Fever 1793

Rating:
Summary: Fever 1793
Review: A very cool author Laurie Halse Anderson wrote the adventurous book Fever 1793. Laurie Halse Anderson also wrote Speak, and other great books. Laurie Anderson wrote Fever 1793, so people would understand the devastating yellow fever that struck Pennsylvania in 1793. This story explains the reality Mattie was in. Mattie Cook, a fourteen-year-old girl who lived in Philadelphia. Her parents owned the Cook Coffeehouse, and Mattie was very proud. She had big dreams to make the coffeehouse a big company for the president. Mattie's life and dream changes after her friend, Polly, dies of a mysterious fever. Mattie was shocked of Polly's sudden death, but she was more shocked when she found out that her mother had gotten it. She couldn't admit that it was really happening. Mattie's mother decided to send Mattie to the Ludington's house, with grandfather to take her. Mattie was surprised that no one was stopping her mother. Not even Eliza, a freed slave that works for them. Eliza usually is understanding, and Mattie thought Eliza would stop Mother, but she didn't. Mattie is terribly scared when her grandfather becomes ill on the trip. Mattie and the driver's family fears that it is yellow fever, and the driver kicks Mattie and Grandfather out of the carriage. Now it was all up to Mattie to save her Grandfather and herself. Mattie learns the true fear and terror of the yellow fever. She hears terrifying screams at night, and smells blood and death everywhere. Worst of all, she sees victims dead bodies being carried out. She sees lifeless corpses in the streets. The imagery was amazing, and it makes the reader feel like they're Mattie. As the story goes on, it explains how Mattie goes back to her house with Grandfather. As soon as they go back to they house, the worst thing happens. Robbers come to the cofee house. This is Mattie transforms from an un responsible teenager to an older responsible adult. Two robbers killed grandfather, and Mattie needs to pay attention to herself, not trying to find her mother in the fever anymore. First Mattie couldn't find any hope of survival, and wondered around the streets looking for help. When she does look for survival in the streets Mattie finds out that it's very hard to survive, and on the way she met Nell. Mattie found Nell's mother dead, and Nell by herself sobbing. Mattie understood how the poor little girl felt, and took Nell with her since she felt sympathy for Nell. Mattie was losing all of her hope, and was about to give up when she saw Eliza. Eliza was helping the Free African Society, and taking care of the fever victims. Mattie stayed with Eliza, which stayed with Eliza's brother. Her brother had two sons, and took care of Nell for Mattie sometimes. The two young sons and Nell, were stricken with yellow fever. Eliza and Mattie panicked, and they were losing every hope they ever had. Then, a miracle occurred. There was frost everywhere.And I do not want to spoil the ending (...). This story is exciting, and is a great story. Mattie keeps on losing hope, and realizes that she isn't dreaming. She learns a harsh reality about life and death as her life goes on.

Rating:
Summary: Fever 1973
Review: Author of Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson writes her amazing historical fiction book, Fever 1793 about a teenage girl named Matilda a.k.a. Mattie who faces difficulty and fights for her life. The story is written really well and Laurie Halse Anderson does a good job making Matilda sound like a girl in the 18th century. In Fever 1793 the bonds of friendship and love is written really well.
16 year-old Matilda Cook's mother and grandfather owns a popular coffee shop on High Street. Mattie was a lazy girl with a comfortable and plain life. Her whole life changes when the yellow fever epidemic arrives in Philadelphia. Her mother caught the fever and sends Matilda and her grandfather away to be safe. They leave Philadelphia and on their way both Matilda and her grandfather catches yellow fever. So much happens like the death of Mattie's grandfather and her mother goes missing. The epidemic kills thousands of people. When winter comes the epidemic ends. The fever might have ended but the bad memories are still there.
The epidemic caused Mattie to change a lot. She was a lazy girl in the beginning of the book but then she became more responsible and strong. The character shift that Laurie Halse Anderson did was really good.
I had read her other book Speak and thought it was an ok book. But Fever 1973 is one of the best books I've ever read. This book was written I such a way that it is hard to put down. Anderson makes you want to keep reading. I read this book in 3 days and couldn't put it down. I never knew historical fiction could be so fun to read.
Fever 1793 is written so well. I couldn't find any downside besides the fact that I thought the beginning was boring, other than that it was perfect. This book really gives you a picture of the 18th century. This book was not only fun to read but it also was educational. These are two qualities that make the book great.

Rating:
Summary: An Example of Great Historical Fiction
Review: Fever 1793 tells the story of Mattie Cook, a fourteen-year-old girl, who lived with her widowed mother and grandfather above the family's coffee shop in Philadelphia. Mattie's life is suddenly turned upside down when yellow fever hits Philadelphia. Many people that Mattie knows become ill with yellow fever, and the city becomes an unsafe place to live. Then Mattie's mother and even Mattie come down with the fever and have to fight for their lives.
I feel that this is a book of high literary merit. Laurie Halse Anderson created very unique and believable characters. As a reader you care a lot about Mattie, and what happens to her. There is the dramatic question of whether or not Mattie and her mother will survive. The book creates a very lived through experience, creating a suspension of disbelief.
I think this book would work nicely in the classroom as an aide in a history lesson about the Fever of 1793. The children will identify better with what it must have been like to live through something like that, after reading Fever 1793. I highly recommend the use of this book.

Rating:
Summary: A real flip turner
Review: Fever is a book, which takes place in 1793, just after the American Revolution. Yellow Fever spreads throughout the cities, including Philadelphia, where Mattie Cook lives. Mattie and her grandfather flee the city, and try to escape into the country where the air is clean. They are stranded in the country after being thrown out of a wagon, and have to survive with the conditions they are living in. This book includes many thrilling, and frightening obstacles that Mattie has to overcome.
It also made me think about how far we have come with medicine, and cures. Back in 1793 they thought that bleeding people was the right way to cure people of sicknesses. It turns out that bleeding people eventually kills them. We are very lucky to have the intelligence we have now.
I also like this book because helped me understand what it would have been like in a 14 year olds mind when all of the chaos was happening. The book expresses Mattie's feelings and helps you understand what kind of things she was going through.
I would definitly recommend this book to people 10 and older, or anyone who wants to read a book that is adventurous but factual at the same time.

Rating:
Summary: Catch the Fever!
Review: I think that Fever 1793 is a wonderful book. It is very realistic and it kept me interested even though I'm not too fond of history. A good story is told, and the author has obviously done her homework because it stays true to actual historic events. The reader can get a pretty good idea of what it was like during the yellow fever epidemic while still getting the story that they are reading for.
The actual story of the book is about a girl trying to survive the yellow fever outbreak in Philadelphia that occurred in 1793. Mattie, the main character, is originally lazy and would rather sleep than do her share of work, but she learns responsibility and realizes that work isn't all-bad and that it is essential for her survival. She overcomes the odds and survives her own case of yellow fever but then is faced with other problems that she needs to solve. The city of Philadelphia has become a not so pleasant place. The fever has left Philadelphia full of scoundrels and thieves. Everyone else is either dead or deathly sick. The thieves have stolen everything that Mattie has to her name and she has to basically start all over. Her fight for life has become harder and she is beginning to break down emotionally when she meets up an old friend and realizes she is not in this alone. I think that this book not only demonstrates how hard work can help you in the long run but also how standing by your friends can help you through these hard times.
This book is a good book for teens to read because it is written as from a teen's perspective. We can relate to the lazy feelings she has and the want to just give up. Mattie also has a somewhat of a lesson to teach us. She teaches us that if you want to make a difference in this world you can't give up. You have to keep trying and you will eventually reach you goal.

Rating:
Summary: Very Interesting Time of History
Review: Interesting tale told by Mattie Cooke, a teenager living in 1793 Philadelphia. It is an era I did not know anything about. I had heard about Yellow fever hitting tropical places but was not aware that it had ever occurred so far north.

It is interesting to see how Mattie seems to "grow=up" during this tragic time. Once the fever hits her home she flees with her grandfather, leaving her sick mother behind. They do not get far as they both fall ill. Mattie gradually recovers and heads back home with her grandfather, but they find the home has been ransacked and her mother is nowhere to be found.

The book is well written and left me wanting to know a lot more about the historical timeframe.

Rating:
Summary: Fever 1793
Review: Mattie Cook, a 14-year-old girl, lives with her mother and grandfather in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her family owns a little coffee shop, so Mattie spends most of her days doing chores. During the summer of 1793, yellow fever wonders the streets of the city taking 10% of the city's population by the end of the epidemic. Eventually Mattie's Mother ,Lucille, catches the fever, and sends Mattie and her grandfather to the country to live with the Ludingtons. Then, something terribly goes wrong, and then things just keep getting worse.
Once you start the book, you just can't put it down. Laurie Halse Anderson did a great job with all the researching.

Rating:
Summary: Great historical novel for kids--based on real events
Review: My students generally enjoy the works of Laurie Halse Anderson (especially "Speak") and seeing as how I have a special interest in Early American history, I figured reading this book would kill two birds with one stone. Happily, I've discovered a book that both students and history teachers (such as myself) will enjoy.

Students would enjoy this book because it's a good story. It's a coming-of-age novel about a fourteen-year-old during the days of the great Yellow Fever epidemic in 1790's Philadelphia. While those around her panic or die, Mattie (the main character) struggles to keep her head clear, her family safe, and her mother's house and business protected from robbers. It's a life or death situation that follows a young girl as she rises to the occation.

American histoy teachers would also do well to either assign this book, or have it in her classroom library. Andeson attempts to be historically accurate in her period novel, and succeeds. Moreover, she mentions things that a history teacher can take and run with. Why are President Washington, Secretaries Hamilton and Jefferson, and other federal government officials in Philadelphia, anyway? What's all this talk about "bleeding" a sick person? What's a necessary? This would be a good choice to assign as a class novel as it can be used in both literature courses and history courses. Highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: A realistic, well-written and researched book...
Review: This work of historical fiction captures the life of a young girl, Mattie Cook, and her family during the Philadelphia Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793. Disease spreads rapidly destroying lives and futures. When Mattie's mother succumbs to the fever, she insists that Mattie leave the city with her grandfather. Their journey to the countryside goes amiss and Mattie must rely on her own wits to survive in a city turned frantic from disease. Expertly researched, Anderson describes the desperate attempts at cures by primitive medical experts and the populace at the time. She vividly captures the peoples' fear, loss and helplessness (nearly 5,000 people, or roughly 10% of the city's population died). Anderson's descriptions of afternoon tea, the sites and sounds of outdoor markets, coffee houses, and the countryside provides a rich, textured setting and gives the reader a strong feel for everyday life in 1793. Her strong character development draws the reader into the plight of the Cook family. It is a gripping story which keeps the reader on the edge of her seat as the plot unfolds.