The Midwife's Apprentice

Rating:
Summary: choice
Review: This book tells the story of a girl, who through no fault ofher own, is a penniless orphan just struggling to survive. The lessonslearned apply to any age in history, but it is interesting to discoverhow hard life was in Medieval times. It is hard to imagine what lifewas like, before all the modern conveniences we enjoy, and this bookgives us a good glimpse of another time and place especially, forupper elementary-junior high readers. Beetle/Alyce grows and learnsthroughout the story. You root for her and wonder what you would havedone in the same situations. She is a believable character, becauseshe makes mistakes and tries to learn from them. The whole theme ofmidwifery is interesting. Children and adults will enjoy this book.

Rating:
Summary: We liked watching Beetle change
Review: We enjoyed watching Beetle's self-esteem grow. We saw the value and impact of a compliment and talked about occasions we had given or received kind words. Some of the language and birthing scenes bothered us and no one liked the chapter titled "The Devil." We liked how Alyce treated Will and that when no one wanted to be her friend, she made one out of an equally lonely cat. Since our name is The Reading Rapids Book Club, we gave this book 3.5 lifejackets! (Two of the lowest scores were given by girls who didn't finish the book. Those who finished the book liked the ending the best.) We also agreed that we'd rather live today than in the Medieval Ages. Try this book and try a mother-daughter book club!!

Rating:
Summary: Okay book, a little boring
Review: This book is okay, but I do have my complaints. The book lost my interest at a lot of parts, and it didn't have any action or humor in it. Those are two things that make a good story. This wasn't a good story. But it does tell a lot about how the medieval times really were, and I give it three stars for that.

Rating:
Summary: Delightful
Review: True to the time period and a charming story of a child's life in the middle ages. I found it too short, but my students enjoyed the length (4th grade readers) and had lots of questions about the way things really were "back then." Strong, but realistic female main character. Enough action for my students.

Rating:
Summary: Here it is!
Review: The Midwife's Apprentice was a book that detailed a young girl's journey through life in the middle ages. It tells of the good times and hard times she has along the way. She starts out as a homeless girl sleeping in a dung heep then finds work and every day she gets a little smarter, a little better at her work, and a little more caring. Then she turns out to be....well, read the book and find out what she turns out to be.

Rating:
Summary: The Midwife's Apprentice
Review: I think this is a great book. One reason I like this book is because it's back in the Middle Ages, and it makes you feel like you're in the book. When you read this book, you can get a picture of it in your head, and the chapter titles are very descriptive about what's in the chapter. I think it has a wonderful ending, and it's not too sad. This book talks about a brave & full-hearted person who does not give up even though her life might be hard.

Rating:
Summary: wonderful view of history
Review: I especially enjoyed this book because i really didn't know much about the time or even the background of midwifery. I am 21 years old and I can say that I have learned a lot from this book, and I didn't have to pick up some huge, heavy book on the life and times during the medieval period. The character in the book (brat,beetle,and finally Alyce)is a strong character who, in the end, finds her place in the world.

Rating:
Summary: A real treasure!
Review: I really love to read books about the middle ages because life was so fascinating then. I feel that no one can describe this time period in greater detail and depth then Karen Cushman. This book is easy to follow and really does contain much historical information.As for the reader who said this book was vulgar and should be avoided I think that person lost the complete meaning of the book. We all know the middle ages were not a very friendly time. But the author does us a favor by being so descriptive. A great choice for young adults like me who have even a little interest in medieval times and would like to expand their knowledge. This book truly does shine above the rest with many touching moments and lessons for our lives.

Rating:
Summary: Better than Catherine called Birdy
Review: I thought that this was a award winning book because it tells the tale of a girl suffering from hunger, and poverty, and how just one day can change your life. It also tells you that you can't give up if you don't make it the first time. Try try again. Also not to run away from your problems. I am only a seventh grader, but I learn from books. I would rate this a 9 on a scale of 1-10. Even though she only had the cat and Will, and her "Little brother" she still was happy, and satisfied. Definitly better than Catherine called birdy. Unlike Alyce, Catherine is only writing in her diary, and complaining about stitching, and forced marriages. It has no meaning to it. The midwife's apprentice was a definite five star book.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent, realistic medieval fiction
Review: While I believe that Karen Cushman's first book, Catherine, Called Birdy, is a better book, this novel has considerable merit. Cushman makes no effort to glamorize the Middle Ages, as many writers do. Her account is realistic and thought-provoking. In response to another viewer, who stated that this book should be avoided - "I think, in a time when our youth are struggling to find a healthy self-image and healthy relationships with others, this is a book that should be avoided" - I think this reviewer really doesn't see the larger picture. This is how life was, and I think teenagers do not want their literature to lie to them. Life isn't always pretty. Not all the people who lived in the Middle Ages had money, or even morals. That is true today as well. I think a young adult reader is capable of reaching a conclusion about a character's motives and morals without our help. More than anything else, this book will really teach readers about REAL history.