Larger	The Midwife's Apprentice Author: Karen Cushman
	Book Information Publisher: HarperTrophy Book Type: Paperback Rating: 75 ISBN-13: 9780064406307 - ISBN-10: 006440630X Pages: 128 Reading Level: Ages 9-12 Book Reviews

"I am Alyce. Not Brat Or Oung Beetle Or Beetle. Alyce."

One frosty evening, a girl who knows no home, no parents, and no name but Brat finds shelter and warmth in a farmer's dung heap. There Jane the village midwife finds her. So it is that Brat--now called Beetle by her new mistress--begins her career as a midwife's apprentice.

It's not a soft life. Jane is a hard woman with a sharp glance and a sharper temper. Still, Beetle makes a place for herself, adopting a cat and befriending one of the village boys. By secretly watching Jane work, she learns some of the skills the midwife greedily tries to hide. Beetle even gives herself a real name at last: Alyce.

Then one day she fails at an important assignment. Alyce runs away, believing she is too stupid to be of use to anyone. Is she truly Brat, a know-nothing who belongs nowhere? Or is she Alyce, the midwife's apprentice, a person with a name and a place in the world?

Winner, 1996 Newbery Medal; New York Public Library 1995 List of Recommended Books; Booklist for Youth Editor's Choice 1995; School Library Journal Best Books of the Year, 1995; An American Bookseller Association Pick of the Lists, 1995; A 1996 Notable Children's Book (ALA); A 1996 Best Books for Young Adults (ALA)