About this title: Set in medieval England, this is the story of a homeless, orphaned girl named Brat whose life changes when she becomes an assistant to a midwife named Jane. Although the short-tempered Jane wants a mindless assistant, someone who will anticipate her needs and silently help her with her work, the observant Brat (whom Jane has renamed Beetle) begins to pick up the art of delivering babies. As Brat/Beetle gains confidence, she adopts an actual name--Alyce--and begins to dream of becoming a midwife herself. Thoroughly researched, THE MIDWIFE'S APPRENTICE is full of realistic details about life in ...
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Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: HarperTrophy
Date Published: 1996
ISBN-13:9780064406307ISBN:006440630X
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Great shape! Clean and tight. Yellowing of pages is minimal. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 128 p. Audience: Children/juvenile. read more
Edition: Advance Reading Copy/Uncorrected Proof
Binding: Paper/SEWN
Publisher: Trophy Pr, New York, New York, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1996
ISBN-13:9780064406307ISBN:006440630X
Description: Very Good. No Jacket. Advanced Reading Copy (ARC) 6 x 9 In Tall. Advance Reading Copy/Uncorrected Proof. read more
"This was a nice story set in medieval times. The writing seems geared to a young adult audience - in fact, I see it won the '96 Newbery Medal. A nameless homeless orphan girl becomes an apprentice to a greedy, superstitious midwife. She eventually learns the craft (seeing through much of the "magic" and superstition that surrounded it) and earns her own place in society. The descriptions of the setting and challenges in medieval England felt authentic and interesting - and certainly not sugar-coated. The general theme of self-discovery and rising above challenges is appropriate for young adults. However, the book dealt with some mature themes as well, such as rape and adultery."
"I read this book as a child and recently revisited it for a class assignment.
Once again, a story about self-discovery and finding a place and a sense of belonging.
The story reminded me a lot of The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman in regard to the main characters both not knowing or possessing a proper name. Both stories use this element to help showcase character growth and development throughout the story, especially in the end, when both characters possess the maturity and knowledge to understand that a name is not what defines them, but rather they are what defines their name.
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"The wink and the comment about her curls, though Beetle didn't know it, were also gifts from the generous merchant, and they nestled into Beetle's heart and stayed there."
"I need an apprentice who can do what I tell her, take what I give her, who can try and risk and fail and try again and not give up. Babies don't stop their borning because the midwife gives up.""
"The story opens with a young girl with no name, no family, burying herself in a dung heap for warmth. The girl is taken in by a midwife, Jane, who dubs her Beetle for her choice of sleeping quarters. Jane's decision to take Beetle in is not due to benevolence, however, but greed; Jane sees that Beetle is a hard worker who will lighten her load. Jane gives Beetle all the difficult work of her profession, but she is careful to keep Beetle away from observing Jane during delivery, fearing Beetle will learn the secrets of midwifery and become a competitor.
Slowly Beetle grows in experience and self-confidence, saving a boy from drowning, aiding a cow in delivering twins, even helping a mother with an impossible delivery give birth to a healthy girl. Beetle renames herself Alyce and she begins to learn Jane's secrets and aid Jane in deliveries.
Then Alyce is confronted with a tough delivery. She finds she must call Jane in to save the mother and child. Alyce is left feeling despondent, useless. She runs away.
It is only after much reflection that she is able to acknowledge her love for midwifery and to accept that failure is part of learning and to return to her work with Jane."
"I really liked Karen Cushman's books as a kid, and I think one of the big reasons for this (aside from the fact that, although two of her books take place in the Middle Ages, neither protagonist is a princess! *gasp*), is that she never sugar-coats the history. Take The Midwife's Apprentice, which is about a homeless, nameless orphan girl who gets a job as...guess. No, go on, guess. Delivering babies in the Middle Ages was not only life-threatening and painful, it was gross. I remember reading this as an impressionable eleven-year-old and deciding that hospitals were pretty much the greatest things ever. And painkillers. And competent doctors who don't rely on the powah of Jesus to help a mother deliver her baby in a time when having a Caesarian guaranteed a slow, painful death. One particularly shocking thing to me was the midwife's method of coaxing a baby out of the womb: she would stick her head between the mother's legs and bellow into the birth canal, "Child, come forth! Christ calls you to the light!"
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