What books are similar to The Midwife's Apprentice?

The 10 closest matches to The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman on ReadingList include Catherine, Called Birdy, Alchemy and Meggy Swann, Bud, Not Buddy, Holes, and Maniac Magee. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.

Are books like The Midwife's Apprentice reading-level appropriate?

Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–7), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.

How does ReadingList choose similar books?

Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Books like The Midwife's Apprentice

If you liked The Midwife's Apprentice, read Catherine, Called Birdy, Alchemy and Meggy Swann, or Bud, Not Buddy — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.

Looking for books like The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman (Fiction · grades 3–7)? The 10 titles below are the closest matches in the ReadingList database — each scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level, and each linked to the curricula, states, and grades where it’s assigned, with primary sources.

These are reading-level matches, not just topical ones — so the picks stay grade-appropriate for a grades 3–7 reader. See how we judge text difficulty on our methodology page.

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Why each is a match

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Catherine, Called Birdygrades 4–9: Is by Karen Cushman, the same author, overlapping grades (4–9), and the same era (1990s). Amazon → books like this →
Alchemy and Meggy Swanngrades 3–10: Is by Karen Cushman, the same author and overlapping grades (3–10). Amazon → books like this →
Bud, Not Buddy950L: Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (1990s). Amazon → books like this →
Holes660L: Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (1990s). Amazon → books like this →
Maniac Magee820L: Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (4–7), and the same era (1990s). Amazon → books like this →
Shiloh890L: Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (3–6), and the same era (1990s). Amazon → books like this →
Soundergrades 3–7: Both on the Newbery Medal list, same genre (Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
The Dark Frigategrades 3–7: Both on the Newbery Medal list, same genre (Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →
The Giver760L: Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list), overlapping grades (6–8), and the same era (1990s). Amazon → books like this →
Young Fu of the Upper Yangtzegrades 3–7: Both on the Newbery Medal list, same genre (Fiction), and overlapping grades (3–7). Amazon → books like this →

Books like The Midwife's Apprentice for elementary readers (grades 3–5)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 3–5— same scoring, different audience.

King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry · grades 3–7 — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (3–7).
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien · 790L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (4–6).
New Kid by Jerry Craft · grades 4–8 — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (4–8).
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo · 670L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (3–6).
A Mouse Called Wolf by Dick King-Smith · grades 4–6 — Both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list, overlapping grades (4–6), and the same era (1990s).

Books like The Midwife's Apprentice for middle school (grades 6–8)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 6–8— same scoring, different audience.

King of the Wind by Marguerite Henry · grades 3–7 — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (3–7).
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien · 790L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (4–6).
New Kid by Jerry Craft · grades 4–8 — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (4–8).
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor · 920L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (6–8).
The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo · 670L — Both on the Newbery Medal list (+1 more shared list) and overlapping grades (3–6).

Books like The Midwife's Apprentice for high school & teens (grades 9–12)

Closest matches whose grade range overlaps 9–12— same scoring, different audience.

House of Marionne by J. Elle · grades 9–12 — Same genre (Fiction).
Missing May by Cynthia Rylant · grades 4–9 — Both on the Newbery Medal list, overlapping grades (4–9), and the same era (1990s).
Nasty, Stinky Sneakers by Eve Bunting · grades 9–12 — Both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list and the same era (1990s).
Rewind by William Sleator · grades 9–12 — Both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list and the same era (1990s).
Sex Education by Jenny Davis · grades 9–12 — Both on the Pacific Northwest Young Reader's Choice Award list and the same era (1990s).

Common questions

What books are similar to The Midwife's Apprentice?: The 10 closest matches to The Midwife's Apprentice by Karen Cushman on ReadingList include Catherine, Called Birdy, Alchemy and Meggy Swann, Bud, Not Buddy, Holes, and Maniac Magee. Each is scored on shared themes, shared award lists, genre, and reading level (grades 3–7), and links to the curricula, states, and grades where it is assigned in US schools, with primary sources.
Are books like The Midwife's Apprentice reading-level appropriate?: Yes — every match is a reading-level match, not just a topical one, scored on Lexile and grade band (grades 3–7), so the picks stay grade-appropriate. See how ReadingList judges text difficulty on the /standard methodology page.
How does ReadingList choose similar books?: Matches are ranked by shared themes, shared award and reading-program lists (two books picked for the same state award were chosen by the same committees for the same readers), same genre, comparable Lexile and grade band, and publication decade — computed from cited public curriculum data, not editorial opinion or AI-generated summaries.

Book data last updated 2026-09-05. Matches are computed from each book’s cited attributes — see the methodology.

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