oh,oh,oh this story is amazing! I love going into history. Especially Laurie's books which are amazing. I read this long ago it was one of her first books i read. I fell in love! The story of Matilda is entrancing and sad. Also the book cover is really nice i might say and you won't forget this book!

A long, hot, humid summer led to one of the worst epidemics in America. The year was 1793, the ravaged city was, Philadelphia. In three months over five thousand people are dead, and it created a ghost town of the nation’s capitol. In Fever 1793 we relive those three months through the eyes of fourteen year old Mattie Cook. Like everyone else at that time, Mattie and her family were unprepared for an epidemic of this nature. Nothing was known of the cause of Yellow Fever and people blamed the disease on many things never realizing that the fever was passed by mosquitoes, this fact wasn’t discovered until 1902. As we follow this small family’s experiences, we learn of how this disease transformed the city and those that lived in it. Some people stepped forward and were heroes, caring for the sick and trying to keep a steady flow of food coming into the city. Others, of a more baser nature, took this tragedy as an opportunity for looting and murder. Many fled the city in order to save themselves and their families. Given the subject matter, I can’t say use the word enjoyable but, I did find it both engrossing and educational. As Mattie’s world turns upside down, we see a young girl discover how to rely on herself and help others. The book is quite short, and I wished the characters could have been more fully developed, but the author kept her story within the three plague months which didn’t give her a lot of room for additional material. Opening the pages of Fever 1793, was like opening a small time capsule on this event, the author painted a very real picture and I learned a great deal.

This is a teen novel that is easily enjoyed by adults. Based on the true story of an epidemic of Yellow Fever affecting a town in George Washington's era. How the protogonists survive is both scary and thrilling.

15 yr. old Mattie endures the horrendous outbreak of yellow fever in colonial Philadelphia. She learns alot about life, her family and builds relationships with others. A great read for teens/tweens who like historial fiction.