Fever 1793, by Laurie Halse Anderson. It is summer 1793, and 16-year-old Matilda Cook documents her frustrations in life as any teenager might.  Her mother, a hardworking widow and stern taskmaster, rules over the family’s Philadelphia coffeehouse and dominates Matilda’s life. As the novel opens, life seems normal enough except that the maid Polly hasn’t shown up for work.  Soon we find that Polly has died of a fever rumored to be sweeping through Philadelphia’s poorer harbor communities. While some citizens claim the so-called fever is a result of the filthy habits of the poor, we soon find it is truly an epidemic of yellow fever that hit Philadelphia in the summer of 1793. As the epidemic progresses, Matilda must use her resources and courage to save her family and her home. Interspersing Matilda’s story are quotes from documents of the times, depicting not only the dreadful situation but the efforts of the free African American community (tied into the novel through a secondary story line) to help those afflicted with the disease.  Interweaving through the story as well is Matilda’s growing affection for Matthew, an apprentice to local painter Charles Wilson Peale, one of several historical figures featured in the novel.  An eye-opening novel of how unchecked disease can devastate families and entire communities, Fever 1793 also asks readers to ponder whether we are risking a similar epidemic  today. Fever 1793 is an ALA Best Books for Young Adults. Reviewed by Denise Richards, Collection Management Assistant, August 4, 2008