Module 5 Book Review #2: The Midwife’s Apprentice

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*This book review was written for a MLS course at SHSU.*

 Image result for the midwife's apprentice 1995

 BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cushman, Karen. (1995). THE MIDWIFE’S APPRENTICE. New York, NY: Clarion Books.
ISBN 9780395692295

PLOT SUMMARY
In medieval England, Brat is a young and homeless girl who has no hope for both her present
and future. Jane, the village’s midwife, sees Brat struggling to stay alive and then hires the poor
girl as her apprentice. With this job, Brat slowly gains an identity for herself. She eventually
changes her name to “Alyce” and studies the midwife’s practices in order to learn how to do the
job herself. The one thing she still lacks is confidence. After failing to help a woman with a
delivery, Alyce runs away and gets another job to escape her embarrassment of failure. However,
Alyce soon realizes that in her heart, she would love to eventually be a midwife, and it was going
to take practice and going through various obstacles in order to get there.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Karen Cushman’s The Midwife’s Apprentice greatly represents life’s hardships during medievaltimes, even for children. The children in the story had jobs, and many of them did not have too many adult role models to help them with personal hygiene or nutritional needs. This helps the reader understand how much time has changed and how there are still children today who still go through conflicts such as the ones noted in the novel.

 In addition to this, the theme of learning one’s true identity is demonstrated during Alyce’sapprentice journey. She started from the bottom while starving and with no home. She felt like she did not belong anywhere and did not have a place in her inhospitable society. Despite the rude remarks the midwife would constantly throw towards her, Alyce learned what it took to be a midwife and found her calling. This will help younger readers who are around her ageunderstand that it’s okay to not know “who” you are exactly. As long as you push yourself to try new experiences, you will eventually find who you are meant to be and do in life.

 One last theme is written into the novel: “never give up”. Alyce went back to square one when she thought she wasn’t good enough to be the midwife’s apprentice. This was disappointing forthe midwife, for she thought that Alyce was gaining enough skills to believe in herself, not give up when things get difficult. When Alyce learned that the midwife felt this way, she started to realize that she needed to believe in herself, especially since someone older and wiser did.

 REVIEW EXCERPTS
*John Newbery Medal Winner 
*Review from Publishers Weekly: “The force of the ambience produces more than enough momentum to propel the reader from start to finish in a single happy sitting.” 
*Starred Review from Booklist: "This novel is about a strong, young woman in medieval England who finds her own way home...Kids will be caught up in this short, fast-paced narrative about a hero who discovers that she’s not ugly or stupid or alone."
*Starred Review from School Library Journal:"With simplicity, wit, and humor, Cushman presents another tale of medieval England. Here readers follow the satisfying, literal and figurative journey of a homeless, nameless child called Brat...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."

CONNECTIONS
*Catherine, Called Birdy is another historical fiction novel by Karen Cushman. It is also about a teenager trying to discover her true identity and fitting in to a challenging society.
*Students can participate in an identity restorative circle. One student will have a talking piece and respond to an identity question to the whole group.
*Students can create vision boards to post around the classroom. These can be constant reminders that the students have drams/goals and that they have a place in the world.

 PICTURE SOURCE
https://www.amazon.com/Midwifes-Apprentice-Karen-Cushman-ebook/dp/B003K16PJQ

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