Medieval Middle Grade: The Beatryce Prophecy, Healer & Witch, and The Green Children of Woolpit [Summer Reading Recap]

The Beatryce Prophecy by Kate DiCamillo (ills Sophie Blackall)

• I’ve read a few of Kate DiCamillo’s books. Although I liked her style, none had a premise that truly appealed to me. So I was excited to learn she’d written a medieval fantasy – just my thing! The Beatryce Prophecy is a cozy narrative about the power of stories, in a world where storybooks are not allowed.
  • Even when she had been able to recall nothing at all about who she was, she had remembered the words of this story. Why? Perhaps because she had loved the book so much – the feel of its pages in her hand, its deep-hued illustrations, its uniformly printed words. (pg ??)
• As with DiCamillo’s other stories, this would make a good read aloud. Written in what I consider a classic fairy tale style, the story is uncomplicated yet well-told.
  • The bees hummed, and Granny Bibspeak made him say his name until he understood somewhere deep inside of him what she was trying to tell him – that his parents were gone, dead, but that he himself still lived. “I am Jack Dory,” he said. “Aye,” said Granny Bibspeak. “You are.” (pg 58)
• The physical book has been lovingly designed, with illuminated letters starting each chapter, shimmery endpapers, and illustrations by Sophie Blackall.
• 💭 The Bottom Line: Certainly recommended to existing fans of DiCamillo, The Beatryce Prophecy may also be enjoyed by those who like sweet and simple historical fantasy.

Healer & Witch by Nancy Werlin

Sylvie, just past her fifteenth birthday, had come finally into womanhood with her first monthly bleeding, and then the understanding – the power – had simply appeared inside her. When she touched people, she could reach and see their thoughts and their memories.

Pg 2

• Healer & Witch is probably the most atypical middle grade I’ll read this year. The narrative style and mature themes make me think it was originally intended for an older audience but deemed not ‘young adult’ enough, or something.
  • She understood that the landlady thought that Sylvie was unhappily pregnant, as a result of seduction – or even worse, rape – and needed assistance from a wisewoman so tha tthere would be no baby. (pg 37)
• Generally speaking, Healer & Witch explores the question of how one chooses to use their gifts (via a healer and witch dichotomy), and independent womanhood.
• Not sure how I feel about a 15 year old declining to marry a 24 year old until she is a few years older?! I get that this would have been progressive for the time period. It wouldn’t stand out to me in an adult medieval fantasy. However I’m not sure how I feel about handing a book that features that kind of relationship to, say, a ten year old.
  • The barest flicker of dismay crossed his expression; had she not been watching so closely, she would have missed it. “Ah. Not any longer a child, and yet…” (pg 135)
  • Okay?! He thought she was 17 or 18 and is surprised to learn she’s only 15.
  • “I am twenty-four, which is young for my position and I am still building – I need this trip.” (pg 144)
• I did quite like Sylvie as a protagonist. I like that she’s only out and about in the big wide world so she can figure out her powers to help her mother. She’s truly a homebody who enjoys village life and desire to go back! Not your stereotypical girl trapped in small town who yearns to escape. I also like how she looks out for Martin and how cleverly she speaks to the inquisitor (pg 231).
• Reviews: Charlotte @ Charlotte’s Library
• 💭 The Bottom Line: Overall, an enjoyable read for anyone who likes feminist medieval fantasies, but certainly one to read yourself before handing to a kiddo.

The Green Children of Woolpit by J. Anderson Coats

• This is my favourite of the three books in this post, so it’s a shame I don’t have any notes to draw from! But sometimes that can be taken as evidence that a book was an engrossing read for me – I didn’t stop much to jot down thoughts.
• The only note I do have is that there was an unexpectedly gory description of a few dead bodies, as one of the character recalls their village being raided (pg 174).
• I suppose I’ll just say this is the kind of middle grade story that’s just right for me, with its key elements of 1) a medieval wooded village setting, grounded in real history and 2) cruel fair folk.
• I also enjoy following a protagonist who is the only one who knows what’s truly happening and they have to navigate deceit and forgotten memories and other challenges thrown up by magical antagonists.
• Review: Charlotte @ Charlotte’s Library
• 💭 The Bottom Line: A wonderfully atmospheric tale with some of my favourite tropes, I’ll be sure to pick up Coats’s next medieval middle grade novel (A Season Most Unfair), even if it doesn’t feature any fairies!

What’s your favourite medieval story? Middle grade or otherwise, fantasy or not, real world or secondary world…?