THE MIDWIFE'S APPRENTICE

Bibliographic Information: Cushman, Karen. The Midwife’s Apprentice. 1995. New York, NY : Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 978-0-395-69229-5.

Summary:

Set in medieval England, this is the story of a nameless, homeless girl (about 12 or 13) who is taken in by stern village midwife, Jane Sharp, nick-named “Beetle” and used as free labor.  She begins to gain her own knowledge of midwifery but when she’s helping with a difficult birth, she runs away ashamed at her failure and lack of knowledge.  How Beetle (who later rechristens herself “Alyce”) comes to terms with her failure and returns to Jane's home as a true apprentice is a gripping story

Critical Analysis:

The Midwife’s Apprentice is not what I would call a fun read.  The setting is medieval England and times then were hard for everyone, especially female children like Beetle.  She was so poor she didn’t even have a name, let alone a home or way to earn money.  When Jane the midwife found her and took her in as cheap labor, as hard as that life was it was actually a blessing.  She struggled and worked hard for every scrap she got and the story is so realistic that we struggle along with her.  Readers can actually feel the cold, smell the dung, experience vicariously how it must hurt to be hungry and without a family and to have to work hard for an unforgiving mistress just to have a meal and safe place to lie down on a pallet at night.  “Fun” is not the word for the story.

That doesn’t mean it’s not a good one, however.  Because it is so realistic as to how children lived in that time period, it’s much too easy to identify with Beetle’s plight and that feels sad, especially when she experiences doubt in herself.  We feel all the more happy though when she gains self-confidence, rechristens herself Alyce and realizes her intrinsic worth and value.  To be along with her as she literally climbs out of a dung heap and becomes a self-sufficient young apprentice will bring readers the joy that is missing from the first parts of Beetle’s story.

Cushman’s novels are praised for their authenticity and attention to historic detail and The Midwife’s Apprenctice is no exception.  Through the speech, the vivid descriptions of clothes and homes and the winning balance of fact along with fiction, she effectively draws readers into the time and place Beetle lived.  We can all relate to the universal idea of wanting to be valued and needed as Alyce finally was.  The author’s note at the book’s end about herbs and the practice of midwifery further drives home the true story behind the fiction of the story.

Book Review Excerpts:  “Characters are sketched briefly but with telling, witty detail, and the very scents and sounds of the land and people's occupations fill each page as Alyce comes of age and heart. Earthy humor, the foibles of humans both high and low, and a fascinating mix of superstition and genuinely helpful herbal remedies attached to childbirth make this a truly delightful introduction to a world seldom seen in children's literature.--Sara Miller, Rye County Day School, NY (In School Library Journal via NoveList).

“Fortunately, Cushman (Catherine, Called Birdy, 1994) does the fathoming for them, rendering in Brat a character as fully fleshed and real as Katherine Paterson's best, in language that is simple, poetic, and funny. From the rebirth in the dung heap to Brat's renaming herself Alyce after a heady visit to a medieval fair, this is not for fans of historical drama only. It's a rouser for all times.”  (Kirkus Reviews, February 15, 1995).

Awards: 

ALA Notable Children's Books: 1996
Booklist Editors' Choice - Books for Youth - Older Readers Category: 1995
Newbery Medal
Parents' Choice Awards - Story Books: 1995
School Library Journal Best Books: 1995
Young Reader's Choice Award (Pacific Northwest): Senior

Connections/Further Activities:

Constructing a diorama of a typical medieval English village can be a fun way to vividly illustrate how they actually functioned.

Further discussion of the herbs mentioned in the author's note could include bringing in samples of them and a general discussion of the benefits of herbal remedies.

Modern times have seen a resurgence in the popularity of midwives so, without getting too graphic, a further exploration of midwifery and it's evolution over time could be conducted.

Title Read-A-Likes/Further Reading:
Missy Violet & me - Barbara Hathaway
In a dark wood – Michael Cadnum
Matilda Bone – Karen Cushman
The door in the wall - Marguerite de Angeli