This book tells the story of a girl who was not wanted by her family and lives her life living as an outcast in society. She is known as Beetle and lives alone with a cat, who she later names Purr. A midwife takes her in and gives her a place to sleep, but treats Beetle with no dignity or respect. Beetle becomes her apprentice and learns the ways of Jane, the midwife. Beetle eventually takes on the name of Alyce, which leads to her questioning of who she is and what she wants. It's not long after taking her new name that Alyce fails at delivering one woman's child, which leads to her running away. She goes to an inn outside of the village and is allowed to live and work there. There is an educated man staying there, who provides her insight into who she is and also helps her learn to read. The book ends with Alyce returning to the midwife's house, realizing that she wants to be a midwife and is ready to work hard, which is what Jane wanted from her all along.

ART/MEDIA: none ( )

This story is about an orphaned little girl who sleeps in dung piles and begs for food, and the story of how she finds her place in the village. She wonders upon the midwife’s cottage and begs for food and a place to sleep. Beetle, as she is referred to by the midwife, runs errands for the midwife and receives little in the form food and shelter. She pays attention to the midwife and learns a great deal. She attempts to deliver a breeched baby with no success and views herself as a failure. She runs away from the village and takes up at an Inn. Her only friend thru this all is an orange cat named Purr. During her stay at the Inn, she befriends a scholar named Magister Reese who teaches her simple letters and writing. The magister also gave Alyce (the name she has taken) hope in herself and self confidence that she too deserves to be happy. After delivering the baby of an Inn guest, Alyce finally determines that she is happiest as a midwife’s apprentice and back to the village she goes with Purr.

I enjoyed learning about the era and the different things that the midwife’s used to birth babies. I also enjoyed the lesson learned that everyone can learn and has feelings and deserves respect no matter what or where that person came from.

This book could go along with a lesson on medieval times and how life was back then. You could examine the different ways the babies were born back then without the use of medicines and hospitals of today. Also, this could reinforce a lesson about how everyone deserves the right to learn, prosper, and be happy no matter how they were brought up or where they came from.

This book is a historical fiction because it takes a practice and makes it into a story that could relate to back then. Genre: historical fiction. Media: none. Age appropriateness: intermediate, middle school. ( )

The setting of this story is painted very well by the author. While not strictly accurate on medeival history, its strength is its bold confrontation with issues. Some parents might balk at some of the content (an affair, rape [almost], graphic relation of birthing), but that shouldn't keep a school librarian to keep this important book.

The Midwife’s Apprentice employs the arcane language of medieval England to bring to life the world of Alyce, the title character. The forceful voice of Alyce enlivens this quiet story of self-discovery with insights abounding in the ultimate meaning of life. ( )