The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman

Cushman, Karen. 1995. The Midwife's Apprentice. New York: Clarion.

She thinks her name is "Brat" because that's what everyone in the village calls her. She has no idea how old she is and, as far back as she can remember, she has lived on her own, begging for food, covering her body with filthy rags, and sleeping in the dung heap for warmth. When the village midwife finds her asleep in the dung heap one cold morning she is re-christened 'Beetle' and pressed into service as the midwife's apprentice. Set in a medieval English village The Midwife's Apprentice follows 'Beetle' as she transforms from beggar who sleeps in the dung heap and wishes only for enough food to keep her from starving, to 'Alyce' a girl with friends, a purpose, and a future as a midwife. Cushman's attention to historical details; the townfolks' supersticious belief that the devil is walking about their village causing trouble and the midwife's use of herbs for both medicinal purposes and charms against misfortune and the curses of witches, give authenticity to this story of a young girl's triumph over seeminly insurmountable odds.