A young, homeless – and nameless – girl is taken in by a sharp-tempered midwife. Despite a life of seemingly insurmountable obstacles and hardship, the girl wants only the most simple comforts for herself. With only her heart to guide her, she blossoms, as do all of her dreams: to have a name, a full belly, a contented heart and a place in this world.

The Midwife’s Apprentice was read by Krista Hoeppner.
Krista has performed on stage from New York to California in many of the finest regional theatres in the country. She will be seen in the upcoming independent film The Egoist. Krista has used her vocal talents for many years as a reader for the blind.

What do you think?

Why does Alyce feel she’s a failure? When the Midwife tells Magister Reese “She was not what I needed”, what does she mean? Do you think Alyce failed? Do you think the Midwife was correct? What lesson can you learn from the Midwife’s comments?

When Alyce returned to the manor for the boy Edward “…she learned about the sometimes mighty distance between what one imagines and what is.” Why do you think Alyce was so emotional when she found Edward? Was she sad or relieved? Write about a time when you learned about the “distance” between what you imagined and what was true. How did you learn from it?

Online Adventures Where should you go from here?

To learn more about Karen Cushman, the award-winning author who “grew tired of hearing about kings, princesses, generals, presidents. I wanted to know what life was like for ordinary people in other times…” visit this website.

An excellent teachers’ guide for several of Karen Cushman’s books is available online . If you enjoy reading about young people in other time periods there are many books suggested.

If you love the medieval setting of The Midwife’s Apprentice, you’re in luck! Karen Cushman has two other novels set in medieval times: Matilda Bone (Yearling Books, 2002) and Catherine, Called Birdy (Clarion, 1994). In The Ballad of Lucy Whipple, (Clarion, 1996) Cushman takes us back to the California Gold Rush.

Grace Greene from The Vermont Department of Libraries suggests you take a look at…

Branford, Henrietta. Fire, Bed & Bone. Candlewick, 1998.
In 1381 in England, a hunting dog recounts what happens to his beloved master Rufus and his family when they are arrested on suspicion of being part of the peasants’ rebellion led by Wat Tyler.

DeFelice, Cynthia. The Apprenticeship of Lucas Whitaker. Farrar Straus Giroux, 1996. After his family dies of consumption in 1849, twelve-year-old Lucas becomes a doctor’s apprentice.

Morressy, John. The Juggler. Holt, 1996.
Beran makes a pact with the devil to become the greatest juggler in the world.

Skurzynski, Gloria. What Happened In Hamelin. Four Winds, 1979.
A novel of the Pied Piper legend told from the standpoint of a fourteen-year-old baker’s assistant who dreams of freedom from his harsh medieval life and of a new life with the piper.

Williams, Laura E. The Executioner's Daughter. Holt, 2000.
Thirteen-year-old Lily, daughter of the town’s executioner living in fifteenth-century Europe, decides whether to fight against her destiny or to rise above her fate.