Dad's Book club: The Midwife's Apprentice

I am on a quest to read all the Newbery Medal books.  Lucky for me, there is a separate bookshelf at our library, making them easy to find :).  This week's pick is The Midwife's Apprentice, (by Karen Cushman) which I rather enjoyed.  I find reading about midwifery very interesting, and in this case a bit frightening.  I am quite glad nobody rubbed boiled slugs on my belly to help induce contractions. Gross...

But that's not the point of the book. It's about a poor orphan girl who is finding a place in the world for herself.  At first she is called Beetle by the entire village because she often slept in the dung heap for warmth. She is not afraid to work and tries hard to do good.  Her most important lesson is summed up in her own words, "I know how to try and risk and fail and try again and not give up." This is her moment when she decides who (and what) she wants to be: the midwife's apprentice