The book starts of as another day for Mattie Cook. Mattie, her mother, a free worker, and another girl named Poly. One day, Poly was not at work even when the store closed for the day. Mattie was most curious and want to Polys house. Her husband had told her that she died due to a fever. Mattie also noticed that a lot of people around the city were getting a fever. Doctors came to the conclusion that it was yellow fever. Matties family did not want her to talk to anyone for the fear of her getting yellow fever. One day Mattie was sent out to get groceries, she then spoke to a man named Nathan who was close friends with her. She told her grandmother that she had spoken with her friend. Her grandmother scolded her and would not give her dinner …show more content…
On the way there border control stopped them to check if any of them had yellow fever just to make sure that the disease does not spread. All of a sudden, Mattie's grandfather starts coughing a lot through the middle of the journey. Mattie is trying to take care of her grandfather and trying to get to their destination. On the way, Mattie is starting to get ill and all of a sudden passes out. Three days later, she finds herself and her grandfather in a hospital. After they feel better, they travel back to Philadelphia to find their mother. When they walk past the coffee shop they see that there is broken glass and stolen furniture. They have to start scavenging for food because they do not have any other way to eat. They go to a vegetable garden to eat. That night, two people were trying to steal the remaining item’s of the coffee shop and wakes up Mattie. She tries to stop the people but gets herself captured. Her Grandpa wakes up and attempts to shoot them, but he missed and then get strangled to death. The next day, Mattie buries him and starts hanging up sign in search of her mother. She then meets her friends Nattie and stays at their