Alce Delivered a Baby in the Midwife's Apprentice
The Midwife's Apprentice 
Immature Adult
Ages x and upwards
Past Karen Cushman
122 pages
Clarion Books
1996
Newberry Award Winner
I love historical fiction because of Karen Cushman. She is a master at drawing readers completely into another time menses. Weaving detailed descriptions of the foods, the sounds, the smells, the scenery and the habits of people who lived a much more hard life, with stiff, sympathetic characters readers tin can connect with. Some authors are practiced writers, others are adept storytellers, Cushman is both. In add-on to winning the Newbery Honour for this volume, she was previously awarded a Newbery Honor for Catherine Called Birdy (Blaring Books, 1994).
This story takes place in England during the 14th century. Brat, the primary character, is a young orphaned girl who is perchance 12 or 13. When we first come across her, she'south sleeping in a dung heap, the only warm place she tin find. That's where the midwife finds her. Information technology is also the reason some of the locals take to calling her Dung Protrude, or Beetle for short.
Brat usually moves through towns quickly. However, she convinces the midwife, Jane, that she will piece of work hard and be useful. She becomes Jane's apprentice and, for the first fourth dimension in her life, has a reason to settle in. Jane "does her chore with energy and some skill, just without care, compassion or joy." She believes Brat to be stupid, and Deviling is scared and timid, making her the perfect apprentice for Jane to exploit and abuse.
When Brat is sent to the county fair to buy items for the midwife, she's mistaken for a immature woman named Alyce. Brat suddenly realizes that she needn't be called any of the unkind names thrust upon her past draconian people, and changes her proper name to Alyce on the spot. This transformation marks the get-go of her growth as a person.
Not too much time passes before Brat realizes the midwife intentionally resists actually teaching her the trade and also prevents her from being present at the births. Jane is cruel, peculiarly to Brat. Brat, fearing a render to the streets and an empty tum, keeps her head downwardly, works harder and vows to talk less. Her only friend and confidant in the village is a cat she rescued from drowning at the hands of some local boys.
It was extremely rare for 2 births to occur at the same time, but the night information technology happens Alyce is left in charge of a birthing mother. Jane tends to the wealthier client, who will "pay in silverish instead of chickens and beans." Alyce delivers a good for you infant daughter to the bailiff'southward wife, and thus finds the courage to sneak into the homes of mothers in labor to learn the skills and secrets of midwifery.
One morning a village boy comes calling for Alyce to assist with his mother'due south labor. Jane is furious, and Alyce is perplexed, but she follows the male child, while Jane throws pots, insults and curses behind her. The labor is hard and Alyce is inexperienced. It becomes apparent that she must call for the midwife. Jane delivers a healthy baby girl and Alyce feels aback and defeated. She runs abroad, taking the cat with her.
She soon finds herself at an Inn, and offers to piece of work in exchange for food and shelter. Magister Richard Reese, a guest at the Inn, is kind and gentle, and takes a fatherly involvement in Alyce. He'due south besides educated and Alyce spends extra time cleaning near him in an effort to spy on his writing, though she cannot read herself. Knowing Alyce is paying close attention, but as well knowing she is too shy to speak with him, Magister Reese takes to speaking to the cat instead. He even begins teaching the true cat to read.
1 day Magister Reese directly addresses Alyce and asks what she wants from life. It takes her all twenty-four hour period to respond.
"I know what I desire. A full belly, a contented centre, and a place in this world."
The Magister is surprised, thinking she'd ask for something simple, such as a sweetheart or a ribbon for her hair. Alyce continues.
"This is what I want, but it is my misfortune to exist hungry, out of humor and as well stupid to be a midwife'due south apprentice."
"None and then stupid," he responds. "You can read besides as the cat."
1 night, as Alyce is prepping the Inn for a thunderstorm, a party of riders comes in need of assistance. One of the riders believes his wife is being devoured by a stomach worm and is seeking a "priest, a magician or a human of medicine." In fact, the woman is in labor, and Alyce, fighting her own reluctance to help, delivers a healthy babe male child to a very tired and extremely grateful woman.
This event results in offers of work from the grateful couple, every bit well Magister Reese. The innkeepers offer her a promotion. Alyce, suddenly seeing a world of options before her, realizes exactly who she wants to exist.
She returns to the midwife, smarter, stronger, and more determined. She convinces Jane to take her back equally an amateur. And Alyce finds her place in the world.
Source: https://turtleandrobot.wordpress.com/2012/09/26/in-search-of-a-full-belly-a-contented-heart-and-a-place-in-this-world/
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