For a sixteen-year-old girl, in the city of Philadelphia during one of the most historical epidemics of our time, Mattie Cook was an ordinary girl forced to take hold of her life. A very rough life it was living with her now widowed mother and grandfather trying to keep their meek coffee house up and running. Until the horrible epidemic swept the city of Philadelphia, making many ill including Mattie's mother.
Mattie's mother is then sent off to clean air to hopefully recover, while Mattie and her grandfather are trying to escape the city, they flee off to the countryside to seek fresh air with no disease and fend for themselves, but on the way to the countryside their doctor mistakes grandfathers cough for yellow fever and they are sent to return back to the city. But instead they flee to the woods. Though will staying in the woods Mattie herself catches the yellow fever, and passes out in the road nearly dead. But she is found and nursed back to health in a temporary hospital. After a long recovery, Mattie and her grandfather return to Philadelphia, which is now deserted and reeked of death, Mattie tries to return to a semi normal life, but that changes in one night were a robbery cut grandfathers life short.

Mattie, now had to support herself really on her own and with the heavy weight of depression for her dear grandfather now weighing her down, she needed her mother more then ever. But Mattie being a strong willed young girl, in this story, she is determined to survive and at some points her journey was rough, she did all she could to become an adult. Even though her mother is determined to find her a rich young fellow and support Mattie the way she always wanted to. Grandfather was a sweet caring man, but also solemn and right to it. He cared for Mattie and she cared for him their relationship throughout the book blossomed. Then there is Mattie's mother we as children see her as a typical parent, overpowering, but she had such a warm heart. Together these three characters tied the story together and made it interesting and great.
The setting of this story takes place in middle class area of Philadelphia Pennsylvania, during a horrifying time period. It was hot summer, August. There home is a coffee house there coffeehouse always had the most delicious smells and people would rush in to just get a whiff. The theme of the story is to know that times were ruff and this book gives you an inside image to what is was like to struggle and have pain in this time.
This was a tremendous historical novel I felt in the story and I craved for more it was informative and exciting I am very happy I chose this book for it was very rewarding in the end.