1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cushman, Karen. 2000. MATILDA BONE. New York: Clarion. ISBN 0395881560
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Matilda has lived for 14 years in a fine manor house where the hardest thing she had to do was find her way to the privy in the dark. However, through unfortunate circumstances, Matilda finds herself thrust into the job of apprentice to Peg the Bonesetter who lives in Blood and Bone Alley. Suddenly, she must assist with all sorts of jobs that are beneath her pious upbringing. The last words of Father Leufredus ring in her ears constantly: “Remember all I have taught you, about right and wrong, sin and Hell, and the evils of joy and pleasure. Do always as you think I would have you do, remember your Latin, and pray ceaselessly.” Now, every time she turns around, she is asked to do something lowly which requires neither her spirituality nor her education. While Matilda yearns to seek higher things, she begins to learn about life for those who must live in the every day world.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Matilda is a judgmental, self-centered character throughout the story and does not mature as many readers might expect at the outset of the novel. While we get a glimpse of the fact that she is recognizing that perhaps what she was taught by Father Leufredus does not take the realities of life into consideration, that realization does not come until the very end of the story. Although she is given opportunity after opportunity to realize her short-sighted attitudes, she only inches toward the discovery that prayers and Latin are not the be-all and end-all of life. However, how many people do we know who are just like she is? The frustration that many readers may feel every time Matilda thinks Master Theobald superior to Doctor Margery may easily translate to the feelings they have had about friends or family members who just do not seem to “get it.”
Matilda is a character who gets lost in this story that focuses on the interesting details of medieval medicine and life among those who must live day by day. Although the author states in her “Author’s Note” that she is concerned about the story sounding too much like a text book, the story itself is still subordinate to the setting. However, many younger readers (middle schoolers, in particular), will enjoy the descriptions of bone setting, bleeding, and remedies such as pounded earthworms, ants’ eggs, and bull urine. They may be surprised to find that barbers were as likely to cut off legs as hair. However, readers who are more interested in character and conflict may not find enough to keep them engaged with the story. For those who thoroughly enjoy the setting, the bibliography of books dealing with medieval medicine used by the author may spur readers on to further nonfiction reading.
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
*Kirkus: “This has much to commend it: a robust setting, the author's deft way with imagery (Peg's decent face is "beslobbered with freckles") and an impressive command of medieval medical detail.”
*The ALAN Review: “This book, with its delightfully gory descriptions of "prescriptions," leeches, medical treatments and beliefs, would make a wonderful choice to read aloud to a class.”
*Horn Book: “Cushman reveals her concern that her research on the medicine of the day not overwhelm her story; the truth is, this information is just as interesting as Matilda's tale.”
*VOYA: “No one has a better grasp of the flavor of the Middle Ages than Cushman. . . . Students studying the Middle Ages will find this novel a delightful way to learn about fourteenth-century English town life, and those who enjoy historical fiction will treasure the independent spirit of young Matilda Bone.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*Social Studies’ teachers could use this well-researched book to help students get a better picture of the Middle Ages. English Language Arts teachers would find this book an interesting read-aloud.
*Students interested in the topic of medieval times may find reading about medicine a great research topic, especially if they can get a copy of Eyewitness Books Medicine from Dorling Kindersley (which is now out of print). This book was referenced by Cushman in her bibliography, and the full-color pictures that dot each page will help readers picture what medicine throughout history has been like.
*Students may want to read other books set in the Middle Ages - including Cushman’s Catherine, Called Birdy and The Midwife’s Apprentice. Or teachers could use these three books all set in the same time period to compare characters and details of the setting through literature circles.
Cushman, Karen. 2000. MATILDA BONE. New York: Clarion. ISBN 0395881560
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Matilda has lived for 14 years in a fine manor house where the hardest thing she had to do was find her way to the privy in the dark. However, through unfortunate circumstances, Matilda finds herself thrust into the job of apprentice to Peg the Bonesetter who lives in Blood and Bone Alley. Suddenly, she must assist with all sorts of jobs that are beneath her pious upbringing. The last words of Father Leufredus ring in her ears constantly: “Remember all I have taught you, about right and wrong, sin and Hell, and the evils of joy and pleasure. Do always as you think I would have you do, remember your Latin, and pray ceaselessly.” Now, every time she turns around, she is asked to do something lowly which requires neither her spirituality nor her education. While Matilda yearns to seek higher things, she begins to learn about life for those who must live in the every day world.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Matilda is a judgmental, self-centered character throughout the story and does not mature as many readers might expect at the outset of the novel. While we get a glimpse of the fact that she is recognizing that perhaps what she was taught by Father Leufredus does not take the realities of life into consideration, that realization does not come until the very end of the story. Although she is given opportunity after opportunity to realize her short-sighted attitudes, she only inches toward the discovery that prayers and Latin are not the be-all and end-all of life. However, how many people do we know who are just like she is? The frustration that many readers may feel every time Matilda thinks Master Theobald superior to Doctor Margery may easily translate to the feelings they have had about friends or family members who just do not seem to “get it.”
Matilda is a character who gets lost in this story that focuses on the interesting details of medieval medicine and life among those who must live day by day. Although the author states in her “Author’s Note” that she is concerned about the story sounding too much like a text book, the story itself is still subordinate to the setting. However, many younger readers (middle schoolers, in particular), will enjoy the descriptions of bone setting, bleeding, and remedies such as pounded earthworms, ants’ eggs, and bull urine. They may be surprised to find that barbers were as likely to cut off legs as hair. However, readers who are more interested in character and conflict may not find enough to keep them engaged with the story. For those who thoroughly enjoy the setting, the bibliography of books dealing with medieval medicine used by the author may spur readers on to further nonfiction reading.
4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
*Kirkus: “This has much to commend it: a robust setting, the author's deft way with imagery (Peg's decent face is "beslobbered with freckles") and an impressive command of medieval medical detail.”
*The ALAN Review: “This book, with its delightfully gory descriptions of "prescriptions," leeches, medical treatments and beliefs, would make a wonderful choice to read aloud to a class.”
*Horn Book: “Cushman reveals her concern that her research on the medicine of the day not overwhelm her story; the truth is, this information is just as interesting as Matilda's tale.”
*VOYA: “No one has a better grasp of the flavor of the Middle Ages than Cushman. . . . Students studying the Middle Ages will find this novel a delightful way to learn about fourteenth-century English town life, and those who enjoy historical fiction will treasure the independent spirit of young Matilda Bone.”
5. CONNECTIONS
*Social Studies’ teachers could use this well-researched book to help students get a better picture of the Middle Ages. English Language Arts teachers would find this book an interesting read-aloud.
*Students interested in the topic of medieval times may find reading about medicine a great research topic, especially if they can get a copy of Eyewitness Books Medicine from Dorling Kindersley (which is now out of print). This book was referenced by Cushman in her bibliography, and the full-color pictures that dot each page will help readers picture what medicine throughout history has been like.
*Students may want to read other books set in the Middle Ages - including Cushman’s Catherine, Called Birdy and The Midwife’s Apprentice. Or teachers could use these three books all set in the same time period to compare characters and details of the setting through literature circles.
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