Fever 1793

Novel: Fever 1793
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Genre: Y.A. Literature
Other works by Halse Anderson: Chains, Forge, Wintergirls, Twisted, Speak, Catalyst
Please go to Laurie Halse Anderson's website for a complete list of works.

Like all of Halse Anderson's historical fiction pieces, Fever 1793 is engaging, enlightening and thoughtfully written. Fever 1793 takes place in, you guessed it, 1793 when the spread of Yellow Fever was rampant. Halse Anderson's story is told from the perspective of a teenaged girl, just coming to terms with the responsibilities of adulthood. Once the epidemic of Yellow Fever begins there's little the people of the newly settled America can do to stop it. Matilda, Halse Anderson's protagonist, is forced to flee her home of Philadelphia with her grandfather once her mother becomes unimaginably ill. Her life becomes entirely chaotic, especially once both she and her grandfather catch the Fever. After what seems like an earthly hell, Matilda returns to Philadelphia to find her mother's coffee shop and house completely abandoned and ram-shacked.

Fever 1793 would be an excellent addition to any history classroom's bookshelf. As I've said in previous posts regarding Halse Anderson's historical fiction, it would be a much welcomed change of pace from the usual five-hundred page American history textbook. This particular novel is an easy and quick read.