Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

Christina Brownell — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 18:24:20 +0000

Fever 1793 is a great book for people who like to read about dramatic, bad times that are based on events that actually occured with “real” people in “real” times. Fever 1793 is a book that describes the life of the protagonist, Maddie, a young girl who’s mother owns a cafe with her grandfather in 1793. When the family starts hearing of the plague that’s been going around, panic fills the air, along with a deadly sickness known as yellow fever. Throughout the book, somebody very close to Maddie gets sick, her grandfather gets the sickness and events that are very unfortunate occur one after another. The whole world is falling apart, and Maddie has to have hope, faith, and try to put back together her life again. After a long period, the plague starts to distiguish and the world starts to come back together again, but before this happens there will be suffering, depression, and deaths roaming about. So for a good book that will reach deep into you, Fever 1793 is the book for you!Jesse C. – 7th grade

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear

Christina Brownell — Wed, 14 Sep 2005 18:26:35 +0000

The story begins with clever, intuitive Maisie Dobbs meeting her first client in her brand new detective agency, a man who believes his wife is cheating on him. Not being the typical detective, Maisie goes beyond spying and pretends to just meet this woman randomly. Secrets are shared (she’s not cheating, she’s visiting her childhood sweetheart’s grave) and Maisie’s soothing effect helps the couple communicate better. But Maisie sees a bigger mystery beneath it all Who was this sweetheart and why is only his first name on his grave?The middle of the book is a flashback to her childhood growing up as a servant to wealthy aristocrats in early 20th century London. She is caught late at night reading in their library, but instead of punishing her they give her a tutor who trains her in philosophy, science, literature and people skills, then send her to the women’s division of Cambridge University. There, she meets wild girls who party and take advantage of being wealthy. At the beginning of the war (WW I) she feels that studying is not enough and wants to serve her country. She becomes a nurse and travels to France to tend the wounded, seeing incredible misery and torture while falling in love. All this shapes who she is as a person and as a detective. The climax of this story keeps a reader alert and interested. You will fall in love with Maisie and her assistant Billy and want to read the next in the series, Birds of a Feather.

–M. Funke, Librarian

GJSHS book reviews » Historical Fiction

Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear