Matilda is a 14-year-old who knows a little too much about religion, and much too little about life. She knows how to read and write, figure, pray and fast, obey in all things, and speak Latin (her favorite saying translates as "spit and slime"). What Matilda doesn't know is how to cook, tend a fire, shop for food, take care of an ill person, or think for herself. Raised by a priest, Matilda suddenly finds herself on Blood and Bone Alley where she must assist Red Peg the Bonesetter. Matilda is horrified by her new situation, and longs to be back with Father Leufredus, or a least to attend someone learned and wise. Peg and her friends eat sausage, play cards, and work on Sunday! Matilda is sure that her holy ways will see her through this trial and that she is a better person than Peg and her friends. But knowing the religious symbolism of a fish does not keep her from buying a rotten one for dinner, not does praying keep her from burning the meal, and while she prays to the saints to cure people, Red Peg uses her healing skill to treat them and bring them relief. Gradually, Matilda comes to realize that there are things which Red Peg can teach her, that being learned and wise does not always mean that you are educated and clean, and that Father Leufredus' thinking will do little to help her in the real world.

Cushman's latest book is a wonderful companion to her other two titles set in the Middle Ages, CATHERINE CALLED BIRDY and THE MIDWIFE'S APPRENTICE. With details such as names that match occupations (Grizzl Wimplewasher and Harold Spinecracker), and the herbs used to treat diseases, Cushman has done her research well. With her classic tongue-in-cheek humor, she has created yet another character who grows up before our very eyes, while growing better at the same time. Of course, Matilda has the help of Red Peg, loosener of joints…and of young girls' hearts.

---Reviewed by Elizabeth Pabrinkis