Both the YA and historical fiction genres blend together beautifully in Laurie Halse Anderson's "Fever 1793". It is a gripping account, written from the point of view of a fourteen-year-old girl, Mattie Cook during the course of a year, 1793, in Philadelphia. Mattie lives with her mother and paternal grandfather, a Revolutionary War veteran, above a coffeehouse the family operates in Philadelphia. Mattie chafes under her mother's strict and proper upbringing, and the daily grind of doing chores wears out Mattie's patience.
Things change when the yellow fever epidemic sweeps Philadelphia and Mattie finds herself adrift without proper guidance when the people closest to her are unable to support her both emotionally and physically. The story tracks Mattie's growth as an individual, one who needs to make important, life-altering decisions, and grow quickly from childhood to adulthood within a span of a year. The story moves at a quick pace, and makes for riveting reading. Mattie is a strong-willed, defiant, and courageous young woman, and young adults will easily relate to her on this level. Her journey towards self-reliance and independence is credibly portrayed against the historical backdrop of the fever epidemic that swept Philadelphia in 1793 and took many lives. This is a well-written and engaging YA historical novel that will appeal to both teenagers and adults.
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