The Midwife’s Apprentice – Book Review
Friday, June 8th, 2007If you are interested in medieval history, including all of the plant lore and magic that went on, The Midwife’s Apprentice by Karen Cushman is a good read.
Karen Cushman is known for her historically accurate writing. I was amazed by the extensive use of herbal lore and herbal medicine in the book. I am studying to be an herbalist myself right now, so this aspect of the book really appealed to me and this book is full of real information about herbs.
My daughter is nearly 9 and we began reading this together as a read-aloud, though the target age for this book may actually be a bit older. Still, I think my daughter is capable of understanding what’s in the book. Alas, once I started the book, I felt led to build a medieval unit study around it.
There is a small touch of foul language in the book, but only to further define the characters. There is an affair in the book, but it is not described in great depth. I could smell the filth and feel the hardship of being poor and young and alone in medieval England, but not to a terrifying degree. There are births described in this book, but not to the extent that it is graphic or in poor taste.
Perhaps the most important lesson in the book is learning to try and fail and try again, as the main character does.
If you want a go-along chapter book for your medieval study for a mature-enough student, this may be a good one for you.
for you to leave a comment, but you can also e-mail me at lynn AT thehealthyhomeschool.com
