The Midwife's Apprentice

Module 6

Cushman, Karen. 1995. The midwife's apprentice. New York: Clarion Books

In this hitorical novel, a young girl with no home, no family and no name other than Brat finds work with the local midwife. While her hunger drives her to work for the sometimes unkind midwife named Jane Sharp, she begins to discover more about herself and her own abilities. Renamed Beetle, they young girl begins to learn more about the midwife profession and eventually discovers that she has a gift. Even though she has suffered mostly neglect and abuse in her young life, she learns that it is possible to love and care for others. Set in fourteenth century medieval England, readers get a lesson in how much more difficult life was, especially for homeless children. Cushman has done her research to give an authentic picture of life in a medieval village. During this dark period, midwives relied on magic, spells, and old wive's tales to ply their trade. The dialogue used captures very well the speech patterns used during medieval times. While some children may find the speech humorous, they can still identify with Beetle, who later changes her name to Alyce. The main theme of the book is Alyce's survival and maturity. Cushman doesn't sugarcoat her struggles: life was hard for such children during those times. Alyce, while imperfect, is shown as a character who grows and begins to build her own identity. The story definitely reflects the morals and attitudes of the time, and for this reason may not be suited for younger children. Readers will learn interesting lessons about this period of time where superstition was equally, if not more important than science in midwifery. The Author's Note at the end of the book gives more facts about the profession. This Newbery Award winner is recommended for ages 12 and up.