What would you do if your entire city suddenly became dangerous?
In Fever 1793, Laurie Halse Anderson brings this real historical event to life through the eyes of fourteen-year-old Matilda Cook. What begins as a story about a girl helping at her family's coffeehouse quickly becomes a gripping tale of survival, courage, and resilience.
Blending historical fiction with true events, Fever 1793 offers readers an unforgettable look at one of the deadliest epidemics in American history while exploring timeless themes of family, responsibility, and perseverance. Whether you're reading it in the classroom, at home, or as part of a homeschool study, this novel creates meaningful opportunities for discussion and learning long after the final page.
As I was reading this book I was able to reflect on the differences of the yellow fever epidemic of 1793 to that of the COVID-19 epidemic in 2021. One that we lived through ourselves. The difference in how disease spread then versus now. The way information was spread then versus now. The way fear was displayed then versus now. The difference in how community and society responded then versus now.
Our Student Reading guide would be a great study for middle school or high school students. This historical fiction novel is a great opportunity for students to study the differences in culture and society. Our reading guide offers a historical review for the student to read prior to the book. The guide gives questions for students to review cause and effect and to draw their own conclusions about what was done right, wrong, or could have been done differently to manage the epidemic.
The book does visit themes of death, illness, grief, survival, social class, race, and public health. The content did not seem graphic or gory. Our Teacher Guide gives the parent/teacher the ability to lead discussions concerning these topics. The appropriate age range for this book is listed as 10-14. Grades 5-9. But I also think it is a great resource for high school students who might be studying that time period, historical events, or societal epidemics.