From Goodreads,"From the author of Catherine, Called Birdy comes another spellbinding novel set in medieval England. The girl known only as Brat has no family, no home, and no future until she meets Jane the Midwife and becomes her apprentice. As she helps the sharp-tempered Jane deliver babies, Brat--who renames herself Alyce--gains knowledge, confidence, and the courage to want something from life: "A full belly, a contented heart, and a place in this world." Medieval village life makes a lively backdrop for the funny, poignant story of how Alyce gets what she wants. A concluding note discusses midwifery past and present. A Newbery Medal book."
Goodreads - The Midwife's Apprentice
Awards and Nominations:
- Newbery Medal (1996)
- Dorothy Canfield Fisher Book Award Nominee (1997)
- Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice Award for Senior (1998)
It's been a while since I posted a review for a Newbery Award winning book. I'm still slowly working my way through the list, but I'm really enjoying getting to read the books that were award winning for a specific year. Some of them I think absolutely deserve to be on the list, while there have been others that I have questioned as to why they won. This book was a questionable book, but when I looked at the overall meaning in the book and the author's note at the end, I realized this book was deserving.
This book is about a young, poor girl who has no name except for Brat. She is found in a dung heap and soon the midwife in the village takes her in. Soon Brat is called the Midwife's Apprentice. She works to do her best to earn her keep of food and a roof over her head. She soon renames herself Alyce in hopes it will help her belong, but she feels she is unworthy of being the apprentice. She soon runs away to try to figure out her purpose and place. Eventually Alyce has multiple opportunities present before and she must chose which is the perfect fit for her.
This book was a bit slow and a little boring. However, it had a really great message about finding who you are and where you belong. This book really spoke volumes to me at this point in my life. There have been times lately that I have questioned who I am and where I belong. I think that so many kids would find this book relatable because we all go through points in life where we don't know what we are doing. We can't figure out what our purpose is or where we belong. For me it is a highly unsettling thing because I am a control freak. I need to know the next thing that is happening. I don't like the uncertainty and the unknown. This book really shows you that it is okay to not know what you are doing, but that it will feel "right".
This book had weird time jumps and I never really knew the time frame in which this book took place. It was very scattered and that made the book confusing. Another thing that bothered me was the grammar in this book. The language was very old style. It made it difficult at times, but I completely understand that it was written in this way to fit the time period in which the book takes place.
Overall, this book was a fairly good read. I think the informational piece in the author's note was a very good addition. It had lots of information about midwifery and how it has progressed. I have to give this book 3 stars. This isn't a book I would recommend to kids. I just don't think they would willing pick it up and read it. It would have to be a very specific student I recommended it to.
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