Genre 5: Historical Fiction

The Midwife's Apprentice

Cushman, Karen. 1995. The Midwife's Apprentice. New York: Clarion. ISBN 978-0-395-69229-5.

Plot Summary

A homeless girl known only as Brat lived in a dung heap when she was discovered by "an important looking woman"(p. 3). The woman, a midwife, known as Jane Sharp, took Brat in and renamed her Beetle. Beetle lived with the midwife, working for scraps of food and a bit of floor on which she could sleep. As cheap labor and without the confidence to rise above the level of apprentice, Beetle was the perfect helper for Jane Sharp. Eventually, Beetle attends a Fair where she is mistaken for a girl named Alyce. Thinking this would be the perfect name for her, she renamed herself Alyce. Alyce had worked as an apprentice for several months when she was unexpectantly called upon to act as midwife herself. She failed at the job and, instead of learning from her mistakes, she ran away. Working in an Inn, Alyce learns to face her fears and returns to the midwife.

Critical Analysis

The Midwife's Apprentice is a short, fast-paced, Newbery award winning historical novel set in medieval England. The book describes the sounds and smells of the time in an effective manner. Descriptions of the cottage, its daily care, and Jane's belongings help readers to visualize the setting.

From the beginning, readers understand her intelligence, determination, and cunning. We see her great sense of survival as she lives in the warmth of a dung heap during the winter. Her intelligence is displayed when she cleverly tricks the villagers into believing there is a devil among them. She makes it appear to all that the devil is visiting certain individuals in the village. The villagers believe that since the devil is visiting these individuals there must be a need for them to be punished. In this way Alyce gets revenge from all who have mistreated her. Teens will identify with the hardships Alyce faces. She is teased by boys, she is ostracized because she is different, and she has trouble finding her place in the world.

Unfortunately, Cushman failed to fully illustrate Alyce's epiphanies at the end of the book. The story has a sudden ending that seems rushed and a bit contrived as compared with the rest of the book.

The book ends with an author's note. This section gives factual information on the history of midwifery. This section gives the reader background information on where the occupation began and how it is still practiced today.

Review Excerpts

School Library Journal: "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."

Booklist: "Kids will like this short, fast-paced narrative about a hero who discovers that she's not ugly or stupid or alone."

Connections

This book can be used in a history class to illustrate life for women in medieval times.

This novel can be used to study character development.

Related Books

Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

Any of the Crispin books by Avi

Book cover from www.librarything.com