Catherine Called Birdy by Karen Cushman Date of Publication: 1994 ISBN: 0-06-440584-2 Number of Pages: 205

REQUIRED READING ABILITY: Junior: High Intermediate: Average/High
GENRES: Historical Fiction
THEMES : Coming of Age - Appearance versus Reality - Prejudice - Life versus Death

SUMMARY:
Fourteen-year-old girl Catherine, living in 13th century England, is a rebel and a spitfire. Unwilling to simply be married off to the first rich boor her lord-of-the-manor father can find, “Birdy” challenges the rules of her day and decides to outsmart each prospective suitor her father offers. Challenged to keep a journal as part of her punishment for her outspokenness and rebellious nature, Birdy outlines her adventures and schemes throughout the course of a year, as well as her one brother’s misadventures, the activities of her father’s manor house, and her mother’s poor health. As the year progresses, Birdy realizes that it is possible to remain her own person and at least partially fulfill the role for which she was born. In doing so, she learns that there are rewards for those who follow their dreams.

WHO WOULD LOVE THIS BOOK? A kid who...
- likes feisty female heroines who stand their ground
- enjoys earthy humour
- enjoys reading diaries and journals
- is interested in medieval times
- likes stories that have challenging obsolete language

WHAT ELSE?
Catherine is a girl who speaks her mind freely and is somewhat of a Tomboy; a breath of fresh air in a stuffy world where girls did what they were told. Critics challenged the book when it first came out, saying Tomboys weren’t found in Catherine’s day, but the controversy only gave the book more appeal.

While the novel has clear appeal for adolescent girls, boys will like it for the historical elements (e.g. eating swan's neck pudding) and occasional references to more earthy humour.

RELATED LINK:
This is one of a number of books by Karen Cushman, and it was chosen as a Newbery Honor Book in 1995. There is a teacher package available at http://www.carolhurst.com/titles/catherinecalledbirdy.html