Introducing.....From the Bookshelf

At our Fall 2017 WATG Conference, several people asked me whether the WATG newsletter could feature a column entitled From the Bookshelf,  a place where our constituents could share what they are reading, and/or what their children and students are reading.  Gifted people read often and widely, and it’s great to get suggestions of titles that others have enjoyed.  These could be titles from any genre, with a brief explanation of what made this read so compelling.

In order to share your ideas for this column, please email your article to us at www.watg.org, and put the word “article” in the subject line. We’d love to hear from you.

To get your ideas flowing, please enjoy reading about the following book from my students’ bookshelf:


Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson details the epidemic of yellow fever, which sweeps through the streets of 1793 Philadelphia. In this historically accurate work of fiction, the main character, teenager Mattie Cook, is living quietly in Philadelphia during the summer of 1793, when the fever breaks out. This event, and the results of the epidemic, changes her life and others’ lives forever in innumerable ways.

Fever 1793 is suitable for teenagers, and gifted students as young as fourth grade. It contains a richly detailed glossary of historical facts, a fast-moving story line, and complex and fascinating (and sometimes archaic) vocabulary. It celebrates girls and women as heroic figures living and thriving in very difficult circumstances, and highlights personal characteristics such as passion, persistence, curiosity, and problem-solving.

As an adult, I was also thoroughly engrossed by this book, and would recommend it to those of you who enjoy historical fiction.

Jacquelyn Drummer
Past President, WATG

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