Bibliography
Cushman, Karen. The
Midwife’s Apprentice. New York, NY: Clarion Books, 1995. ISBN: 0395692296
Plot Summary
The Midwife’s Apprentice is set in a small village in
England during the 14th century. A young girl is discovered by the
midwife, Jane Sharp, after huddling in a dung heap for work. The midwife
recognizes the girl’s intelligence and allows her to work in exchange for a
small amount of food and a place to sleep. The young girl, who the midwife
calls Beetle, works tirelessly for the midwife. She begins to form an identity
of her own and adopts the name Alyce. After helping a local boy deliver calves,
Alyce takes more of an interest in the work of the midwife and begins studying
her in great detail. Her confidence grows when she helps the baliff’s wife
deliver a baby that the midwife didn’t think would survive. Later when she is
called upon to help deliver another baby, she fails and runs away in shame. She
is taken in by an inn keeper in exchange for work. While at the inn, she
successfully helps to deliver a baby. This bolsters her confidence and she is
finally able to return to the village to resume being the midwife’s apprentice.
Critical Analysis
The main character, Alyce, is likeable and relatable. Unfortunately
too many kids understand what it means to be homeless or to live in poverty.
Alyce also struggles with self-confidence. This is evident when she fails at
delivering the baby and runs away instead of trying again. Her confidence has
been beat down by so many circumstance and people that she doesn’t value
herself.
The setting takes place in medieval England. Many elements
and details in the book help the reader to understand how different life was
during this time. During this time period, it was not uncommon for people,
children included, to starve in the streets or from lack of protection from the
cold. There were not services and organizations to protect people, like we have
now. It was also not uncommon for children such as Alyce to lack an education
and be unable to read. The act of delivering babies was also very different.
The book describes that the mothers would lie on a bed of straw. The midwife
was also looked at as having some type of magic spells that helped in the
delivery.
Awards
1996 Newbery Medal
Review Excerpts
School Library Journal: “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.”
Publisher’s Weekly: “Cushman has an almost unrivaled ability
to build atmosphere, and her evocation of a medieval village, if not scholarly
in its authenticity, is supremely colorful and pungent.”
Connections
*Karen Cushman provides a discussion guide on her website.
*Other
historical fiction books set during WWII:
·
Cushman, Karen. Alchemy and Meggy Swan. ISBN:
9780547577128
·
Cushman, Karen. The Ballad of Lucy Whipple. ISBN:
9780547722153
·
Cushman, Karen. Catherine, Called Birdy . ISBN: 978-0395681862
No comments:
Post a Comment