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bethgiven 's review for:
The Midwife's Apprentice
by Karen Cushman
When I went to pick this one up at the library, I was surprised by how thin and little it was -- barely a hundred pages, and in a large font besides.
When I finished the book, I was even more surprised. I read regularly from this genre and expect good things from Newbery winners. Yup, this one won the Newbery -- but I couldn't figure out why.
The plot was quite simple -- and perhaps it's because Alyce, the main character, is so simple herself. As a forgotten, unloved orphan, she comes into the story almost completely blank, never having known singing or storytelling, never having known what it was like to be clean or be full, never having been loved or even seen others love each other. I found the idea intriguing (maybe the reason behind the Newbery?), but the whole idea was just not explored as deeply as I would have liked (hard to do in 122 pages).
The overarching theme was one I liked: don't give up. It is better to "try and risk and fail and try again" than to give up (p. 88). It's something I wish I could do more of myself. (Was this the reason behind the Newbery? Maybe, but gosh, it's the same message as that one episode of DragonTales, not to mention several episodes of Sesame Street.) (Yup, I've got a three-year-old at home, and we watch lots of PBS.)
The setting was interesting: medieval England. And not medieval England, land of the knights, but medieval England, home of dirty peasants and dung heaps! Very unique -- never read a book in such a setting before -- and as far as I could tell, it seemed rather authentic. (Is this the reason for the Newbery, then?)
Well, it seems that maybe I should give this book more credit than I do. While I was bothered by its brevity, The Midwife's Apprentice raised some pretty interesting issues -- and all in just over a hundred pages, the perfect length for a grade-schooler.
When I finished the book, I was even more surprised. I read regularly from this genre and expect good things from Newbery winners. Yup, this one won the Newbery -- but I couldn't figure out why.
The plot was quite simple -- and perhaps it's because Alyce, the main character, is so simple herself. As a forgotten, unloved orphan, she comes into the story almost completely blank, never having known singing or storytelling, never having known what it was like to be clean or be full, never having been loved or even seen others love each other. I found the idea intriguing (maybe the reason behind the Newbery?), but the whole idea was just not explored as deeply as I would have liked (hard to do in 122 pages).
The overarching theme was one I liked: don't give up. It is better to "try and risk and fail and try again" than to give up (p. 88). It's something I wish I could do more of myself. (Was this the reason behind the Newbery? Maybe, but gosh, it's the same message as that one episode of DragonTales, not to mention several episodes of Sesame Street.) (Yup, I've got a three-year-old at home, and we watch lots of PBS.)
The setting was interesting: medieval England. And not medieval England, land of the knights, but medieval England, home of dirty peasants and dung heaps! Very unique -- never read a book in such a setting before -- and as far as I could tell, it seemed rather authentic. (Is this the reason for the Newbery, then?)
Well, it seems that maybe I should give this book more credit than I do. While I was bothered by its brevity, The Midwife's Apprentice raised some pretty interesting issues -- and all in just over a hundred pages, the perfect length for a grade-schooler.