Even worse, plenty of people Matilda meets don’t have any faith at all that prayer to saints is the way to Heaven-and that’s if they believe in Heaven at all. Red Peg has no use for books or saints, and is frequently fed up with Matilda’s inability to tend a fire, get a good deal at the market, or make use of herbs, balms, or household tools like a broom. While Matilda wants to be useful as Peg’s assistant, she quickly becomes terrified by how bloody, physical and heretical (against the Bible) the outside world can be. But when Father Leufredus is called away to London, he abandons Matilda at the home of a woman named Red Peg, who makes her living as a bonesetter (someone who mends broken bones).

She was raised in a convent by a priest named Father Leufredus, who taught her about saints, demons, good, evil, and how to speak and read Latin. Matilda, unlike most 13-year-old girls in medieval England, knows how to read.

Cushman is meticulous in research and her description brings you right into the medieval world. It was a great treat to listen to this book, as the actress/reader performs all the voices and accents of the age. In her internal dialogue, she prays for very specific things from very specific saints.and sometimes they answer back. My favorite part is Matilda's introspection that comes in the form of prayers to various saints. The book is funny and thoughtful and warm. It's a story of a girl who slowly learns the difference between people who are 'great' because of status, wealth, and education and people who are 'great' for their desire and willingness to serve the people around them. Up to this point she has been reared by a priest who has taught her the uncommon skills of reading and writing along with a penchant for pious and self-righteous maxims and judgments. This is the story of one orphan, Matilda who is sent to live on 'Blood and Bone Alley' as an apprentice of a bonesetter. If you aren't familiar with Cushman, she writes books set in Medieval England.generally with a very independent, headstrong young female. It turns out that all teen books these days are about cliques, mean girls, and vampires.blech! So I was thrilled to listen to this little gem by Karen Cushman. I figure with little ears in the back seat, I better keep things safe and select books on CD strictly from the young adult section. Lately I have been listening to a lot of YA fiction to pass the taxi time. So I have 4 children in 3 different schools and consequently spend a lot of time in the car.

Matilda bone by karen cushman