Jeffrey's review
Fever 1793
by Laurie Halse Anderson
Jeffrey's review
Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
Jeffrey's review
rating:
bookshelves:
read---children-s--ya
Fever 1793 is one of the rare children's novels that I will recommend to adults to read.
As a middle school English teacher, reading children's and young adult fiction is part of the job. Often it is enjoyable, and often I am annoyed because I would rather be reading something else. Usually, after a spree of YA literature I must read Faulkner or a chapter from Ulysses to come out even. YA books are often formulaic. The formula includes a protagonist that is generally angst-ridden, complaining about mom and/or dad and nervous about how they act in front of their crush. They develop a newfound respect for a character in the story who is either old or diseased. This character shows unbelievable strength and teaches profound morals. And then this character dies. I have been told YA books are filled with misery because it is what kids are interested in. I guess children are not much different than adults in that regard.
Back to Fever, though. It is about Mattie Cook, who ...more
As a middle school English teacher, reading children's and young adult fiction is part of the job. Often it is enjoyable, and often I am annoyed because I would rather be reading something else. Usually, after a spree of YA literature I must read Faulkner or a chapter from Ulysses to come out even. YA books are often formulaic. The formula includes a protagonist that is generally angst-ridden, complaining about mom and/or dad and nervous about how they act in front of their crush. They develop a newfound respect for a character in the story who is either old or diseased. This character shows unbelievable strength and teaches profound morals. And then this character dies. I have been told YA books are filled with misery because it is what kids are interested in. I guess children are not much different than adults in that regard.
Back to Fever, though. It is about Mattie Cook, who ...more
