralyzed with fear, and the doctors helpless. (…) The brave people who stayed in the city and helped the sick were extraordinary.”
October 26, 2008
Fever 1793 is based on the actual yellow fever epidemic that hit Philadelphia and wiped out some five thousand people. One of those people affected by the fever is Mattie Cook. Mattie’s mother and grandfather own a coffeehouse in Philadelphia and that is where Mattie spends most of her days.
She has plans of her own for the coffeehouse someday and often day dreams of what it would be like when she ran the establishment. Mattie’s day dreams are shattered when the epidemic hits.
Mattie’s mother falls ill with yellow fever and Mattie and her grandfather flee the city to take refuge in the country.
As they never make it to their destination, uncontrollable hardships fall on Mattie and her grandfather. When Mattie finally returns to the city she finds it deserted and the coffeehouse ransacked.
Mattie tries to find the courage to manage her life and the coffeehouse after the yellow fever has taken everything away.
This is the third novel by Laurie Halse Anderson that I have had a chance to read. I love her writing style, and I especially loved this historical fiction. I had remembered learning about the yellow fever epidemic, but I never knew the real impact that it had. It was also interesting in learning about the true history that Anderson portrayed in her book. I became immense in Mattie’s daily activities and for the fight of her life. Although Speak is still my favorite novel by Anderson, I highly reccomend Fever 1793.
She has plans of her own for the coffeehouse someday and often day dreams of what it would be like when she ran the establishment. Mattie’s day dreams are shattered when the epidemic hits.
Mattie’s mother falls ill with yellow fever and Mattie and her grandfather flee the city to take refuge in the country.
As they never make it to their destination, uncontrollable hardships fall on Mattie and her grandfather. When Mattie finally returns to the city she finds it deserted and the coffeehouse ransacked.
Mattie tries to find the courage to manage her life and the coffeehouse after the yellow fever has taken everything away.
This is the third novel by Laurie Halse Anderson that I have had a chance to read. I love her writing style, and I especially loved this historical fiction. I had remembered learning about the yellow fever epidemic, but I never knew the real impact that it had. It was also interesting in learning about the true history that Anderson portrayed in her book. I became immense in Mattie’s daily activities and for the fight of her life. Although Speak is still my favorite novel by Anderson, I highly reccomend Fever 1793.
September 16, 2015
Fever 1793 is a standalone, young-readers novel written by Laurie Halse Anderson. Although it falls in the genre of historical fiction, this story is based on a very real event in history. If interested, you can learn more about the yellow fever epidemic of 1793 by clicking HERE.
As a reader and a parent who supports academic success, I can acknowledge the benefits of educating youth via literature. Even I learned a lot from reading this book. But how much are they learning if they are trudging through every chapter? Fever 1793 was one of the titles required for my son's summer reading. He wasn't happy about not getting a choice about what he is reading this summer and he was even less happy about having a number of extensive assignments for each book. But he had the best attitude a sixth grader (trying to enjoy his summer) can be expected to have and he did what he needed to do.
But his opinion?
It wasn't only him though. I personally asked the opinions of several of his friends and all of them hated this book as well (note: "hate" is their word, not mine). After reading this book myself, I can see where they are coming from. It's not a pretty thought that an epidemic of this horror can exist, and the thought that one could affect our super-sanitized society of today is even more frightening for youths and adults alike. But if history teaches us anything, it's the important knowledge that people can and do survive horrors of all kinds, and that little tidbit is priceless.
My boy's rating of Fever 1793 is one star. He wouldn't budge even acknowledging the survival component. He "despised" every chapter. It was pretty sad, but my personal rating isn't much better in terms of personal enjoyment. Even though I can objectively note many positive elements incorporated in this book, I didn't enjoy the experience much at all. So I'm giving Fever 1793 a two-star rating.
When my boy heard my rating, he demanded to create his own goodreads account to personally document his lonely one star. He's got two more years to go before that happens...but when he turns thirteen? Watch out goodreads. My boy's got some opinions!
07/31/2015:
July 2015: Reading along with my son for his required summer reading.
As a reader and a parent who supports academic success, I can acknowledge the benefits of educating youth via literature. Even I learned a lot from reading this book. But how much are they learning if they are trudging through every chapter? Fever 1793 was one of the titles required for my son's summer reading. He wasn't happy about not getting a choice about what he is reading this summer and he was even less happy about having a number of extensive assignments for each book. But he had the best attitude a sixth grader (trying to enjoy his summer) can be expected to have and he did what he needed to do.
But his opinion?
It wasn't only him though. I personally asked the opinions of several of his friends and all of them hated this book as well (note: "hate" is their word, not mine). After reading this book myself, I can see where they are coming from. It's not a pretty thought that an epidemic of this horror can exist, and the thought that one could affect our super-sanitized society of today is even more frightening for youths and adults alike. But if history teaches us anything, it's the important knowledge that people can and do survive horrors of all kinds, and that little tidbit is priceless.
My boy's rating of Fever 1793 is one star. He wouldn't budge even acknowledging the survival component. He "despised" every chapter. It was pretty sad, but my personal rating isn't much better in terms of personal enjoyment. Even though I can objectively note many positive elements incorporated in this book, I didn't enjoy the experience much at all. So I'm giving Fever 1793 a two-star rating.
When my boy heard my rating, he demanded to create his own goodreads account to personally document his lonely one star. He's got two more years to go before that happens...but when he turns thirteen? Watch out goodreads. My boy's got some opinions!
07/31/2015:
July 2015: Reading along with my son for his required summer reading.
October 21, 2007
Fever 1793 is one of the rare children's novels that I will recommend to adults to read.
As a middle school English teacher, reading children's and young adult fiction is part of the job. Often it is enjoyable, and often I am annoyed because I would rather be reading something else. Usually, after a spree of YA literature I must read Faulkner or a chapter from Ulysses to come out even. YA books are often formulaic. The formula includes a protagonist that is generally angst-ridden, complaining about mom and/or dad and nervous about how they act in front of their crush. They develop a newfound respect for a character in the story who is either old or diseased. This character shows unbelievable strength and teaches profound morals. And then this character dies. I have been told YA books are filled with misery because it is what kids are interested in. I guess children are not much different than adults in that regard.
Back to Fever, though. It is about Mattie Cook, who is initially unhappy with her mom, but learns to love her when she might lose her. She might lose her because the story takes place during the yellow fever epidemic of 1793 in Philadelphia. Mattie is very interested in Nathanial and is very nervous and giddy around him. She learns to love her very old war hero grandfather. He teaches her a lot as the two of them are alone just fighting to survive the epidemic. So Anderson certainly follows the formula. However, this story is very historically accurate and well-researched and she is a very good writer. It is worth a look to see eighteenth century United States citizens forced to be their very best or very worst.
As a middle school English teacher, reading children's and young adult fiction is part of the job. Often it is enjoyable, and often I am annoyed because I would rather be reading something else. Usually, after a spree of YA literature I must read Faulkner or a chapter from Ulysses to come out even. YA books are often formulaic. The formula includes a protagonist that is generally angst-ridden, complaining about mom and/or dad and nervous about how they act in front of their crush. They develop a newfound respect for a character in the story who is either old or diseased. This character shows unbelievable strength and teaches profound morals. And then this character dies. I have been told YA books are filled with misery because it is what kids are interested in. I guess children are not much different than adults in that regard.
Back to Fever, though. It is about Mattie Cook, who is initially unhappy with her mom, but learns to love her when she might lose her. She might lose her because the story takes place during the yellow fever epidemic of 1793 in Philadelphia. Mattie is very interested in Nathanial and is very nervous and giddy around him. She learns to love her very old war hero grandfather. He teaches her a lot as the two of them are alone just fighting to survive the epidemic. So Anderson certainly follows the formula. However, this story is very historically accurate and well-researched and she is a very good writer. It is worth a look to see eighteenth century United States citizens forced to be their very best or very worst.
February 7, 2023
Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson is a short novel about the Yellow Fever is Philadelphia in 1793. It took Matilda’s grAndfather, many friends and 5 thousand plus individuals from that area in 3 months. This is a story about survival and over coming all odds.
I enjoyed the book but the Narration was horrible. Especially at the beginning. Matilda being the main character, presented no issues with narration. Pretend voices don’t cut it. Thus pulling my rating down to a 3.
I enjoyed the book but the Narration was horrible. Especially at the beginning. Matilda being the main character, presented no issues with narration. Pretend voices don’t cut it. Thus pulling my rating down to a 3.
December 11, 2019
A poem on how to get me to enjoy historical fiction:
put a plague in it.
put a plague in it.
November 25, 2020
Overall Rating : A+
I first read this in middle school and it's just as amazing as it was back then.
Laurie Anderson is a masterful story-teller. Weaving fact and fiction together to make something wholly wonderful.
Unique, beautiful characters with their own strengths and weaknesses and how people can help or hinder when disaster strikes. A good book to read during all this pandemic/quarantine if you're up for it.
I first read this in middle school and it's just as amazing as it was back then.
Laurie Anderson is a masterful story-teller. Weaving fact and fiction together to make something wholly wonderful.
Unique, beautiful characters with their own strengths and weaknesses and how people can help or hinder when disaster strikes. A good book to read during all this pandemic/quarantine if you're up for it.
April 25, 2008
When I first found out that I had to read this book, I was not excited about it, because usually school books are boring and have no interest for me in it. When I first started to read this book I thought here we go again another boring book, why are doing this to me? I got more into the book as time went by, and wound up actually liking it. This book had become interesting and it was like no other book that I had read before, which was a good thing. In the next few paragraphs, I will tell you why I liked this book.
My first reason for why I like this book is because, it takes you to a certain time in history when things weren't so great for our society. When you read this book it does at first seem like this another old boring school book, but then you get more into it and realize that it is actually interesting. In the book the author tells you about how malaria took over everyones life. No one was safe from it whether you were rich or the poorest of the poor, you had a chance of getting infected. At the same time this movie wasn't just about a diseases that was spreading it was also about family. This girl and her grandfather had to leave her mother behind because she was infected with malaria. On their way to their destination, they became closer because they had no choice but to survive on their own. So not only is this book about a disease that took over at one point in time, but it's also about how this disease brought families closer together.
My next reason for liking this book is for the simple fact that out of every book that I had ever read before having to do with any African Americans during that time, this book did not give them this title as being worth nothing at all. I wouldn't go as far as saying that they were treated as equals, but they did have jobs that they got payed for and they had homes and friends who were whites. I had gotten to a point where I got tired of reading about how useless African Americans were, when in fact in the book they portrayed one black woman as a hero in my eyes. She was there for this family when they needed her and she made sure everything was ok until the threat was over.
This book was just different and it opened my eyes up to books like this that I have never thought that I would ever want to read in my life. If you ever read this book maybe you will feel the same as me or either you will feel completely different. Either way Fever of 1793 is a book that I would recommend to anyone.
My first reason for why I like this book is because, it takes you to a certain time in history when things weren't so great for our society. When you read this book it does at first seem like this another old boring school book, but then you get more into it and realize that it is actually interesting. In the book the author tells you about how malaria took over everyones life. No one was safe from it whether you were rich or the poorest of the poor, you had a chance of getting infected. At the same time this movie wasn't just about a diseases that was spreading it was also about family. This girl and her grandfather had to leave her mother behind because she was infected with malaria. On their way to their destination, they became closer because they had no choice but to survive on their own. So not only is this book about a disease that took over at one point in time, but it's also about how this disease brought families closer together.
My next reason for liking this book is for the simple fact that out of every book that I had ever read before having to do with any African Americans during that time, this book did not give them this title as being worth nothing at all. I wouldn't go as far as saying that they were treated as equals, but they did have jobs that they got payed for and they had homes and friends who were whites. I had gotten to a point where I got tired of reading about how useless African Americans were, when in fact in the book they portrayed one black woman as a hero in my eyes. She was there for this family when they needed her and she made sure everything was ok until the threat was over.
This book was just different and it opened my eyes up to books like this that I have never thought that I would ever want to read in my life. If you ever read this book maybe you will feel the same as me or either you will feel completely different. Either way Fever of 1793 is a book that I would recommend to anyone.
November 22, 2025
Reading for book club hehe 💔😝 sometimes historical fiction can be fun or boring…it’s a hit or miss
April 9, 2017
2.5 stars. A lot of potential and good writing style, but ultimately just another boring, archetypal historical fiction.
This book is by no means bad. Anderson's prose flows very nicely, making even the boring bits easy to read. But it's just too average.
This book doesn't break any historical fiction molds. Anderson breaks no boundaries with her boring plotting. Fever 1793 is far too drawn out. It's just boring all the way through.
The main protagonist here was somewhat likable, but she's completely flat. There's no interest to her story because she comes off like a doormat.
This book is by no means bad. Anderson's prose flows very nicely, making even the boring bits easy to read. But it's just too average.
This book doesn't break any historical fiction molds. Anderson breaks no boundaries with her boring plotting. Fever 1793 is far too drawn out. It's just boring all the way through.
The main protagonist here was somewhat likable, but she's completely flat. There's no interest to her story because she comes off like a doormat.
November 17, 2025
“Fever victims lay in the gutters, thieves and wild men lurk on every corner.” (p. 116)
From the perspective of a valiant 14-year-old girl, Matilda Cook, this gripping novel takes us through the yellow fever outbreak that decimated Philadelphia in 1793, a time period when doctors were as likely (if not more likely) to harm patients as help them. For example, in both the novel and the actual outbreak, bleeding was a common medical “treatment.”
“I flinched as the lancet flashed and blood from Mother’s arm poured into the basin.” (p. 72)
Matilda’s family runs a coffeehouse. Her mother is a widow. Her grandfather is an old soldier who fought in Washington’s army and who owns a talking parrot named King George. After the yellow fever outbreak starts killing people they know, the Cook family wrestles with several questions: Should they leave town? Where could they go? Can they actually get out, given that crime and sickness are rampant in the city and that there are riders outside of it who are stopping strangers from going into other towns?
“She shook with fever briefly, three quarters of an hour, cried out once, and died in her own bed.” (p. 15)
“[M]en who stood unafraid before British cannon run in fear form this foul pestilence.” (p. 60)
Additionally, there is a short Appendix to the novel that is awesome. It provides accessible facts about the time period, the people who lived therein (e.g., Dr. Benjamin Rush), and the yellow fever outbreak.
From the perspective of a valiant 14-year-old girl, Matilda Cook, this gripping novel takes us through the yellow fever outbreak that decimated Philadelphia in 1793, a time period when doctors were as likely (if not more likely) to harm patients as help them. For example, in both the novel and the actual outbreak, bleeding was a common medical “treatment.”
“I flinched as the lancet flashed and blood from Mother’s arm poured into the basin.” (p. 72)
Matilda’s family runs a coffeehouse. Her mother is a widow. Her grandfather is an old soldier who fought in Washington’s army and who owns a talking parrot named King George. After the yellow fever outbreak starts killing people they know, the Cook family wrestles with several questions: Should they leave town? Where could they go? Can they actually get out, given that crime and sickness are rampant in the city and that there are riders outside of it who are stopping strangers from going into other towns?
“She shook with fever briefly, three quarters of an hour, cried out once, and died in her own bed.” (p. 15)
“[M]en who stood unafraid before British cannon run in fear form this foul pestilence.” (p. 60)
Additionally, there is a short Appendix to the novel that is awesome. It provides accessible facts about the time period, the people who lived therein (e.g., Dr. Benjamin Rush), and the yellow fever outbreak.
April 8, 2017
First a small ramble.
When I was at school I always thought 'What do I want to learn history for, it's boring, where will it get me and what help will it be'. Just imagine if everyone had the same outlook, we would lose so much knowledge. Thankfully now I'm an old withered up Mother I can appreciate our past a lot better.
"Life was a battle, and Mother a tired and bitter captain"
This story really punched me in the heart with its sorrow. And what really makes it hit home, is the fact that in this day and age people still suffer as badly as they did back in 1793. This evolved from the story of a hard done by teenager who resented her Mother for working her so hard, to a strong young lady finding hope where there seemed to be none.
I can't express just how much I loved this.
"One had to be careful with elbows and boys"
April 28, 2016
I just sped up the narration on the audiobook to finish this faster. That speaks volumes since I've never done that before.
This wasn't terrible or anything, it was just kind of boring. It's just a series of people getting sick. One gets sick, gets nursed, and gets better. Then another falls sick, gets nursed, etc., etc. For almost 300 pages that's all that happens. The one time it started to get interesting for me was when Matty was describing Philadelphia a month or so after the epidemic started, once half the city had fled. Other than that nothing stands out to me as particularly memorable.
This wasn't terrible or anything, it was just kind of boring. It's just a series of people getting sick. One gets sick, gets nursed, and gets better. Then another falls sick, gets nursed, etc., etc. For almost 300 pages that's all that happens. The one time it started to get interesting for me was when Matty was describing Philadelphia a month or so after the epidemic started, once half the city had fled. Other than that nothing stands out to me as particularly memorable.
November 6, 2018
If I'm honest my expectations were really low for this book. I'm not in the “right” age range, didn't know anything about this author, and until recently didn’t know what made the year 1793 special until I mistyped in a Google search looking up an answer for my mom. The reason I decided to place a hold for this book was to learn a bit about the worst epidemic that has hit the U.S., but knew I didn't have time to read a big non-fiction book.
The main character of this story, Mattie, is an obedient, hard working, and resilient 14 year old teen. She runs errands at market, often disagrees with her mother, and dislikes fancy dress-up tea parties. Her dream is to one day make her family's coffeehouse even more successful and travel to Paris. One day, Polly, their servant girl does not show up for work. Stricken sick with a fever that people first called the “grippe”. In the next few days things change very quickly for this family and other Philadelphia residents. There are many theories about how Yellow Fever got to Philadelphia that were wondered about since the early 1900s, until it was discovered that mosquitos carried the disease. Back then medicine and knowledge of best practices for patients wasn't at it's highest level but we get a look at what it was like as a doctor and patient. It's scary to see how everyone acted, both bad and good, to an epidemic to the colonies. This story had heart break, budding romance, fear, happiness, and everything I didn't expect.
In the Appendix, the author included some interesting historical information that relates to the writing of the book. I love the fact that I learned things that I didn't know prior to reading this book. Ms. Anderson took a period of history and held it under a lens to examine it, and then magnified it to this event for the reader to enjoy. I would have not found out about the Free African Society, or famous people touched by the fever, or the battle of the doctors in this time period. To sum up, this is an outstanding piece of historical literature and I couldn’t put it down even when I knew I had a full day ahead of me.
I highly recommend this book to anyone ranging from middle school and up or anyone who enjoys learning about American History. In the future, I hope to learn more about this Yellow Fever epidemic and feel I have a decent amount of knowledge on the topic.
The main character of this story, Mattie, is an obedient, hard working, and resilient 14 year old teen. She runs errands at market, often disagrees with her mother, and dislikes fancy dress-up tea parties. Her dream is to one day make her family's coffeehouse even more successful and travel to Paris. One day, Polly, their servant girl does not show up for work. Stricken sick with a fever that people first called the “grippe”. In the next few days things change very quickly for this family and other Philadelphia residents. There are many theories about how Yellow Fever got to Philadelphia that were wondered about since the early 1900s, until it was discovered that mosquitos carried the disease. Back then medicine and knowledge of best practices for patients wasn't at it's highest level but we get a look at what it was like as a doctor and patient. It's scary to see how everyone acted, both bad and good, to an epidemic to the colonies. This story had heart break, budding romance, fear, happiness, and everything I didn't expect.
In the Appendix, the author included some interesting historical information that relates to the writing of the book. I love the fact that I learned things that I didn't know prior to reading this book. Ms. Anderson took a period of history and held it under a lens to examine it, and then magnified it to this event for the reader to enjoy. I would have not found out about the Free African Society, or famous people touched by the fever, or the battle of the doctors in this time period. To sum up, this is an outstanding piece of historical literature and I couldn’t put it down even when I knew I had a full day ahead of me.
I highly recommend this book to anyone ranging from middle school and up or anyone who enjoys learning about American History. In the future, I hope to learn more about this Yellow Fever epidemic and feel I have a decent amount of knowledge on the topic.
October 24, 2018
LITERALLY FLEW THROUGH THIS BOOK!!!! It was that good, I couldn't even stop reading it!
October 28, 2019
Ahoy there me mateys! Did ye know that in 1793 in Philadelphia there was a yellow fever epidemic? Or that said epidemic killed 10 percent of the city's population in 3 months? Or that there was a Free African Society that helped citizens of Philadelphia in the epidemic regardless of race or class. Or that the first hot air balloon launched in the United States happened in Philadelphia in 1793?
Yup, history can be fascinating and sad and sometimes even unknown when it has happened practically in yer own backyard. The author apparently began this book in 1993 after coming across an article in her local newspaper that discussed the epidemic that had happened two centuries before.
This young adult historical fiction tells the story of 14 year old Mattie whose family owns a coffee shop in the city. Ye follow her story as the yellow fever epidemic unfolds. She is a typical teenage girl with big dreams and fancies who finds herself growing up fast as the city life unravels around her with every passing day of the fever. I thought Mattie was a great character and that this book brought the idea of epidemic to life.
The history of Philadelphia is one that I know very little about and it was fascinating to take this look into one of the city's worse experiences. I found the details in the story to be engrossing. I didn't know that coffee houses were a thing. Also that there were warring factions of French and American doctors regarding treatment.
Looking through Mattie's eyes helped bring this period in history to life in a way that reminds me of why I love historical fiction. And of course as always I love doing further research upon finishing. The appendix of this novel is full of interesting facts. If ye like young adult historical fiction, quick reads, and an interesting time period, give this one a gander.
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp...
Yup, history can be fascinating and sad and sometimes even unknown when it has happened practically in yer own backyard. The author apparently began this book in 1993 after coming across an article in her local newspaper that discussed the epidemic that had happened two centuries before.
This young adult historical fiction tells the story of 14 year old Mattie whose family owns a coffee shop in the city. Ye follow her story as the yellow fever epidemic unfolds. She is a typical teenage girl with big dreams and fancies who finds herself growing up fast as the city life unravels around her with every passing day of the fever. I thought Mattie was a great character and that this book brought the idea of epidemic to life.
The history of Philadelphia is one that I know very little about and it was fascinating to take this look into one of the city's worse experiences. I found the details in the story to be engrossing. I didn't know that coffee houses were a thing. Also that there were warring factions of French and American doctors regarding treatment.
Looking through Mattie's eyes helped bring this period in history to life in a way that reminds me of why I love historical fiction. And of course as always I love doing further research upon finishing. The appendix of this novel is full of interesting facts. If ye like young adult historical fiction, quick reads, and an interesting time period, give this one a gander.
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp...
December 31, 2017
For some reason I'm drawn to books about epidemics, particularly historical fictions and Fever1793 did not disappoint. It provides a sobering yet fascinating glimpse into the Yellow Fever epidemic that took place in Philadelphia in 1793. The story takes the reader into the life of Matilda Cook, a 14 year old girl, living with her mother and paternal grandfather. It details the life of Maddie's family who own a successful coffeehouse and employ a couple of servants - one being Eliza, a former slave, and the other a girl Maddie's age who was formerly her friend. The story starts off with the sudden death of this girl so we are never formally introduced to her character.
The book is well crafted, using a chronological framework to highlight the course of the epidemic as it kills people and leads to the complete shutdown of Philadelphia. The author successfully incorporates historical details that are rich in description of the era and disease. I absolutely love stories that are so vivid they take me back in time to feel as though I'm living with the characters. Fever1793 is one of those books, which made it an inviting read and one that was difficult to put down (or turn off since I listened to the audio version). Each chapter started with a short segment taken from actual letters or diary entries of the time, which set the tone for what was to come and provided a sobering reminder of how it affected the lives of real people.
The Yellow Fever epidemic of 1793 was truly a devastating occurrence. It wiped out many young and able bodied folks in the prime of their lives not to mention some influential people of the time including politicians, doctors and wealthy merchants. It led to medical breakthroughs and also provided opportunity for others to shine such as The Free African Society who worked tirelessly to assist the sick, the French physicians who opened a hospital at Bush Hill that was instrumental in saving many Yellow Fever victims and an American doctor, Dr. Benjamin Rush, who despite his archaic treatment methods invested himself in treating many patients and communicating his findings as he worked hard to discover the disease origin and a cure. The Yellow Fever itself is said to have claimed the lives of at least 5000 people, which amounted to about 10% of Philadelphia's population.
Fever1793 also includes an appendix at the end of the story in which the author shares factual historical details of the era and epidemic. I found that final bit to be quite interesting and a nice way to end the book. I recommend this read to those looking for an engaging YA historical fiction and eager to learn more about the Yellow Fever epidemic. Sadly this disease, which is contracted by mosquitos, continues to exist in some countries today.
The book is well crafted, using a chronological framework to highlight the course of the epidemic as it kills people and leads to the complete shutdown of Philadelphia. The author successfully incorporates historical details that are rich in description of the era and disease. I absolutely love stories that are so vivid they take me back in time to feel as though I'm living with the characters. Fever1793 is one of those books, which made it an inviting read and one that was difficult to put down (or turn off since I listened to the audio version). Each chapter started with a short segment taken from actual letters or diary entries of the time, which set the tone for what was to come and provided a sobering reminder of how it affected the lives of real people.
The Yellow Fever epidemic of 1793 was truly a devastating occurrence. It wiped out many young and able bodied folks in the prime of their lives not to mention some influential people of the time including politicians, doctors and wealthy merchants. It led to medical breakthroughs and also provided opportunity for others to shine such as The Free African Society who worked tirelessly to assist the sick, the French physicians who opened a hospital at Bush Hill that was instrumental in saving many Yellow Fever victims and an American doctor, Dr. Benjamin Rush, who despite his archaic treatment methods invested himself in treating many patients and communicating his findings as he worked hard to discover the disease origin and a cure. The Yellow Fever itself is said to have claimed the lives of at least 5000 people, which amounted to about 10% of Philadelphia's population.
Fever1793 also includes an appendix at the end of the story in which the author shares factual historical details of the era and epidemic. I found that final bit to be quite interesting and a nice way to end the book. I recommend this read to those looking for an engaging YA historical fiction and eager to learn more about the Yellow Fever epidemic. Sadly this disease, which is contracted by mosquitos, continues to exist in some countries today.
March 10, 2021
"The patient is to be placed in a large empty tub, and two buckets full of water, of the temperature 75 or 80 degrees Fahrenheit's thermometer...are to be thrown on him." --Dr. Adam Kuhn, Philadelphia, 1793
Philadelphia, PA, December 14, 2020: The first COVID-19 vaccines are administered in the United States. In 1793, however, the above quote by Dr. Adam Kuhn was considered the appropriate treatment for a patient suffering from the "fever".
There is definitely a stark difference between the medical knowledge of today and 1793 in Philadelphia, PA. This book is a dark and tragic story of a young girl, Mattie Cook. Her mother runs a local coffee house which fills daily with politicians and townsmen of the area, and the stories of the yellow fever spread rapidly. The fever is believed to begin in the area of the docks and spreads to the entire region of the city. As the cemeteries fill with fever victims, fear turns to panic and thousands flee the city. Mattie is sent to the country with her elderly grandfather, but they never make it to their destination. The trials they face on the road are life-threatening and the illness quickly takes over, and they eventually find themselves in a field hospital run by the French doctors.
The story is of a 14-year-old girl's determination in the struggle to survive. It is filled with historical characters. Every chapter begins with a quote from prominent people of the time. I found this book fascinating in both story and history. It is the kind of historical novel that leads me to my computer to research the characters and events mentioned, so I subsequently learn more than the book alone has to offer.
This book can be found in the "Teen Novel" section of your local library.
-Mary
Find this book and other titles within our catalog.
Philadelphia, PA, December 14, 2020: The first COVID-19 vaccines are administered in the United States. In 1793, however, the above quote by Dr. Adam Kuhn was considered the appropriate treatment for a patient suffering from the "fever".
There is definitely a stark difference between the medical knowledge of today and 1793 in Philadelphia, PA. This book is a dark and tragic story of a young girl, Mattie Cook. Her mother runs a local coffee house which fills daily with politicians and townsmen of the area, and the stories of the yellow fever spread rapidly. The fever is believed to begin in the area of the docks and spreads to the entire region of the city. As the cemeteries fill with fever victims, fear turns to panic and thousands flee the city. Mattie is sent to the country with her elderly grandfather, but they never make it to their destination. The trials they face on the road are life-threatening and the illness quickly takes over, and they eventually find themselves in a field hospital run by the French doctors.
The story is of a 14-year-old girl's determination in the struggle to survive. It is filled with historical characters. Every chapter begins with a quote from prominent people of the time. I found this book fascinating in both story and history. It is the kind of historical novel that leads me to my computer to research the characters and events mentioned, so I subsequently learn more than the book alone has to offer.
This book can be found in the "Teen Novel" section of your local library.
-Mary
Find this book and other titles within our catalog.
December 9, 2009
There is nothing much I can say about this book except that it is just an OK read. I know Laurie Halse Anderson for her great contemporary YA novels - "Wintergirls," "Catalyst," "Twisted," and "Speak." "Fever 1793" is nothing like these fabulous books. This is Anderson's first historical fiction book which describes the worst epidemic of yellow fever in America. The story is definitely written for pre-teen children, not young adults. There is just not enough character development or conflict to interest an adult. That aside, "Fever 1793" is a good book to introduce children to this part of American history.
Reading challenge: #4.
Reading challenge: #4.
September 9, 2014
Mattie Cook is a 14 year old growing up helping her mom out in the coffeehouse. Trying to get out of doing her chores and playing adventures with her best friends Polly & Nathaniel. All of a sudden, Polly comes down with a fever, and from there the fever strikes the city of Philadelphia. Set in the 1790s and based on true events, we discover along with Mattie, the harsh realities of growing up in that time, without modern medicine, trying to survive the yellow fever.
This was a quick read, and written towards younger adults, so I would recommend for those readers. A little too broad and not too much depth.
This was a quick read, and written towards younger adults, so I would recommend for those readers. A little too broad and not too much depth.
July 10, 2023
Read this as an adolescent. And still think of it today.
August 17, 2022
This YA book was actually a reread for me from my childhood. It obviously had a significant impact on me because I specifically remembered it even after all these years. Either that or my bizarre attraction to books centered around plagues and epidemics is to blame.
In fact, I believe I can truthfully state this book opened the door to my infatuation with historical fiction in my younger years. In addition to Island of the Blue Dolphins, of course.
Ironically, I started reading this around the time the pandemic started. It was a quick read and an inspiring story of survival and the discovery of strength. Surely, I will reread this book again in the future!
If you are looking to be brought back to 1793 in the suffocating times of the yellow fever, this is a nice little adventure!
In fact, I believe I can truthfully state this book opened the door to my infatuation with historical fiction in my younger years. In addition to Island of the Blue Dolphins, of course.
Ironically, I started reading this around the time the pandemic started. It was a quick read and an inspiring story of survival and the discovery of strength. Surely, I will reread this book again in the future!
If you are looking to be brought back to 1793 in the suffocating times of the yellow fever, this is a nice little adventure!
January 17, 2009
fever 1793 by laurie halse anderson was pretty darned good. it combined philadelphia and infectious disease, both of which i find interesting. last year i read The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever the Epidemic that Shaped Our Historyand thoroughly enojoyed it so it was fun to read a fictionalized account of the plague in philadelphia.
yes, it was a kids book, but it read like an adult book. it didn't use the type of language that most kids books written for this level of reader uses; as an adult i totally appreciate that and as a young reader i would have too.
the protagonist was a girl in her early teens and it was told from her pov. basically, philadelphia started falling apart around her as the yellow fever started killing more and more people. we learned about the "treatments" for and supposed causes of the sickness and we got to see what the city looked like after most of the population had cleared out and only those too sick, poor, or stubborn to leave were left. it was some interesting stuff.
there was an appendix at the end of the book that gave brief information about the True Facts of the plague and info on the Real People that were mentioned in passing (like Benjamin Rush and George Washington). frankly, as the dorky, pretentious kid i was, i would have really dug the appendix. hell, i dug it as an adult.
so, i'd say that if you have any kids who are interested in this type of stuff or who just kind of enjoy historical stuff, give 'em this book. it's marketed at 10 and up, but it's an intelligent 10 and up.
yes, it was a kids book, but it read like an adult book. it didn't use the type of language that most kids books written for this level of reader uses; as an adult i totally appreciate that and as a young reader i would have too.
the protagonist was a girl in her early teens and it was told from her pov. basically, philadelphia started falling apart around her as the yellow fever started killing more and more people. we learned about the "treatments" for and supposed causes of the sickness and we got to see what the city looked like after most of the population had cleared out and only those too sick, poor, or stubborn to leave were left. it was some interesting stuff.
there was an appendix at the end of the book that gave brief information about the True Facts of the plague and info on the Real People that were mentioned in passing (like Benjamin Rush and George Washington). frankly, as the dorky, pretentious kid i was, i would have really dug the appendix. hell, i dug it as an adult.
so, i'd say that if you have any kids who are interested in this type of stuff or who just kind of enjoy historical stuff, give 'em this book. it's marketed at 10 and up, but it's an intelligent 10 and up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 29, 2020
Five stars for Fever 1793!
My daughter and I read this as a Mother-Daughter buddy read, and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. Fever 1793 is a book about the yellow fever epidemic that plagues Philadelphia in said year. Told from the perspective of Mattie, a young girl living with her mother and grandfather, Fever 1793 is engaging and interesting from start to finish. The characters are well developed, and the setting and atmosphere truly bring forth the historical essence of this novel. This book makes for excellent discussion, especially comparing and contrasting the events from then with today's current pandemic.
While this is a middle grade/young adult read, I would definitely recommend it to adult readers as well. For anyone who enjoys historical fiction, this is a great read. Anderson also includes a summary of facts at the end of the novel which makes the book even more fascinating. I look forward to checking out more of her novels!
My daughter and I read this as a Mother-Daughter buddy read, and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. Fever 1793 is a book about the yellow fever epidemic that plagues Philadelphia in said year. Told from the perspective of Mattie, a young girl living with her mother and grandfather, Fever 1793 is engaging and interesting from start to finish. The characters are well developed, and the setting and atmosphere truly bring forth the historical essence of this novel. This book makes for excellent discussion, especially comparing and contrasting the events from then with today's current pandemic.
While this is a middle grade/young adult read, I would definitely recommend it to adult readers as well. For anyone who enjoys historical fiction, this is a great read. Anderson also includes a summary of facts at the end of the novel which makes the book even more fascinating. I look forward to checking out more of her novels!
January 24, 2010
The setting of Fever 1793 is late summer in the city of Philadelphia. Mattie Cook lives in a coffeehouse with her widowed mother and veteran grandfather. She hopes one day to turn the coffeehouse into something spectacular. Suddenly, Mattie's best friend passes away due to a mysterious fever. That begins the epidemic known as yellow fever - and as the deadly illness sweeps through the town, Mattie and her loved ones must find a way to survive.
Laurie Halse Anderson is a true storyteller. Usually, historical fiction would bore me to death - but Fever 1793 held my attention and kept me flipping the pages. It was unsettling reading about yellow fever and how many lives it took, but it was also a great experience because I learned a lot about the disease.
I thought Anderson could have developed the characters a bit more, though. I never felt a connection to any of them, even Mattie, but I still felt her numerous losses and heartaches throughout the book. Otherwise, Fever 1793 was great and should be read by those who are interested in disease, especially yellow fever.
Laurie Halse Anderson is a true storyteller. Usually, historical fiction would bore me to death - but Fever 1793 held my attention and kept me flipping the pages. It was unsettling reading about yellow fever and how many lives it took, but it was also a great experience because I learned a lot about the disease.
I thought Anderson could have developed the characters a bit more, though. I never felt a connection to any of them, even Mattie, but I still felt her numerous losses and heartaches throughout the book. Otherwise, Fever 1793 was great and should be read by those who are interested in disease, especially yellow fever.
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