MATILDA BONE

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cushman, Karen. 2000. MATILDA BONE. New York, New York: Random House. ISBN 0440418224

PLOT SUMMARY
MATILDA BONE is a historical fiction novel set in medieval England. Matalida is an orphan that is brought by her guardian Father Leufredus to be a servant to Peg, the "wrong sides of the track" bonesetter. Peg takes care of the poor people who cannot afford to go to a "real" doctor to reset their broken bones. In the beginning of the story Matilda does not want to be there and thinks that Father Leufredus will becoming back for her soon. Matilda is an educated girl who can speak, write, and understand Latin in addition to being able to communicate with the saints that she prays to daily. These are not skills that are valued on Blood and Bone Alley and Matilda must learn new skills in order to pull her weight and become the kind of servant, and in time apprentice, that Peg needs. Some of the new skills that Matilda acquires are starting a fire, mixing up the substances that Peg needs for her patients, learning how to choose the best quality produce at the best negotiated price she can get at the local food market using the small amount of money she has given by Peg each day, and to start to rely on her wits to solve issues that occur instead of praying to her saints that do not answer her prayers.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS
It is obvious that Cushman conducted through research for this novel because the details are accurate and exemplify the life and times of the people that lived during this time and place in our world's history. Eventhough the characters are not real people that lived in medieval England there is accuracy in her writings that if were researched would reveal that people truly lived, spoke, and acted in the same way that her characters do. For example, it was a common practice to leech people whom it was believed had too much blood in their bodies which in turn caused their ailments-"too much blood is the cause of most trouble." "Bleeding reduces pains, without a doubt, once we let the extra blood out. ....The leeches fed on her blood, until, swollen and satiated, they dropped off."

Cushman's book is logical and easy to follow. The reader first learns of Matilda, then of Peg, of the mannerisms unique to each that seemed to peculiar to each of them in turn, and then it expands to include the world that made up their daily lives-the sick and poor, the people who lived as they did and some that didn't(some worse and some better), and the chores, work, and resilience that was required to make it from day to day. Cushman even provides a section at the back of the book entitled "author's note" that discusses the information that she gathered while conducting her research for this book. Cushman's style of writing captures the reader's attention from the very first sentence. "Matilda stood before the scarred wooden door and stared at the bright-yellow bone painted there." This is a book that will educate the reader about this place and time in the history of the world.

REVIEW EXCERPT
Parents Choice:"The richness of the book lies in its setting."

CONNECTIONS
Three of Cushman's other books are:
CATHERINE, CALLED BIRDY. ISBN 0064405842
THE MIDWIFE'S APPRENTICE. ISBN 006440630X
THE BALLAD OF LUCY WHIPPLE. ISBN 0064406849

Students can continue where the story leaves off in MATILDA BONE by either writing the next chapter in the book or by following the life of one of the characters during the next year.