Fever 1793 is about Mattie Cook, a girl living in Philadelphia at the time of the yellow fever epidemic. Mattie lives above a coffee house with her widowed mother and her grandmother. When the yellow fever comes that summer, Mattie witnesses the privileged wealthy flee to the country but she is stuck behind. We follow the many challenges her family faces as a result of the epidemic, including illness and loss. 

This story moves quickly, but with grace and appropriate attention to historical accuracy and character development. I think the author did a great job noting the racism and classism that was common at the time and part of the epidemic. It was believed that low class people and those of non European ancestry were vile and prone to infection. Germ theory was not yet established and other false beliefs are also called out. The author used historically accurate ways to challenge racism which I also loved. 

For an epidemic story, this one has an uplifting ending. It is a reminder of how fortunate we are to have the advancements of science in our current lives, and a beautiful story of a young girl who faces significant struggle and comes out the other side.