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Summary: Awesome!
Review: Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! In the town where Beetle lives, Beetle is treated as a noone, but only until Jane takes her off the streets and hires her as her new apprentice. Then, she finds herself doing household chores such as cleaning, and helping Jane give birth. I don't want to tell you anything more about this book, I want you to read it. It's a great book and it deserves to be read!
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Summary: "If not scholarly in its authenticity..."
Review: This is a fun book, not too long for your average 'chapter book reader,' that takes you to a different time and place. I'm not sure what the time or place is -- the landscape is medieval Britain, as advertised, but the characters are most definitely not -- but the psycho-cultural inaccuracies are usually easy to overlook, and you get a funny, colorful, interesting book filled with details of what para-medical support was available at the time for pregnant women. Cushman is at her best with intelligent, feisty, growing young women, and this book is true to that vein.
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Summary: The Touching Adventure of Alyce & Purr
Review: I read this after re-reading Catherine, Called Birdy -- Karen Cushman's first book. I knew to expect a wonderfully written, highly humourous, adventure into the middle ages much like it when I picked up The Midwife's Apprentice... But this book, offers something slightly different. There's more feeling for the character and emotional attachment. It's still quite funny, but deeply touching as well. I loved it. My only problem with it is I wish there were more books dedicated to wildy smart and hilarious Catherine and Alyce.
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Summary: What a book!
Review: This book was great, a real page turner. Ir's a great book to read along with Catherine Called Birdy.
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Summary: The Midwife's Apprentice
Review: This is a thought provoking, emotion wrenching story. We meet a young orphaned child (nameless), who survives the cold nights by sleeping in a dung heap. She survives by working and begging for scraps of food. She has no family that she knows of and is never allowed to stay one place long enough to form any relationships, or the skills needed to maintain one. This is all before she is taken in by the Midwife, Jane. Jane, although harsh, provides a home for the young girl. She is not fed well, nor treated with noticeable kindness, but Jane is all that the girl has. Over a period of time with Jane, the young girl gives herself a name, Alys. Alys watches the midwife and learns her skills. She begins to gain confidence in herself until she faces a complicated delivery and is unable to help the birthing mother. In reality, Alys had never experienced that type of delivery with Jane, therefore, she had no reference to draw from. She simply needed to learn more. Alys, however, sees the event as her life's failure and runs away from the only home she has known. She finds herself at an Inn. With the cleaning skills she learned from Jane, she was able to board at the Inn by cleaning throughout the day. It is here that she comes into her own, realizing that she is beautiful, smart, and skilled. After a year at the end, she returns to the midwife to continue learning the practice that she feels is her life's intention.
The book is wonderful for middle school aged girls. I can't see that males would particulary relate to the story, but some may. The story shows that we all have insecurities and doubts, but with practice, time, and knowledge, we can do whatever we set our minds to doing.
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Summary: Triumph of a Young Girl!
Review: After reading Catherine Called Birdy by the same author I was looking forward to another humorous romp through the middle ages with The Midwife's Apprentice. The book, however, takes on a very serious tone on the first page when we are introduced to the main character, Beetle, a homeless girl who is the target of ridicule and scorn by everyone she encounters. She is discovered sleeping in a dung heap by a local midwife who leaves much to be desired in terms of kindness and patience. Beetle learns the trade bit by bit and wins over people in the town through her gentle spirit and strength. I enjoyed this book and learned a great deal about childbirth and medicine during the middle ages. It is a story about a girl who triumphs despite her hardships and I felt satisfied and happy with its conclusion. The story is never predictable and makes you want to keep reading until the end. I recommend The Midwife's Apprentice to anyone (especially girls) interested in learning more about what life was like for common people during the middle ages.
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Summary: Midwife's Apprentice
Review: The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman is a splendid book that will transport you to the 14th century medieval England. Her vivid details and rich language will virtually place you right into the story. Through the eyes of Alyce you are taken on an amazing journey of self identity. Alyce, the main character starts off her journey nameless, and moves from being called Brat, to Beetle, to her most valued name Alyce. The beginning of the story portrays Alyce as a homeless, nameless, frail girl, searching for a full belly, a content heart, and a warm place to sleep. She wanders from village to village finding scraps of food and warmth inside dung heaps being teased and taunted. One day to her surprise she is found by Jane a midwife. This is where her true journey begins. Through the tough, stern, and greedy midwife, Alyce learns important midwifery skills, courage, and discovers her place in this world. Karen Cushman succeeds in creating a character who is coming of age that young people can relate to today. Although Alyce comes from a different era and time as young people today, Karen does a fabulous job of displaying the same difficulties and experiences that contemporary readers today are facing. Alyce is a heorine that you will fall in love with. Through her hardships and her courage, Alyce establishes a sense of identity. I would recommend this book for ages 12 and up. This age group can relate to the struggles of Alyce, as well as enjoy her qualities. The language and content is something I feel that 12 year olds can understand and have the appropriate background experiences to truly engage with Alyce. I loved the book and would recommend it to my 7th grade students as well as others.
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Summary: A wonderful read.
Review: ... I find that some of the best books out there are in the young adult section. This was one of the best. I loved the medieval setting, and the focus on women's occupation and skill, and the subtle change in the lead character, as she starts to discover who she is and what she wants. She realizes how valuable she is, and that if a person really wants something, they have to go for it by embracing both the positive and negative aspects. Thank you, Ms. Cushman, for such a wonderful story.
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Summary: Midwifes Apprentice
Review: The Midwife's Apprentice, by Karen Cushman, is a story of Alyce, a homeless girl finding her place in the world. Alyce did not have a family and would go from town to town looking for work. She would work for a place to sleep and something to eat. Jane, the midwife, took Alyce in. Alyce began to learn the midwife trade. She encountered a cat who became her best friend. As the story goes on Alyce learns how to birth babies. Alyce was called upon one day instead of Jane to help a baby be born. Alyce failed to get the baby into the world and was devastated. She decided to run away from it all. She ended up being a barmaid. One night a woman came into the bar ready to give birth. It took Alyce everything to deliver this baby; she was scared since not being able to help with the last birth. She delivered the baby and realized that was her calling. Alyce went back to the midwife to continue learning the midwife trade. Karen Cushman does a wonderful job of showing how it was back in the old days. They did not have doctors readily available to all pregnant women, not that all women could even afford to have a doctor deliver their children. This book also shows how midwives learned to do their jobs. They did not go to school, but usually learned from someone who had been delivering babies or who had children themselves already. The character Alyce came across as being very real. With Karen Cushman's development of Alyce, it is easy for someone to relate to her. Alyce went from being a dung beetle to a woman respected for what she knew how to do. In addition, it takes a lot to swallow ones pride. At the end, Alyce did just that and asked the midwife to teach her more. The Midwife's Apprentice was well written and very enjoyable to read. The book deserved the Newberry Award. The book brings to life a little piece of history about midwifery.
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Book!
Review: A heart-warming story about a young girl who learns to believe in herself and find hope to live in Medieval England. Alyce, formerly known as Beetle or Brat, becomes an apprentice to a midwife in order to have a warm place to sleep and something to eat. Over time she learns some about midwivery and about herself. A great book for any age.
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