Catherine, Called Birdy

Entertaining, but overall highly anachronistic. Yet another author who transplants a spunky, modern heroine into a vastly different culture without an explanation of how such a character could have developed. People forget that 'teenagers' have only existed since the middle of the last century. I wis......more

Filled with medieval life and the charm of our headstrong title character, this was a delight from start to finish. From the Saint Day headers of Birdy’s diary entries to the myriad of ways she rebels, it’s a wonderful “year in the life “ book. Had this been published when I was a young teen, I woul......more

If there were a 6-star rating, I'd give it to this book. When it won the Newbery Medal for Children's Literature, it was Cushman's first book. It's Hi. Lar. I. Ous. Birdy is the 14-year old daughter of a 14th-century landowner in Merrie Olde Englande. While her father plots suitable arranged marriag......more

Can't believe I never read this before! Super fun and enjoyable, delivered in short diary entries which made me fly through it.......more

Recently reread this for probably the hundredth time and continue to love Catherine entirely too much. Sadly, a revisit to this book as an adult highlights, to my great despair, that I always wanted her to marry the goatherd, and that part of me has been mourning the fact that she doesn't for like m......more