"Fever 1793" by Laurie Anderson. This book is about a girl named Mattie who lives through a tragic time. Her friends and family have died of this mysterious fever called Yellow Fever. Mattie's mother came sick with a fever, and Mattie was taken to a farm far away. After a few weeks, Mattie traveled home to where her mother was nowhere to be found. Finally, after weeks of hot and tired weather, the first frost had come, and her mother came home. The coffee house opened, everyone traveled back to town, and George Washington came into town and declared the fever was over. This book's theme is the survival of a big disaster, as Mattie had to try to stay alive during this epidemic. Another critical factor is symbolism. The symbolism in this story