Fever 1793

by Laurie Halse Anderson

No cover — Laurie Halse Anderson: Fever 1793 (2006, Listening Library)

Hardcover, 256 pages

English language

Published Jan. 9, 2006 by Listening Library.

(9 reviews)

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.

3 editions

nerd teacher [books] reviewed Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

An epidemic tale.

3 stars

Despite the fact that I have a habit of yelling at absurd history (like bleeding people to cure them), I rather liked this book. There are some small bits that have me on the fence because I'm wondering how they would actually look in history. Perhaps after more reading, I might upgrade my rating.

Overall, it makes the epidemic of yellow fever really tangible; it shows that epidemics turn people into the worst (or, at least, certain groups of people), where they would just toss their loved ones and friends into the streets because they feared the illness. I feel like that message could've been stronger in some scenes. It was definitely clear that strangers would rather protect their own than help everyone and would toss people should one person appear unwell.

govmarley reviewed Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

Review of 'Fever 1793' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Interesting young adult book about a young woman growing up in the midst of the yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia 1793.

Mattie is a strong heroine, but not perfect. I like that she was flawed and didn't always do the right thing. I also loved her silly grandfather. It would have been nice to get a better idea of her mother's motivations, but overall the characters were fleshed out well and realistic.

A good introduction to the devastation of the epidemic and how it impacted families. It is a time I hadn't read about before so I will find further reading to learn more.