Monday, June 23, 2025

The Midwife's Apprentice

 Historical Fiction Review

Bibliography:
Cushman, K. (1995). The midwife's apprentice. Harper Trophy.
ISBN 006440630X

Plot Summary:
Brat has never known another name, a family, or a place to call home. Her life is lonely, traveling from place to place, looking for scraps to eat, and sleeping anywhere that is warm. One cold morning, Brat is discovered sleeping in a dung heap by Jane, the village midwife. She begs Jane for food, and when Jane tells her people that don't work don't eat, Brat offers to work. Jane renames the young girl Dung Beetle, usually just Beetle, and she begins her work as a midwife's apprentice. Though not as lonely and hard as her time before, her life with Jane the midwife is not easy. Jane is hard and ill-tempered. Even so, Beetle begins to make a life for herself in the village, adopting a cat and making friends with a village boy. She even decides to give herself a proper name—Alyce.  As she watches Jane work, she learns more about midwifery, too. But when she fails at something important, Alyce runs away. She continually tells herself, "I am nothing, have nothing, belong nowhere." Can she find her place in the world? Is she Brat once again with nothing and no one? Is she Beetle, who sleeps where she can and begs scraps from whomever she can? Or is she Alyce, the midwife's apprentice? 

Critical Analysis:
The Midwife's Apprentice is a good middle school read. The setting, while never explicitly stated in the story, is medieval England. From descriptions of people and places in and near the village, a reader can understand this if they have some background knowledge. The author's note in the back of the book gives some background on midwifery in medieval times and can give the reader a better idea of the setting as well. The chapters of the story are short and can be easily accessible for less experienced readers. While Alyce's experience is not common for today's early teens, her feelings of inadequacy and desire to belong are definitely experiences of young people today.  

Review Excerpts:
"A truly delightful introduction to a world seldom seen in children's literature." -School Library Journal, starred review

"A fascinating view of a far distant time." -Horn Book, starred review

Connections:
This book would be an excellent read-aloud to go along with a history or social studies unit covering medieval England. It would also be a good segue into a discussion of women's roles throughout history. In a science class, it could be used to open a discussion about the differences in medieval vs modern medicine practices. 

Awards
1996 Newbery Award winner
1996 American Library Association "Notable Children's Book" and Best Book for Young Adults

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