Fever 1793 was written by Laurie Halse Anderson and has no illustrator. It was published in 2000 and is a work of historical fiction. It is about a girl living during the 1793 fever epidemic.Mattie Cook lives at the Cook Coffeehouse in Philadelphia with her mother, her grandfather, and their cook, Eliza. She spends her days avoiding chores and making their coffeehouse the best Philadelphia has ever seen. All goes well until the fever breaks out. Disease is everywhere, and at her feverish mother's insistence, Mattie and her Grandfather leave the city. This starts one of Mattie's craziest adventures: taking care of her grandfather, coming down with the disease herself, and, finally, finding her mother and reopening their coffeehouse. Anderson will keep you turning pages and may even make you cry at the end of this bittersweet story.
It sounds like Fever 1793 provides a window into a challenging moment in history. We are reminded by this kind of look at life in the past that many things we take for granted are blessings that many do not have. Today, we are blessed by advances in medicine, transportation, technology, and so much more. But family is a gift from God.
ReplyDeleteImagine the love of a sick mother who sends her child away to safety. Imagine the agony of learning that the fever was so widespread that it could not be escaped. Imagine the grace of God, who is always with us, in good times and in bad.
Hope is essential. My hope comes from my gracious Heavenly Father. I thank Him for my family, health, joy, and hope.