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
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