Matilda Bone Paperback – August 26, 2014

This is the book review my granddaughter wroteIn Karen Cushman’s fictional novel, Matilda Bone, Matilda Bone a self-centered, religious, and educated young woman, can’t imagine her purpose in life is to help the ill-mannered Bonesetter, Red Peg.In a small, medieval, English town, Matilda Bone was left at Blood and Bone Alley to become an apprentice for Red Peg. She is not used to being around so many people who aren’t educated in Latin or prayer. Matilda believes that no one understands her or cares about her. In the course of the book, Peg helps her through the new way of life: through kindness, friendships, and heartbreak.I would definitely recommend this 160-page book to girls, 10-14 years of age. This book had an excellent flow from chapter to chapter. One thing I admired about the book was that the author beautifully explains Matilda’s thought process and incorporates the story with many twists and turns. Also, when Matilda would get mad or frustrated she would yell saliva mucusque (which in english means “spit and slime”). This book might also, interest readers who want to learn about the medieval period or their medical practices. With all that the book offers I would rate this book 5 stars.

I had already read two of Cushman's other novels:The Midwife's Apprentice, and Catherine, Called Birdy, both of which I very much enjoyed. Matilda Bone, while interesting - especially regarding 14th-century medicine - was less compelling than those other books. The cast of characters in Matilda Bone looks promising, but the relationships are not as fully developed as I'd expected. Perhaps that's because Matilda herself is only marginally believable and marginally likable. She apparently has a naturally passive personality that has been brainwashed not to do any independent thinking. Matilda does mature during the story, eventually learning to formulate her own ideas. But the process feels more planned than organic, and Matilda just does not seem like a real live girl.

I’m surprised how many passages I remembered word for word. This book reminds me of the importance of our laborers and workers now.

I remember picking this book up in middle school in the library because our teacher made us all check at least one book out. I'm so glad that I chose it! It is by far one of my favorites of all time, even though I'm much older now I ended up buying this again just so I could have it. Even reading this as an adult, Matilda Bone does not disappoint. The characters are dynamic, the story is intriguing, and not only do you get a vivid picture of what the medieval era looked like in a common town but you learn about the people and their ways, all while being entertained by a great story.

Wonderful story about a girl's journey to find her place in the world of medieval England! I teach middle school social studies, and I loved the book so much that the language arts teacher at my school and I are planning to teach a join medieval history/Matilda Bone unit with our 7th grade class. Highly recommend for pre-teen girls, especially those who like historical fiction.

I loved this book so much, that I've even used bits of it in lessons for my much older students. I highly recommend this, not only for the historical value, but for the sake of a good story.

My daughter and I read it together. We liked the vivid descriptions of medieval England.

The book was definitely worth the price b/c of the content. There was a minimal bit of wear to the cover, but nothing my daughter will mind. Overall we were happy.

I bought this and a few other Karen Cushman books for some research on a project I'm working on. I like how (in this book and in others) she get the historical accuracy in, without it ever getting boring and I certainly learned a lot!. Even if you're an adult, reading her books can certainly teach you a thing or two, and it's clear a lot of research has gone in to her work. I would definitely recommend any of her books for a young person with an interest in history.Matilda Bone starts out as a quite unlikeable character, but as the story moves on you start to see why she is the way she is, and how she grows and start forming her own opinions. All the info about bone setting was really interesting too!