Plagued by Nonfiction?

Take an interesting look into history with Jim Murphy's An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793.  Told day by day, Murphy writes about Philadelphia's first signs of the sickness, unexpected effects on the city, and reactions in the aftermath.  An American Plague uses primary sources such as drawings, maps, articles, poetry, comics, and government documents to tell the story of what happened to the nation's largest city and capital, as Philadelphia was home to George and Martha Washington at the time.  Murphy's book shows readers the details that make history interesting.  Rather than rattling off fact after fact, An American Plague reads somewhat like a novel with actual Philadelphians used to tell the history.  Famous and historical people are included and a special section discusses the role of African Americans in helping to overcome the plague.  A great source for historical information, this book takes learning about the plague to another level.

An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793
written by Jim Murphy
Scholastic, 2003
nonfiction book, ages 10 to 14
lexile measure: 1130

Awards/Recognition:
2004 The Rober Sibert Medal
2004 Newbery Honor
National Book Award Finalist
NCTE Orbis Pictus Award

SUGGESTIONS

READERS

This book is great for people who do or don't love nonfiction.  For the teen who loves nonfiction, it gets all the points for being accurate and having all the required information.  For the teen who prefers fiction, it reads more like a novel and makes them feel "more at home."  An American Plague would be a great resource for research projects or supplements to history lessons.

Cartoon shows Uncle Sam upset and wanting to "charge" the virus with crimes against humanity.

Murphy uses handwritten notes to show the desperation of Philadelphians.

Drawings from the time period are included to showcase different aspects of their daily lives.

WEB RESOURCES
American Memory
The Library of Congress provides a website of primary sources from America's history.  Readers can use this website to look for additional research about the plague.

The History Channel
The History Channel website is searchable and has videos, articles, and other resources for people wanting to learn more about Yellow Fever.

PBS Website
PBS offers a resource for The Great Fever and has articles, pictures, maps, a timeline, and more.

ACTIVITY

Because much of the book relies on primary sources, a lesson on how to read and use primary sources would be a great companion piece.  Many students haven't been taught to use the graphics in a nonfiction title as a source of information.  Teaching a lesson on using them would help them greatly in their future academics.  You can create your own lesson or use the ALA website lesson plan on understanding primary sources.

SIMILAR READING
I chose the books below because they show different sides of the sickness.  The first shows the medical side, the second looks at the sickness as a weapon, and the third tells the story of a girl living in Philadelphia in 1793.

The Secret of the Yellow Death: A True Story of Medial Sleuthing by Suzanne Jurmain
Age Range: Ages 10 and 14

This book shows a very cool yet gory way to see Yellow Fever from the medial side of the sickness.

Yellow Fever: A Deadly Disease Poised to Kill Again by James L. Dickerson

Age Range: Young Adult to Adult

This nonfiction book not only looks at the history of Yellow Fever, but also shows the impact such a disease could have on modern society.

Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
Age Range: Ages 10 and 14

Although not technically nonfiction, the amount of research Anderson did and historical documents used in the novel, paint an accurate picture of a child's life during the plague.