Fever 1793 might be the most underrated of Laurie Halse Anderson's historical fiction, and how sad that is. I first read Fever 1793 when I found it in one of my teachers' libraries in a desperate search for something to read. I discovered a lot of good historical fiction that way. This was my introduction to Anderson, and it definitely set the bar of things to come.

Very few people write about the yellow fever epidemic of 1793. It's become a side-note of history, something that is in-between the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. Anderson tackles the subject with her usual dedication to detail and research. Mattie is relatable while still fitting in the time she lives in. She wants to have her own coffee shop where people can gather and a library of her own. She is stuck, however, under the controlling (but loving?) thumb of her mother. News of the fever starts to spread, and soon Mattie is forced to flee with her grandfather. She turns without him with no knowledge of her mother's fate, having to survive in a city ravaged by epidemic.

Mattie's struggles and dreams drive the story forward, but I was more interested in the time the novel was set. Anderson perfectly depicts what Philadelphia must have been like during that epidemic. Of course, the French have the better way to treat yellow fever (aka the ways that actually make logical sense) than Dr. Rush's (very very dumb) infective treatment of leaching the sick and then leaving them for dead. Gee, why wouldn't that work. There is a perfect amount of suspense in the novel, and Mattie grows up as her city heals.

Highly recommended!