Fever 1793.

Fever 1793.

Laurie Halse Anderson.

Publisher:Aladdin.

Publication Date:September 1,2000

Genre:YA Historical Fiction.

Format|Pages: EBook|256.

Source:Owned|Goodreads.

4.5 STARS 

I had always enjoyed historical fiction; there was something about those novels that captures my attention. Fever 1793 was one of the best historical fictions I read. I have learned about yellow fever in the past but this book gave me even more knowledge. I had no idea how much people were actually affected by it. Not only was this an interesting novel but it was also educational. So far Laurie Halse Anderson hasn’t disappointed me. I have been fan of her since reading Speak in high school, for English class in 2006. I think that this is the book that everyone should read, even adults.

Fever 1793 is based off actual yellow fever epidemic that hit Philadelphia in 1793. The book takes place in late summer of 1793 when the rumors of fever first began. At first nobody thought anything of it, assuming that it was all rumors till more people got sick, more people died. That includes Polly, the serving girl at Cook Coffeehouse and Mattie’s old friend. However Mattie doesn’t even get chance to mourn her death, when people begin show up at her family’s coffeehouse, in order to get away mosquito infested river.

Soon Mattie’s mother falls ill with fever, and Mattie and her grandfather flee, to stay in country but never make it that far. That causes troubles for both her and her grandfather as they attempt to survive. Two of them eventually make it back home, but when they do, they find everything destroyed by yellow fever and the coffeehouse broken into. After another tragedy strikes, Mattie tries finding the courage to go on, to manage the coffeehouse.

Fever 1793 is a fourth novel I read by Anderson. Once again, Anderson didn’t disappoint me. Even thought I enjoyed Speak more, I would highly recommend this book. One of things I liked in this book is of course the historical aspect of it. I enjoyed learning about how the yellow fever started and how it had affected everyone. Even if I did learn about it when I was still in school, I didn’t actually think that anyone survived the fever, I had thought that anyone who got it would die at some point. So I was surprised to see that some people made it through the fever. Second, had no idea how sick people got when they actually got the fever. I loved the aspect that Anderson added at the end of the book, about the actual fever. I felt like I knew more about Yellow Fever, then before I started reading the book.

Mattie: I loved her right for the start, I loved everything about her. One of the things that I adored about her was her determination. Even with everything that she had gone through, with her mother getting sick, her grandfather dying and being all by herself, she didn’t give up. Even when she caught the yellow fever, she had made it through. Also when her grandfather was sick, how she tried everything, to try find their way back home. Once he died, way she decided to run the coffeehouse, with partner when her mother wasn’t around. I think of her as very strong character, even with everything she had lost. She kept on going. Not every 14 year old can do that, especially with everything she gone through.


There were some part that didn’t capture my attention that much and reason I gave it 4 stars, but I did enjoy most aspect of the book. One of novels that is worth checking out.