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I remember reading this book in fifth grade and becoming so fascinated with this time in history. I will definitely want to implement this in my future classroom

“The world is not as it should be. It is a place of chaos and fear.”

Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson is an historical fiction novel that shows the hardship the yellow fever caused for people. This book focuses on a young girl named Mattie and how the disease affects her, the people she loves, and her dreams for her future. This book allows children to see the real impacts yellow fever had on society and can relate them to their own experiences and knowledge of the COVID Pandemic.

“Good children were seen and not heard, how undoubtably like me.“

I felt as though the story was very vivid and provided a great glimpse into what life looked like for many people living in the late 1700's. This being said, this book is definitely an upper elementary level book however, I really enjoyed the change of pace this book brought.

Matilda is 14 and lives in Philadelphia. She dreams of one day running a coffee shop liker her mother does. Her relationships with her mother and grandfather grow and change as the story continues. She contracts yellow fever and overcomes this hardship by fully recovering. Matilda overall experiences loss, perseverance, and growth throughout the story.

This amazing book is set during the Yellow Fever Pandemic and follows a teenage girl who survives the disease and has to learn how to take care of herself!