THERE'S A REVIEW of Simi Peters, Learning to Read Midrash (Urim, 2004) in the Jerusalem Post. Excerpts:

Maimonides exhorted readers not to take midrash literally, but was also forceful in advising people to read carefully between the lines, to find the meaning and allegorical intent.

His brief recommendations have been significantly expanded in Simi Peters's book, Learning to Read Midrash.

Peters's book comes after years of teaching the Hebrew Bible and trying to make sense of rabbinic literature that often defies explication. She bemoans the fact that it was difficult to offer students the tools to study midrash independently. This book seems to be a corrective for that problem.

[...]

Unlike more academic guides, Peters's book is pedagogically grounded. A teacher may find him- or herself using the chapters as classroom units to study various types of midrash - from analyzing biblical dialogue to resolving textual discrepancies.

[...]