My Book Review on Fever 1793

Fever 1793

By Laurie Halse Anderson

Review by Jennica

1-9-2012

How much do you know about yellow fever? Did you know that it killed 10% of Philadelphia’s population? I had no idea there was even such a thing as yellow fever until I read Fever 1793 by Laurie Anderson published in 2000 by Simon and Shuster Books for Young Readers. I would recommend this phenomenal book to anyone who is interested in learning about yellow fever in a fascinating and heartfelt way and I would give it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

The book takes place in 1793 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Ten year old Matilda had a great life. An affectionate mother, wonderful friends, and her very best friend Eliza who is always there for her life was great, until yellow fever struck. Matilda one of many who is affected by yellow fever, a deadly and contagious disease that is spreading across the city. In the midst of people dying around her, Matilda  must learn how to take care of herself, her grandfather, little Nell who she found with no parents, and trying to find her mother who has yellow fever and is nowhere to be found.

One of the things that made me appreciate this book is that the author speaks in a way that is clear for her audience to understand, since it is targeted toward a younger audience. I think this is important because you want your audience to understand what they are reading. If the book was just full of language that did not make sense people would put the book down because they would not comprehend it. For example in my 7^th Grade Language Arts class we had to read Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes. The way it was written was hard to understand for at least one quarter of my class. While if we were to read something like Fever 1793 it would make sense and we would get the message easier from the book.

Along with that, it is a genuine story that is just incredible to read. It is so unbelievable to see this little girl rise to the occasion to help herself and others by giving up essential needs such as food, sleep, and time. Here is a few lines from the book to help a little bit more for what I’m going for. “Fifth Street, South of Walnut. So many blocks to walk, and I would have to do it with Nell on my hip. But it would be farther to carry her to the orphan house and still farther to the coffeehouse. Nell looked at me. There was no choice. I hoisted her high in my arms and headed south.” Also keep in mind she is only ten. Most ten year olds might have just handed Nell to some stranger, but not Matilda. She took responsibility for Nell and didn’t just leave her.

Lastly, the main reason why I love this book is because it shows the story of a young girl being brave, strong, and reliant. It makes the story all the more amazing because she is only ten. Matilda witnessed death all around her. She took care of Nell, she found people she needed for help, and got her family-owned business back up and running. She had to do all these things with barley any support except for her friend, Eliza. The reason I think that Matilda took everything and put it in a way that was her responsibility is because no one else was there to do it for her.

The author, Laurie Halse Anderson, has also written other books such as Ndito Runs, Turkey Pox, No Time for Mother's Day, The Big Cheese of Third Street, and many others. Another one of her books Chains won two awards, National Book Award Finalist and The Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction. Anderson’s Book Speak also won the National Book Award Finalist. I have yet to read any of her other books but I am sure they are just as great as Fever 1793.

 To sum it up, this book is a must read for children of all ages to learn about our history and the journey of a brave little girl.