The Midwife's Apprentice

The Midwife's Apprentice. by Karen Cushman. (1996). 144p. New York: HarperCollins.


Awards and Honors: Newbery Medal, 1996

Review:

The Midwife’s Apprentice is the story of a homeless, nameless orphan who after seeking shelter in the warmth of a trash heap ends up being apprenticed to a  harsh midwife in a medieval village. Jane the Midwife takes her in, not out of pity or kindness, but because she is looking for cheap labor, and names her Beetle. The girl soon renames herself Alyce, and begins to learn the midwife's trade. Although Alyce comes across many stumbling blocks, she is a plucky and likeable heroine who does not let her unlucky circumstances get the best of her. This is ultimately a story about hope and determination.

Opinion:
Alyce's determination through her travails left me rooting for her and wishing that Cushman had written a sequel to The Midwife’s Apprentice. Though I'm not much for books with a moral, I enjoyed the message of persistence and will.

Ideas: 
Use this book to enhance lessons on Medieval fiction.

Catherine, Called Birdy

Catherine, Called Birdy. by Karen Cushman. (1994). 212p. New York: HarperCollins.

Awards and Honors: Newbery Honor

Review: 

Catherine is a typical rebellious teenager: coarse, headstrong, sassy and a bit self-indulgent, too. She's also the only daughter of a noble family down on its luck, a role that requires she be married off to a husband who can raise her family's status. Of course, Catherine wants no part of this. She chafes under her domestic duties and social obligations and she finds a way to chase off her suitors one by one, until her father will have no more of her games. When Catherine realizes that fighting doesn't always help her get what she wants, she begins to change her ways and her outlook on life. Cushman writes Catherine's story using a diary format, and doesn't spare readers the nastier details of Medieval life. 

 

Opinion:

I don't love this book. Catherine's character quickly grated on my nerves, the book drags at times and the conclusion seemed hasty to me. I also thought that the potty humor was way overdone. Farts, privies and urine can be funny a few times, and granted Catherine *is* a tomboy, but Cushman's fascination with these things borders on obsession. I will say that I enjoyed the second half of the book more than the first, but I was glad when I finally finished the novel.

Ideas:
History teachers could use this book in history lessons to inspire their students to create their own diaries of kids living in the past.

A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver

A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver. by E.L. Konigsburg. (1975). 207p. New York: MacMillan.

Awards and Honors: A National Book Award Finalist, An ALA Notable Children's Book

Review: 

"During her lifetime Eleanor of Aquitaine had not been a patient woman. While she had lived, she had learned to bide her time, but biding one's time is a very different thing from patience. After she had died, and before she had arrived in Heaven, it had been necessary for Eleanor to learn some patience."

So begins E.L. Konigsburg's historical novel about one of the most well-known European rulers of all time, Eleanor of Aquitaine. Though Eleanor is the subject of countless novels and biographies, Konigsburg's highly original premise makes A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver a real standout in Medieval fiction for tweens. Eleanor and a handful of her contemporaries and friends are waiting for her husband Henry to be allowed entry into Heaven. From atop their clouds, they pass the time by gossiping about the trials and and travails of Eleanor's life, providing readers with an engaging and intimate picture of a fascinating woman.

Opinion:
A Proud Taste for Scarlet and Miniver is best-suited for readers on the older side of the tween spectrum. Although there is nothing objectionable with the content, the book is fairly sophisticated and may be a challenging read for younger tweens.

Ideas:
This is an obvious choice for inclusion in Medieval European curriculum, and I'd definitely recommend it for students looking for historical fiction. 

A Single Shard

A Single Shard. by Linda Sue Park. 2001. 152p. New York: Clarion Books. 

Genre: historical fiction

Honors and Awards: Newbery Medal, 2002; ALA Best Book for Young Adults, 2002; ALA Notable Book for Children, 2002; Booklist Editor's Choice, 2001; Capitol Choices Selection, 2001; School Library Journal, Best Books of the Year, 2001; New York Public Library, 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing, 2001; Sequoyah Book Award (OK), 2001

Review: 
A moving historical novel set in 12th century Korea. Twelve year old orphan, Tree-ear and his caretaker Crane Man share a hard-scrabble, but honorable, existence together in the potter's village of Ch'ulp'o where they take shelter under a bridge, foraging for what meager food they can find. Tree-ear is enamored with the work of the potters in town, particularly that of an old master named Min. When Tree-ear accidentally breaks a piece of pottery made by Min, the potter agrees to let him work off his debt by laboring for 9 days, though Tree-ear stays on much longer in the hope that one day Min will teach him how to create pots himself. When eventually Min has the opportunity to earn a royal commission but is himself unable to travel to the king's court to show his works, Tree-ear insists on making the trek himself. Disaster befalls Tree-ear, but through his courage and perseverance he reaches the court where his dedication is rewarded.

Opinion: 
This book stands out for being both superbly written and excellent for readers at the younger end of the tween spectrum. The characters are moving and realistic; Park portrays individuals who have each experienced tragedy in their lives, yet who manage to persevere and overcome.

Ideas: 
The strength of A Single Shard is its suitability for younger readers. Many readers are intimidated by historical fiction, since some novels can be long or seemingly "boring" to kids. This book would make an excellent gateway for young readers to into historical fiction.

Out of the Dust

Out of the Dust. By Karen Hesse. 1999. P. Newbery Medal, 1998.

Full of dark and evocative imagery, Out of the Dust is the story of Billie Jo, a 12-year-old farmer’s daughter living in Dust Bowl Oklahoma during the Great Depression. Only child Billie Jo lives with her mother and father in a small tight knit rural town where they eke out a hardscrabble existence. While drought and starkness dominate the countryside, Billie Jo’s piano playing and the impending arrival of a new baby are causes for hope in her life. But when a tragic and gut wrenching accident destroys both of these, Billie Jo and her father are thrown into a maelstrom of grief and guilt that rivals the vicious dust storms that rage across the prairies.  

In free verse poems, Hesse relates their stories crafting haunting visuals that stay with the reader long after the book is finished. Through the unrelenting anguish, there are small glimmers of hope that appear in the love and compassion that humans show each other in times of tragedy. An excellent and moving work of historical fiction.   

Inside Out & Back Again

Inside Out and Back Again. by Thanhha Lai. 2011. 260p. New York: HarperCollins. Newbery Honor, 2011.

In a series of free verse poems which act as diary entries, Inside Out and Back Again is the story of a year in the life of a young South Vietnamese girl as she flees her home with her mother and brothers, and struggles to build a new life in America. Though life in Saigon in 1975 is fraught with uncertainties, ten-year-old Há loves the sights, sounds, smells and rhythms of her hometown, which are richly evoked in Lai’s heady descriptions. When North Vietnamese troops take over the city, Há’s family is forced to make the heartbreaking decision to leave behind everything they know, including her father who has been missing in action for several years, in order to seek refuge in a foreign land.

Há and her mother and brothers end up in Alabama where they must each make their own place in an entirely new and sometimes hostile world. Há sees her new town as colorless and lonely; she struggles with learning a new language and faces school bullies who taunt her for her differences, yet she also learns kindness from her sponsor and a neighbor who both defend and support Há through her travails.

This is a sad, beautiful and hopeful book told in simple, yet profound language. Readers both young and old will be deeply moved by Há‘s story.

The Whipping Boy

The Whipping Boy. by Sid Fleischman. illustrated by Peter Sis. 1987. 90p. New York: Greenwillow Books. Newbery Medal, 1987.

Fleischman channels The Prince and the Pauper in his 1987 Newbery winning novel, The Whipping Boy. Orphaned son of a commoner, Jemmy lives in the royal castle where he serves as a whipping boy for the spoiled and mischievous young heir, Prince Brat. When Prince Brat decides that he is bored with life at the royal court, he runs away dragging Jemmy along with him. Together the pair are begrudgingly forced to join together to outwit and outrun a pair of bandits who seek to collect a ransom on the Prince. A colorful cast of characters also includes a blind potato seller, a young girl named Betsy and a dancing bear.

Fleischman combines adventure, humor and suspense in this quick-paced story for children. The Whipping Boy is likely best for younger children, as more mature readers may find the story overly simplistic. The dialogue is clunky at points, most characters are one-dimensional and Fleischman is heavy-handed with the moral themes. The convenient ending works, but older readers may reject it as simplistic and naïve.