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Fever 1793 By Laurie Halse Anderson ( Aladdin )
Release Date: 2002-03-01
Average Customer Rating:
List Price: $6.99
Price: $6.99
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Product Description
During the summer of 1793, Mattie Cook lives above the family coffee shop with her widowed mother and grandfather. Mattie spends her days avoiding chores and making plans to turn the family business into the finest Philadelphia has ever seen. But then the fever breaks out. Disease sweeps the streets, destroying everything in its path and turning Mattie's world upside down. At her feverish mother's insistence, Mattie flees the city with her grandfather. But she soon discovers that the sickness is everywhere, and Mattie must learn quickly how to survive in a city turned frantic with disease.
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Amazon.com Review
On the heels of her acclaimed contemporary teen novel Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson surprises her fans with a riveting and well-researched historical fiction. Fever 1793 is based on an actual epidemic of yellow fever in Philadelphia that wiped out 5,000 people--or 10 percent of the city's population--in three months. At the close of the 18th century, Philadelphia was the bustling capital of the United States, with Washington and Jefferson in residence. During the hot mosquito-infested summer of 1793, the dreaded yellow fever spread like wildfire, killing people overnight. Like specters from the Middle Ages, gravediggers drew carts through the streets crying "Bring out your dead!" The rich fled to the country, abandoning the city to looters, forsaken corpses, and frightened survivors. In the foreground of this story is 16-year-old Mattie Cook, whose mother and grandfather own a popular coffee house on High Street. Mattie's comfortable and interesting life is shattered by the epidemic, as her mother is felled and the girl and her grandfather must flee for their lives. Later, after much hardship and terror, they return to the deserted town to find their former cook, a freed slave, working with the African Free Society, an actual group who undertook to visit and assist the sick and saved many lives. As first frost arrives and the epidemic ends, Mattie's sufferings have changed her from a willful child to a strong, capable young woman able to manage her family's business on her own. (Ages 12 and older) --Patty Campbell
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 Excellent historical fiction for US history! ( rushrc2 )
Fever, 1793 was an accidental find. It is a totally intriguing book about the malaria epidemic in Philadelphia. It is historically accurate and the author cites her sources at the end of the book so they don't interfere with the adventure. This is a young girl's story of survival when the fever strikes her home. She deals with death, looters, and economic survival in a community ruled by fear. This would be a great read-aloud for a teacher of US history or just a great book to curl up with if you want a personal perspective of a historical event.
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Fabulous Story
It's hard to find books these days that are historical and yet still interesting for youn readers. This book fits the bill. Although detailing the accounts of a young girl, my son was enthralled by the story. The descriptions of what life was like back then and the tragedy of yellow fever brought many discussions to the dinner table. History would be so much easier to teach if we had books like this on every subject to engage children's interest for more in depth study.
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This book was so well written, I did not want to stop reading! ( internet-collector )
Young, gifted students could read this book. The only mature topic covered is death (no sexual stuff). The target audience is high school age, but I am in my 30's, and I loved reading the book. I cried along with the main character and hoped she would find her mother alive. I originally read the book to screen it for my daughter who is a gifted student, but very young. I enjoyed the book a lot more than I thought I would.
I liked how at the end the author lists what she made up and what is real, so kids can understand the real event.
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Informative read! ( sandyod )
Besides being a wonderful story this is an accurate view of history during the making of our country. It is a heart-wrenching look at illness when we had no tools to combat sickness and, in general, I would seriously recommend having your children read this book. This author is amazing at historical accuracy and storytelling.
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J. Conkey's Book Review
The book Fever 1793 was about a girl who is sick and everybody else is sick as and she needs to help everybody. The girls name is Matilda, Father and Mother. Matilda is facing the fever to protect the citizens of 1793. This book took place in 1793.
The book 1793 is very recommended to everyone because it has lots of action and it shows passion. We learned that it takes that it takes pride and honor to help other people.
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