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Summary: An Educational Adventure
Review: This touching story provides the reader with an acurate view of Yellow Fever enveloped Philadelphia from the point of a spunky 13 year old girl. Mattie, the book's main character struggles with the weakening and losing of her small family, the horrors of a emedemic stuck city, and her personal emotions. I highly recomend this book as a historical fictiong gem.
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Summary: Another Hard Experience Through Another Tough Character
Review: Once again, Ms. Anderson creates a believable character we can trust to help us explore a difficult issue we'd sooner forget. In this story, it's Matilda, and she takes our hand through a vividly recreated 18th Century Philadelphia. It's often hard to endure the physical and moral illness, but all the easier because we respect the girl through whose eyes we see it, and we want to stay with her.
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Summary: Captivating and Thrilling Tale
Review: This was an amazing book that I couldn't put down. It was such an unusal and well told story. I loved all the character and felt as if they were real from the authors story telling abilities. Please read this book. Not only do you get a good read out of it but some facts too.
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Summary: Wonderful book!!!
Review: I really liked this book, infact it was alot better than I thought it was going to be. My only complaint was that the way the charachters spoke and sometimes acted was very unlike how people would have spoken and behaved in 1793. Some of it was too modern, But that didn't wreck the story at all. It was very reallistic and is one of the best historical fiction books I've read.
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Summary: Learn about the harsh reality of yellow fever!!
Review: The great author Laurie Halse Anderson, wrote the splendid, magnificent, and 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 harsh reality Mattie was in, and it sounds real. Laurie Anderson wrote as if she was 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. MattieÕs life and dream takes a turn after her playmate, Polly, dies of a mysterious fever. The fever turns outs to be the deadly yellow fever. Mattie was shocked of PollyÕs sudden death, but she was more shocked when she found out that her mother had gotten it. She couldnÕt admit that it was really happening. MattieÕs mother decided to send Mattie to the LudingtonÕs 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 didnÕt. Mattie is terribly scared when her grandfather becomes ill on the trip. Mattie and the driverÕs 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. She ends up catching the yellow fever herself, and is taken to Bush Hill. There, 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 victimsÕ dead bodies being carried out. Laurie Anderson uses great imagery to describe Bush Hill, like how Mattie felt when she had yellow fever. The imagery was amazing, and it makes the reader feel like theyÕre 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. Grandfather is killed and Mattie is alone by herself. This is the turning point that changed Little Mattie to Ms. Cook. Which means that Mattie changed from a little, irresponsible girl to a very responsible hard working girl. Two robbers killed grandfather, and Mattie needs to pay attention to her, not trying to find her mother. First Mattie couldnÕt find any hope of survival, and wondered around the streets looking for help. The climax began as Mattie tried very hard to survive, and on the way she met Nell. Mattie found NellÕs 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 ElizaÕs brother. Her brother had two sons, and took care of Nell for Mattie sometimes. Then another terrible incident occurred. 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 the yellow fever died away. Then to make things better, Mother came back to the Coffeehouse alive. Then the Coffeehouse was reopened, and everything was back to normal. Mattie had survived through the harsh fever season, by herself. This story is exciting, and is a great story. Mattie keeps on losing hope, and realizes that she isnÕt dreaming. She learns a harsh reality about life and death as her life goes on. This is a perfect book for people who want to know about the harsh yellow fever, in Philadelphia, over 208 years ago. You will be able to taste the reality of that time period.
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Summary: good history lesson
Review: What I liked about this book is that it brought me to a time period where society was given many tests. What do people do when they are in challenging situations of life and death? We are lucky today, with our knowledge of medicines, etc.What I didn't like about the book is that Mattie's voice was not strong enough. Ms. Anderson's character in Speak was extremely convincing and I had high expectations for Mattie as well. All the characters were leading towards being pretty sterotypical. And there were a few times Ms. Anderson would describe something and then she would stop. I was waiting for more detail, so I could smell, hear, taste the situation, but I was disappointed in some places. All in all Fever 1793 was a solid book, that teaches some good lessons.
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Summary: History comes to Life
Review: Fever, 1793 brings the sorrowful time in Philadelphia when Yellow Fever devastated the city, to life in a compelling manner. You see the sights of the ravished market,docks, and shops, smell the stench of the dead and dying, feel the despair of those waiting and watching and struggle right along with Mattie as she copes with the loss of her grandfather, the fear that her missing mother may be dead,and her determination to reach out to others and survive.Mattie's spirit brings hope and joy in a terrible time. I could not put this book down. A librarian from Bucks County
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Summary: This is really good - trust me!!!
Review: I don't usually like history in school, but our teacher read this book to us and I never wanted her to stop. This book has everything I like - a really great main character (the other characters are interesting, too), an exciting plot, and lots of interesting little things that made me really see what was going on, even though it took place so long ago. Plus, my teacher read it during class time, so we got out of work! If you're a teacher, read this book to your class. If you're a kid, read it on your own time. You won't be sorry. Trust me!!!
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Summary: Excellent read AND I learned something! Cool!
Review: I enjoyed this book tremendously. It was written about a difficult time in a non depressing manner. In fact it was uplifting and inspirational. Surely if a 13 year old can overcome her adversities in such a time, then all of us readers can overcome whatever our life's issues are by her example. Don't waste time feeling sorry for ourselves, think with a level head and solve our problems. It was a joy to read.
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Summary: Fever of 1793
Review: Fever of 1793 was an excellent choice for our mother/daughter book club. Our book club has been together for 4 years and it was one of our favorites. Mattie is a strong female role model who faces despair but reaches to the depths of her soul for strength to conquer all odds. She has a relationship with her mother that goes through a lot of growth. Epidemics such as the fever of 1793 can be equated to our own current epidemics and a study of how people choose to respond to adversity. Highly recommended. Very thought provoking and discussion worthy.
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