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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
very enjoyable and fun to read about medieval midwifery plants and treatments
Very interesting presentation of daily life in a 1300s English village.
Listened to this via audiobook though I can remember reading this as a kid.
This is a quick story that's very enjoyable despite all the hardships Beetle/Brat/Alice faces. It's a very simplistic finding your way in the world story with plenty of little goings on.
As a Twi-Hard, I will say I found it amusing to be dealing with characters named Alice and Edward. Hahaha. Enough to give me fanfic plot bunnies.
This was great to listen to so if you need a simple audiobook, I highly recommend this one. The tale itself is just a nice read. Nothing comes too easily for little Alice, and I like that a lot. It's very honest.
This is a quick story that's very enjoyable despite all the hardships Beetle/Brat/Alice faces. It's a very simplistic finding your way in the world story with plenty of little goings on.
As a Twi-Hard, I will say I found it amusing to be dealing with characters named Alice and Edward. Hahaha. Enough to give me fanfic plot bunnies.
This was great to listen to so if you need a simple audiobook, I highly recommend this one. The tale itself is just a nice read. Nothing comes too easily for little Alice, and I like that a lot. It's very honest.
Half-way between Catherine, Called Birdy, and Matilda Bone in terms of style and content. Written to a slightly younger audience than Matilda Bone, but containing similar issues, which are inherently harsher than those in Catherine.
Adorable book about a girl who finds the courage to embrace her dreams and find a new name.
For fifth through eighth graders, probably more for girls. Tale of a homeless girl who gets a handout from the village midwife and winds up with a job. Audience sees the change in her as she gains more confidence and education in ways of the world. Good moral -- believe in yourself.
Decent book. Good historical content and an easy, quick read. I disagree with the age level for this book due to how plainly (bluntly) some information is presented.
This was published after "Catherine, Called Birdy," but I swear it was Cushman's first story. It kicks off from the typical, traditional medieval folk tale... a lost lonely orphan scrounges for food. She gets snapped up by a greedy nasty midwife who needs help.
This "Cinderella" start of it is what causes me to give it four stars. And really, if not for Cushman's other books, which I am latently comparing it against, I'd probably give it a five.
I loved this book for the overall lesson (which I won't give here because it gives away too much), and the history, which catalogs all of the old folk remedies in medieval medicine. Back in the day, midwives were part-doctor, part-witch, so there's a lot of play on the medieval understanding of devils and witches. It's really fun to see how the villagers of the time respond to both influences. When the magical herbs help them, they are all about them. But in any other occasion, magic is the work of the devil.
As with Cushman's other books, there are the same feminist lessons told in the historical context. It's funny, moving, and a page-turner.
This "Cinderella" start of it is what causes me to give it four stars. And really, if not for Cushman's other books, which I am latently comparing it against, I'd probably give it a five.
I loved this book for the overall lesson (which I won't give here because it gives away too much), and the history, which catalogs all of the old folk remedies in medieval medicine. Back in the day, midwives were part-doctor, part-witch, so there's a lot of play on the medieval understanding of devils and witches. It's really fun to see how the villagers of the time respond to both influences. When the magical herbs help them, they are all about them. But in any other occasion, magic is the work of the devil.
As with Cushman's other books, there are the same feminist lessons told in the historical context. It's funny, moving, and a page-turner.
Well, that was boring. I kept waiting for the plot. It never showed up.