The Midwife's Apprentice

The Midwife's Apprentice was written by Karen Cushman and was awarded the Newberry Medal in 1996.

The story takes place well before doctors were common place and women had rights. These were the days women bore children, cared for the sick, prepared meals, and did jobs men typically did not do.

The story begins with a young orphaned girl, around 10-12 years of age, sleeping in a dung hill just to stay warm. She is a witty girl, smart, and filled with determination. Other children make fun of her and call her names. She is referred to as "Beetle".

A midwife sees Beetle and takes her in as the midwife's apprentice in exchange for food and a cleaner place to sleep. As time passes, Beetle listens, watches, and learns the trait of a midwife. Her belief in herself and ability to help others has never been nurtured but constantly challenged. Beetle realizes she needs a name and calls herself Alice.

Alice meets an even younger orphan who was destined to thievery and/or death if he was not taken care of. She sends him to the royal courtiers to work in the fields for food and shelter. Alice then takes off to live elsewhere. Beetle gets a job at an inn.

At the inn, Alice begins to see herself as others see her: confident, knowledgeable, smart, and caring. Many people visit the inn on their travels throughout the area. She sees a few familiar faces. The midwife meets up with a man who is writing a book. They talk about Alice, also known as Beetle.

Alice returns to the town to work as the midwife's apprentice. At first the midwife slams the door in her face and tells her she was not needed. Alice remained at the door, gained her confidence and demanded that the midwife open the door (it was more dramatic in the book). The midwife opened the door, Alice walked in, and Alice was once again an apprentice.

MY TWO CENTS:

I enjoyed this story at many levels. First it is a Newberry Medal award book and I am on my way of reading all Newberry Medal award books by June of 2008. Second, I knew little of or about midwife's especially back in the days when doctors were not common place. This story opened up the door to a new world, a new perspective of the days when women had to bring children into the world all on their own. I can imagine the pain, the anxiety, the fear of the unknown, and the helplessness men and women went through when baring children in a barn, out in a field, or on a dirt floor. Lastly, it was absolute joy to follow a character who literally had nothing yet gained everything. Alice was introduced to the reader as she slept in a dung hill. We depart from Alice as she walks into the midwife's house as an apprentice. In the beginning she has no name but the name others have given her, Beetle. As we leave her, she has called herself Alice. In the beginning of our journey with Alice, she is dirty and her hair is not combed. At the end of our journey with Alice, she has cleaned up and combs her hair. Best of all, when we first meet Alice she has no self-confidence and no self-worth. At the end of this story, she has gained confidence and self-worth.

I loved this story. This young lady has more character, heart, and determination than I ever did. I cheered for her throughout the whole book. These are the children you want to win, you hope will win.

AR QUIZ: 90%