The Midwife’s Apprentice

Here’s another great Medieval tale by Karen Cushman. On a frosty evening, a girl who knows no home, no parents, and has no name but Brat finds shelter in a farmer’s dung heap. Jane, the village midwife finds her and takes her as her apprentice. Jane is a hard woman with a sharp glance and a sharper temper. Still, Brat, now called Beetle, makes a place for herself, that is, until the day when she fails at an important assignment. Then, she runs away, believing she is too stupid to be of use to anyone. Is she a know-nothing who belongs nowhere? Or, is she a real person with a real name, a midwife’s apprentice with a place in the world? A family favorite, ages 10 and up.