Books like The Midwife's Apprentice
If you liked The Midwife's Apprentice, read Catherine, Called Birdy, Sounder, or The Dark Frigate — the closest matches in our database, matched on shared award lists and reading level.
Closest match: Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
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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.
10 books similar to The Midwife's Apprentice
Catherine, Called BirdyKaren Cushman
SounderWilliam H. Armstrong
The Dark FrigateHawes C.
Young Fu of the Upper YangtzeElizabeth Foreman Lewis
Alchemy and Meggy SwannKaren Cushman
A Smart Kid Like YouStella Pevsner
Motown and DidiWalter Dean Myers
WildernessDavid Thompson
Bud, Not BuddyChristopher Paul Curtis · 950L
HolesLouis Sachar · 660L
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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 →
- 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 →
- 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 →
- Alchemy and Meggy Swanngrades 3–10
- Is by Karen Cushman, the same author and overlapping grades (3–10). Amazon → books like this →
- A Smart Kid Like Yougrades 4–8
- Same genre (Fiction) and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
- Motown and Didigrades 4–8
- Same genre (Fiction) and overlapping grades (4–8). Amazon → books like this →
- Wildernessgrades 4–8
- Same genre (Fiction) and overlapping grades (4–8). 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 →
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, Sounder, The Dark Frigate, Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze, and Alchemy and Meggy Swann. 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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