1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Cushman, Karen. 2010. Alchemy and Meggy Swann. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 978-0-547-23184-6
Cushman, Karen. 2010. Alchemy and Meggy Swann. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 978-0-547-23184-6
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Set in 1573, Meggy Swann and her goose Louise find themselves transported to London when her mother no longer wants to take care of her. She has been sent to live with her father, an alchemist who doesn’t want the bother of a daughter. Her situation is made more difficult because of a disability, which people see as a curse from God. Meggy struggles to make her father take notice of her and to find a place in her new world, meeting unexpected allies along the way.
Set in 1573, Meggy Swann and her goose Louise find themselves transported to London when her mother no longer wants to take care of her. She has been sent to live with her father, an alchemist who doesn’t want the bother of a daughter. Her situation is made more difficult because of a disability, which people see as a curse from God. Meggy struggles to make her father take notice of her and to find a place in her new world, meeting unexpected allies along the way.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
London in 1573 is not what someone growing up in the 21st century would expect. Coming from a rural village, Meggy is not prepared for it, either, deeming it “horrid.” She is overwhelmed by the crowds, the sights, the sounds, and the smells. Cushman’s narration helps the reader picture the buildings, sewage in the streets, beggars, merchants, soldiers, fine ladies, Queen Elizabeth riding on a royal barge, and the heads of traitors lining London Bridge. Meggy finds London both cramped and sprawling, with distances made farther because walking is so painful and laborious. Cushman has included a map of the section of London where Meggy lives. This gives the reader a better understanding of relative locations and distances, even though the map is not drawn with a scale. Cushman does not romanticize life near the end of the 16th century. There are dirty windows, chores, chamber pots (dumped out the window), a thin straw pallet for a bed, and meager rations.
In the midst of all this, Meggy just wants to find a place
to fit in. Because of her leg problems, everyone she has met has rejected her
as cursed by God or a witch working for the Devil. Since the death of her
grandmother, her goose is her only friend. Louise suffers from a wing
deformation, making them a matched pair. Meggy is burdened with despair and
self-pity, feeling like she can’t stay with her father, but can’t go home. She
feels like she has no options.
In London, she finds curses and insults, but for the first
time, curiosity and friendship. Her father, whom she calls Master Peevish, is
too consumed by his work for anything else. But she makes the acquaintance of
Roger, who had worked for her father before she came. Through their banter of
insults, Meggy is surprised to find a friend who doesn’t care about her legs.
Her world expands to include the neighboring cooper and his son, a broadside
printer and his family, and the Grimm troupe of players. The reader gets
glimpses into their challenges and dreams, though they remain fairly flat. They
serve the purpose of making Meggy reevaluate her life by showing her she is not
the only one with difficulties and by valuing her in spite of her disability.
Cushman makes her characters and historical period more
vivid through their language. Meggy’s refrain when things go wrong is “Ye toads
and vipers!” While the narration is modern, Cushman flavors dialog with many
words you would expect from the period: certes, fie, wither, ‘twas, in sooth,
ne’er, prithee, wherefore. The vocabulary can be challenging. Through the
course of the book, Cushman gives many period words, but does not define them (doublets,
kirtles, alembics, crucibles, etc.), so a dictionary or vocabulary study would
be an important companion to the book.
Rather than trying to put too many historical details into
the story, Cushman provides an extensive author’s note at the end of the book
highlighting the history woven into the book. She comments further on alchemy
and its impact on the development of modern chemistry. Cushman explains the
role of broadsides as news and entertainment, stating that the ballads in the
book are authentic to the period (except the ones written by the characters!).
She gives more information on the treatment of disabled or ill people, why
those views were starting to change at the time of the story, and tells the
actual causes of both Meggy’s and Louise’s disabilities. She explains “thee”
and “ye” and her choice of “you” to simplify the text. Cushman ends with print
and online resources to continue learning about the period, alchemy, London,
and theater.
The plot for Alchemy
and Meggy Swan circles around her disability and her father’s experiments.
Meggy’s disability is treated according to how people would have viewed it at
the time, but can challenge the modern reader to decide if they see the
disability and not the person in their own interactions. Alchemy will be an
unknown concept for today’s readers. Cushman describes the main points of
alchemy are described in terms that older elementary or middle school students
should be able to understand. Side story lines show the mistrust of “players”
in a time when being an actor could get a person arrested. There is political
intrigue, which would have also taken place.
Alchemy and Meggy Sawn
begins with a Carl Jung quote, setting the stage for alchemy, both chemical and
interpersonal. Alchemy deals with the transformation and purification of
substances, starting with a base metal and moving toward precious gold, a
lengthy and complicated process. Alchemical principals can apply to
transformation of characters as well. Meggy begins the story as a girl who
thinks her disability makes her useless, and has come to expect insults and
fear from those she meets. With the events of the story acting as crucible,
Meggy begins to discover that her disability does not define who she is and
begins to accept that there are people who see her as special. Meggy is
becoming gold, even if her father’s experiments are not so successful. Alchemy
is no longer a common subject, but the transformation of individuals by the
people and events in their lives is something that modern readers will relate
to. The hope that it is possible to be more than you thought you could be (or
more than others tell you you can be) is just as true today.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S) AND AWARDS
Odyssey Award honor book, 2011
Odyssey Award honor book, 2011
Kirkus Best
Children's and YA Books, 2010
School Library Journal
Best Books of the Year, 2010
Booklist Top 10
Historical Fiction for Youth, 2010
Notable Children's Books in the English Language Arts, from
the NCTE Children's Literature Assembly 2011
VOYA Top Shelf Fiction for Middle School Readers, 2010
H. W. Wilson’s Children’s
Core Collection, most highly recommended
School
Library Journal: “Cushman adds another intrepid, resourceful,
courageous girl to her repertoire in this tale set in 16th-century London. . . The
astounding sights, sounds, and smells of the city accost her, and readers see
and hear them all through Cushman's deft descriptive and cinematic prose. . . [Meggy’s]
courage and confidence grow with each obstacle overcome. Cushman fans who loved
Catherine, Called Birdy (1994) and The Midwife's Apprentice
(1995, both Clarion) will not be disappointed.”
Publishers
Weekly: “With flawless historical prose, Cushman introduces Meggy Swann, a feisty,
sharp-tongued girl just arrived in gritty Elizabethan London, who has had more
than her share of hard knocks. . . While Cushman's story revolves around the
potential magic and disappointing fraud of alchemy (and Meggy's
father) as well as a murder plot, at its heart are relationships. Meggy
must learn to open up to others to turn her life from loneliness and anger
toward friendship and even joy. There is no unequivocally happy ending for Meggy,
but a better life awaits her, and readers will gladly accompany her on the
journey.”
Kirkus:
“[Meggy] needs all her pluck and determination to rise above her
plight. . . She works tirelessly to gain her father's respect, but she finds
her own self-respect instead. Meggy is a heroine in mind and
deed. Cushman has the uncanny ability to take a time and place so remote and
make it live. Readers can hear and see and smell it all as if they are right
beside Meggy. She employs the syntax and vocabulary of the
period so easily that it is understood as if it's the most contemporary modern
slang. A gem.”
BookList:
“Because so many historical novels set in this period feature girls of
royal or noble lineage, it’s bracing to meet Meg, who empties her own chamber
pot into the ditch outside her door and trades strings of creative Elizabethan
insults with Roger, her best friend. Writing with admirable economy and a
lively ability to re-create the past believably, Cushman creates a memorable
portrayal of a troubled, rather mulish girl who begins to use her strong will
in positive ways.”
Horn Book: “Cushman
incorporates the specific details of daily life unobtrusively into the story,
giving young readers a look into a very different world. In Meggy, she creates
a prickly, resourceful, and ultimately triumphant young woman, and the little
funny touches help balance out the grimly realistic ones.”
5. CONNECTIONS
-
Visit Cushman’s website, which includes a podcast on
Elizabethan England, an audio clip of Alchemy
and Meggy Swann, and information about why she picks her subjects.
-
Watch a video by Cushman about Alchemy, the research and writing process. This would make a good
introduction to the book.
-
Consider a Skype author visit, see
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Follow up with the resources given at the end of the
book.
-
Choose a scene and have students create a readers
theater. Including props would add to the presentation. Walking sticks? A
stuffed goose? Beakers or crucibles from the chemistry teacher?
-
Learn more about Elizabethan England.
Middleton, Hayden. The
Sixteenth Century. ISBN 0-382-06693-6
Curry, Stephen, ed. The 1500s. ISBN 0-7377-0538-8
Ashby, Ruth. Elizabethan
England. ISBN 0-7614-0269-1
Singman, Jeffrey. Daily
Life in Elizabethan England. ISBN 0-313-29335-X
Time-Life Books.
What Life Was Like in the Realm of Elizabeth: England AD 1533 – 1603. ISBN
0-7838-5456-7
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Study the history of the printing press.
Meltzer, Milton. The Printing Press. ISBN 0-7614-1536-X
Mullins, Lisa. Inventing the Printing Press. ISBN 0-7787-2819-6
-
Have students create broadsides or ballads talking
about things going on at school or local current events. Arrange for students
to be a couple minutes late to class one day so they can call them out to other
students during a passing period.
