The Midwife's Apprentice

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cushman, Karen. 1995. THE MIDWIFE'S APPRENTICE. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 0-395-69229-6.

PLOT SUMMARY
Brat is a young girl who is roused from her sleep in a dung heap by the village midwife. Jane the Midwife takes in the homeless waif and calls her Beetle. Beetle serves as Jane's apprentice and virtual slave. She watches Jane carefully and in time learns a little about midwifery. Along the way she gains some self-respect and gives herself a new name, Alyce. After unsuccessfully trying to deliver a breech baby by herself, she sends for the Midwife who saves the baby and mother. Alyce leaves the village in disgrace and finds employment at an inn in the next village. One night a merchant and his wife stop at the inn. The woman goes into labor and Alyce delivers the baby successfully. Her confidence is restored, and she returns to the Midwife's village.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Cushman has written a character-driven story about a homeless young girl who gains self-respect and learns valuable life lessons. Brat ekes out a survival existence in Medieval England. She is so cold that she seeks refuge in a dung heap because, "...the rotting and moiling give forth heat." The author vividly describes the dirty, earthy environment of the village with piles of dung and rotting food scraps in the dirt roadways. The villagers engage in work activities that are typical of the time such as milling, midwifery, and farming. Other characters representative of the period include the Lord and Lady of the Manor, a bailiff, a cowherd, and an innkeeper. Cushman establishes the time period with authentic language and clothing. The lesser status of women and children in the Middle Ages is also portrayed aptly. She includes information about Medieval midwifery, the herbal remedies of the time, and superstitions surrounding childbirth in an "Author's Note" at the end of the book.

Alyce's time is very different from the present, but her feelings are universal. Cushman gives readers a believable portrait of young woman torn by self-doubt, loneliness, and a sense of worthlessness in a hard world that has treated her cruelly. Alyce's transformation, through her life experiences, into a confident, capable young woman with friends, a cat, a real name, and a vocation rings true for any time period.

AWARDS
Newbery Medal - 1996
Young Reader's Choice Award - 1998

REVIEW EXCERPTS
Booklist: "Cushman writes with a sharp simplicity and a pulsing beat. From the first page you're caught by the spirit of the homeless, nameless waif, somewhere around 12 years old, 'unwashed, unnourished, unloved, and unlovely,' trying to keep warm in a dung heap."

Publishers Weekly: "Cushman has an almost unrivaled ability to build atmosphere, and her evocation of a medieval village, if not scholarly in its authenticity, is supremely colorful and pungent."

CONNECTIONS
>Read Cushman's Newbery Honor novel, Catherine, Called Birdy, which focuses on a well-born young heroine of the Medieval Age.
>Research information about the herbal remedies that were used in Medieval times and find out if any of them are still in use today.