Has an ordinary cold ever came out of nowhere and infected you, your friends and your family. This is the case for 14 year old Matilda Cook in Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson but this is not an ordinary cold, it is a raging yellow fever outbreak in the United States capitol Philadelphia (the capitol is later moved to its current location Washington D.C.). Matilda’s personality was altered a great amount over the course of the outbreak for example she started to become a more responsible worker and she was treated and respected more like a grown adult. Although Matilda is 14 years old, that is about the age we start driving cars now, she is treated like a 5 year old kid in preschool. On page 16 Matilda wants to go pay her respects to Polly,