I also recommend finding an audiobook version of the story. However, teachers should focus on them because their meanings often foreshadow events in the story. Many students had a difficult time understanding the quotes. These quotes come from a variety of sources, but all are taken from historical documents. Students can analyze how the setting and events influence the character’s choices.Īside from a terrific plot and engaging main character, the book also has quotations from the time period at the beginning of each chapter. Mattie changes a lot from the beginning of the story until the end – the epidemic forced her to grow up quickly. This is not an easy read, so I do not recommend using it with struggling readers (except as a read-aloud.)Īside from using the book for text evidence, theme, and vocabulary or tying the novel to history, I recommend teachers use Fever 1793 to explore the following reading standards:įever 1793 is excellent for discussing character development and how events influence characters. I have used this book with 5th graders toward the end of the year and 6th graders. During the summer of 1793, Mattie Cook lives above the family coffee shop with her widowed mother and grandfather.

However, if you have a student that struggles with loss or handling death, the story may be too much. Although it is a bit graphic in parts, most kids just want to know what happens next. The story does get a bit dark – after all, a lot of people died in the yellow fever epidemic. In addition to using the novel to teach reading skills and history standards, teachers could have students compare their experiences to Mattie’s. Now that we have lived through the Covid pandemic, the story will resonate even more with students. Although the Cook family is fictional, the events discussed in the story are real. It is a very accurate portrayal of life at this time. Laurie Halse Anderson does an amazing job weaving historical facts throughout the story.

As the yellow fever outbreak becomes more evident in the story, students begin to ask for more reading time – they want to know what happens to her! Mattie is a very engaging character, and students quickly get swept up into her life.

Fever 1793 audiobook full book