Midwife's Apprentice

MIDWIFE’S APPRENTICE: Karen Cushman: Clarion Books: Young Adult: 122 pages

This slim novel begins with a scrawny young girl sleeping in a dung heap. The heroine, who is nameless as well as homeless, uses the dung for heat, a decision that Jane Sharp, the town's midwife, recognizes as a clever one. Jane hires the girl and names her Beetle, for dung beetle. Beetle is a smart, compassionate girl, but a timid one, too. She allows Jane Sharp to boss her around and the local boys to tease her mercilessly. Karen Cushman chose the England of the Middle Ages as a setting for the book, and has researched the subject exhaustively. We learn about village life, medicine, and the place of women in that society. Follow Beetle's progress from a scared, meek little girl to a self-assured young woman who has chosen her own name: Alyce.

I enjoyed this short novel and learned much about midwifery in the Middle Ages. I loved this coming of age tale as Beetle turned into Alyce and learned what she truly wanted in her life.

AMM