The Midwife's Apprentice

5.         The Midwife’s Apprentice

Citation: Cushman, K. (1996). The midwife's apprentice. New York: HarperCollins.

Annotation

Struggling to find food for her empty belly and a safe place to lay her head at night, the midwife’s apprentice soon finds her place in the world by learning to birth babies in medieval England.

Nomination

Although the book is set in medieval England, many of the issues addressed are extremely relevant to teens today and can be inspiring to any age.  The narrator begins her story literally in a pile of poop, without a name or history, and grows to a respected, intelligent, and meaningful part of her world.  This coming of age story follows the narrator, who begins her life simply as “Brat” and appropriates a name for herself after gaining some self-confidence, through her quest for a full belly, a content heart and a place in the world.  She learns to stand up for herself when bullied, develops empathy and love for another when she defends a cat from merciless taunting and takes a small boy under her wing, and finds her voice at a time its needed most.  Alyce, as she asks to be called, also learns that just because she doesn’t know “everything” doesn’t mean she doesn’t know anything, a valuable lesson to anyone of any age.  She learns to keep trying when she fails and to love even when she feels unlovable. 

In addition to these great life lessons, Cushman uses wit and sarcasm to bring humor to the book and stays true to the period in which the book is set while teaching the reader how far medical practices have come.  She deftly deals with bullying, adultery and thievery in language young adults can understand and situations they can relate to.  A great for many lessons, the greatest one of all is to never stop looking for one’s right place in the world.

Genre: Historical fiction

At Her Majesty’s Request:An African Princess in Victorian England

4.         At Her Majesty’s Request:An African Princess in Victorian England

Citation: Myers, D. (1999). At Her Majesty's Request: An African Princess in Victorian England. Scholastic.

Annotation

The intriguing, unlikely life journey story of a young African princess rescued by an English sailor from certain death, traveled to England and became a close friend of Queen Victoria. 

Nomination

While the story told is unique and extraordinary, it is, in many ways, confusing to the average reader.  The author affects a patronizing tone that is off-putting to readers and includes many superfluous details where more historical content could have increased the story.  The letters chosen to augment the telling of the princess, Sarah’s, journey portray the child as very ungrateful and entitled while doing little to enhance the story.  The biography genre is meant to inspire those to become better than others or to tell a little-known story; however, this book fails to do either one.  The target age group for this book, grades 4-8, would have a hard time following such a drawn out, detailed story that contains very little for students to empathize with or relate to. 

The young princess does grow into an adult missionary, though she is forced into a loveless marriage and relocated back to her home continent, but not her home country. The author does a good job of explaining the idea of “good marriages” in that time period and the importance of a young girl to marry well.  However, the only novelty this book provides is highlighting the unlikely occurrence of a white monarch taking a young black girl under her wing, further emphasizing the divide between the races.  It was emphasized several times in the book how unusual this practice was and almost seemed as if the author didn’t feel the child deserved it.  The princess did nothing to earn her good fortune, nor did she do anything to repay the kindness shown, so her journey was nothing but a good stroke of luck for her. Overall, readers simply learn about an abnormal practice in a long list of abnormalities that perpetuated the reigns of British monarchs, but no inspirational story exists in this book.    

Genre: Biography

Chris Lynch's "Inexcusable"

Lynch, C. (2005). Inexcusable. Simon & Schuster Children.

Annotation

A senior football player defends his actions on a fateful night between him and his best friend, claiming he's the “good guy” that would never hurt anyone. However, as he recounts the events leading up to that night, he soon discovers his actions were truly inexcusable. 

Nomination

The book uses expert foreshadowing to allude to the narrator’s rape of his female best friend.  The narrator, Keir, professes his innocence of this horrendous act from the beginning, stating he has good character and is a good guy.  This is a classic defense used by the jocks, the good students and the popular ones, all of which Keir is.  His father goes through life with blinders, allowing his baby boy to drink with him, stay up late, skip school and call him by his first name.  His sisters went to college and didn’t look back, leaving their little brother to their father’s misdirected love and the idolatry that his classmates have given him.  Given the free reign he’s given and the lack of parental direction, Keir was used to getting everything he wanted.  While Keir started off as a “nice guy” and did end up as one by taking responsibility for his actions once he realized what he had done, the author demonstrates a teen’s tendency to let his freedom go to his head and it ruined his life.

Telling the story through Keir’s eyes allows the reader to learn the truth as soon as Keir does and to be “on Keir’s side” until the truth is finally revealed in the last two pages of the novel.  The ambiguity leaves the reader interested and elevates the book into a page-turner that many would read in one sitting.  The author ensures the reader is with Keir through his self-discovery journey and places the reader in a classic position of judging yourself against what others say.  While many times young adults are told to judge themselves and to not let others negatively effect their self-image, young adults are also taught the valuable lesson in this book that we should listen to others that point out flaws so we can learn from them.  

Genre: Edgy Fiction

Paul B. Janeczko's Worlds Afire - Verse Novel

Janeczko, P. B. (2004). Worlds afire. Candlewick.

Annotation

In Paul B. Janeczko’s verse novel World’s Afire, many of the victims, survivors and witnesses’ stories of the tragic 1944 circus fire that killed 197 people and injured 500 more are told through compelling verse. 

Nomination

With each poem told in a gut-wrenching, first person style from the victims, survivors and first responders, the readers are transported to the time before, during and after this horrible tragedy through many different eyes.  The verses tell the complete story, piece by piece, until the whole puzzle is complete; yet, each piece is a work of art all its own. 

Broken down so simply, Janeczko’s verse novel helps young adults process a tragedy that many adults would have trouble reading about it in a newspaper without overwhelming them.  Not many stories are told so completely, yet so simplistically, as the one told in Janeczko’s Worlds Afire.

Genre: Verse Novel