This is the story of a young girl who knows only the name Brat and how she finds shelter and warmth in a farmer's dung heap. In this dung heap Jane, the village midwife, finds her and she begins her career as a midwife's apprentice. As she grows older and becomes more experienced, Alyce, what Brat wants her name to be, turns into a very good midwife. I liked this book because it was about growing up without being annoying like some Newberys are, the ones with the same plot. I also liked this book because it was about a girl instead of a boy; it seems like all of the Newberys are about boys.
Rating: *****
Your comment about the number of Newbery winners featuring boys is interesting. It makes me want to go back and take another look at *my* favorites to see if they featured more boys or girls as main characters.
ReplyDeleteI have read several boy book lately and the ones who feature girls tend to be my favorites. I am reading Invincible Louisa right now and it is not only about a girl but about a famous writer. I really want to be a writer so, I really love it!
ReplyDeleteAs as middle school reading teacher, I have to work hard to find books that boys and girls will enjoy equally. I have found that girls will read books with a boy protagonist, but boys don't like to read books with girl protagonists.
ReplyDeleteMaybe girls are just better at following directions.
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