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  • Essay / Novel Review: Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

    The fiction novel Fever 1793 written by Laurie Halse Anderson is told through the protagonist, Matilda “Mattie” Cook. Mattie is fourteen years old and lives with her mother and grandfather; as a family, they run a popular café. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay A series of events occur, forcing him to grow up quickly and fight to keep his family and the company family.Mattie works in a café run by his mother, his grandfather and their maid Eliza. The Cook Coffeehouse outside Philadelphia becomes a refuge for those fleeing the city's fever, also known as yellow fever. Yellow fever killed around 10% of its inhabitants. The outbreak hit in August and only subsided in November. When the fever first hits, some people leave town, while others don't believe it's anything other than a regular fever that tends to strike every fall. Mattie is just a normal teenager. Like any other teenager, her body changes, she can't stand the sound of her mother's voice, and she has a huge crush on a pretty painter named Nathaniel Benson. The yellow fever epidemic, however, creates an emergency situation in the city where she lives. Once known for its brotherly love, Philadelphia is transformed into a nightmare of orphaned children, thieves and unmarked mass graves. Over the course of the novel, Mattie experiences intense personal loss and comes face to face with death. She must also fight against the wave of panic and fear raging through the city – and within herself. To win the battle, Mattie must muster every ounce of her courage, strength, and morality. A true test of who she is, the fever will become one of the defining moments of Mattie's life. As the yellow fever epidemic continues to spread through her town, her mother falls ill and Mattie and her grandfather attempt to flee town. However, her grandfather falls ill, and then Mattie herself. Once Mattie recovers, they return to town, but it is completely abandoned and their house has been broken into. When they are attacked by thieves, Mattie's grandfather has died and Mattie is left to fend for herself. On her way to the market after burying her grandfather, she discovers a child, Nell, whose mother died of fever, and Mattie takes her in. Mattie makes contact with Eliza, who is caring for her brother's sons, and stays with her. and Nell. Soon, Nell and the twins have a fever, and Mattie and Eliza must stop helping others take care of them. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Personalized Essay They move into the café, and when everyone recovers after the first frost, the town comes back to life. Mattie asks Eliza to be her partner in relaunching the café. Soon, his mother arrives after staying with relatives. Mattie thought she might be dead, but the family moves after the tragedy of the fever fades. Works Cited Anderson, L.H. (2002). Fever, 1793. Simon and Schuster. Glencross, R. (2003). Historical fiction for children and adolescents: Changing times, changing perspectives. Taylor and Francis. Pennsylvania Historical Society. (nd). The yellow fever epidemic of 1793 in Philadelphia. Retrieved from https://www.brynmawr.edu/iconog/phila1793/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (nd). Yellow fever. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/whitefever/index.htmlU.S. National Library of Medicine. (nd). Epidemics in history: yellow fever. Excerpt from