![The Midwife's Apprentice [Book]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_v0gKERkqvi1RcFhNCAr84ledbIWvdMuVknpeXc6RmhA5AcX41l2Yz3peZMkY2O3m0ilfFV-HDZAUEz7hv2T6Id1-1Lx8VJjcmsqe747OnreDp4KqNG3WQD5Cxz00N8v3QABFxLuONJiNqluy9fjopqaHeM0MTDLQ=s0-d)
Book Title: The Midwife’s Apprentice
Author(s) and Artist(s)--if applicable: Karen Cushman
Publisher: Clarion Books.
Copyright Date: 1995
Selection Choice: Book from Galda list.
Brief Annotation: On a frost morning sometime early in the
fourteenth century, in a village somewhere in England, a girl known only as
Brat was sleeping in a dung heap. With
nowhere to go, hungry and cold, Brat had taken to sleeping in a dung heap to
stay warm. On this particularly cold
morning, she was awakened by an important-looking woman with a sharp glance and
a sharp nose and a wimple starched into sharp pleats. This woman was Jane the Midwife, and
fortunately for Brat, she needed a helper.
Thus begins the funny, wise, compassionate story of the
homeless waif who became the midwife’s apprentice—a person with a name and a
place in the world.
Your Rating: 5 out of 5
Readers who will like this book: Readers who like tales
delivered in a straight-forward manner, whose characters are simple yet
cunning, vulnerable yet strong and who appreciate the daily struggle and hard lives
of those lived in the middle ages without the comforts of modern society. Readers who like characters who overcome life's challenges while gaining confidence from their accomplishments.
Question to ask about this book before reading: What are the
duties and skills of a midwife? Do you think third world countries still use
midwifery today?
Question to ask about this book during reading: Do you think
Alyce has the qualities it takes to become a skilled midwife? Find three
passages to support your answer.
Question to ask about this book after reading: If you lived in
a village like Alyce’s in the fourteenth century, what would you choose as your
occupation? What qualities do you have that would make you good at your job?
Optional, but noted as extra effort:
1. Interest Level (age): 6-8
2. Grade Level Equivalent (grade): 5.2
3. List awards: John Newbery Medal
Oh! I have so many reactions to your post.
ReplyDelete1st: This book is an all-time favorite of mine. I'm trying to convince my 5th grade daughter to read it, but so far, so luck. She can be stubborn when the recommendation comes from me, even though some of her favorite titles were suggested by mom. I don't get it!
2nd: Your summary is written in a lovely tone reminiscent of the script of a book trailer--coincidence, or intentional?
3rd. I like the way you've framed the "readers who will like this" section. Not only do you focus on the content of the book, but the themes as well. Think about how you might put this book together with a book from contemporary realistic fiction that addresses similar themes--courage, perseverance, cunning. Even picture books would make an interesting complement to a textset like this.
4th: You've written strong questions. I particularly like your "during reading" question because you prompt kids to find evidence for their thinking by going "back to the book". This is an essential reading skill--backing up opinion w/ textual evidence--and I can see you understand how to frame a question and then require support for the answer. Well done.
I wonder what you'll read next?
I agree, I loved this book too! There's something about her candid writing style that I was immediately drawn to. And, I always love stories that are filled with nature's cures: a sprig of mint and a dash of wormwood, the root of a dandelion, dried and steeped in tea...I think I must have been a healer in a past-life. I love it when writers include these little concoctions in their stories. I hope your daughter reads this!
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