In 1793 a Yellow Fever epidemic wiped out 10% of the population in Philedelphia. This very well-researched book follows the months that the fever paralyzed the city through the eyes of Matilda or Mattie, the teen-aged daughter of a widowed coffee house owner. At the opening, her biggest concern is whether her mother will arrange a match for her with the fourth son of the rich snobby Ogilvies, but things change quickly as fever grips the city--then capital of the United States. The rich fled to the country, abandoning the city to looters, forsaken corpses, and frightened survivors. Mattie struggles with the loss of friends and when her mother becomes ill and the coffee house closes, how will she survive? There's excellent nonfiction information at the end of the book.

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