Reviews

Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

heathercottledillon's review

4.0

I didn't know much about the Philadelphia yellow fever epidemic before I read "Fever: 1793." This book does a great job of telling an engaging story with charming characters while at the same time educating readers on a historical event that isn't often discussed. There's also a really handy appendix that includes info about the actual event and the people who appear in the story who really lived. I also think it does a good job of portraying daily life for Americans during the 1700s. The pace of the story moves quickly and there's a balance between tragedy and hope, which I think is a good combination for introducing historical events to young readers.

saikouneko's review

dark fast-paced

4.0

luey03's review

2.0

The mom can’t cook or add

reader4evr's review

4.0

Another book by Laurie Halse Anderson that I really liked. I'm not a big fan of historical fiction but this one was really good. I love when a author does their "homework" because I think it really shows in the writing.

I like Mattie. She went through a lot in the story but she always kept her attitude positive. I think a lot of girls can relate to her even now even though it happened 230ish years ago. I never knew how much yellow fever was such a problem in the United States. It just sounded gross and people were just gross about it too.

I listened to the story which I would totally recommend. Good "actor"...she made her come alive!

bookish_harper's review

3.0

3.5

drusmilford's review

3.0

Young Adult - Historical Fiction - I particularly enjoyed this book after having spent this week in Philadelphia. Only wish I had read the book before visiting Philly.

lgiery's review

hopeful inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Great middle grade historical fiction book. I read it when I was around 12 y/o for fun and now again as a teacher. Quick, engaging plot that focuses on a rarely talked about historical event (the 1793 yellow fever outbreak in Philadelphia); a great choice for pre-teens post-covid.

librarianboston's review

adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring tense fast-paced

5.0

3ducks's review

challenging tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

lyramadeline's review

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This was enjoyable, but not one I’m going to think about all the time. It was fast-paced and didn’t take long to read. The characters were a little flat, but I still liked them. There was a lot of emotion in this story and it taught me about a little-known, short time of history.

Full review to come

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Medical content

Minor: Blood and Vomit