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Karen Cushman

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Catherine, Called Birdy: A Newbery Honor Award Winner Kindle Edition

by Karen Cushman (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.4 792 ratings

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Read the book behind Lena Dunham’s acclaimed new movie! This historical fiction classic, told in the form of a diary, has drawn in generations of readers and is a Newbery Honor Book.

Catherine feels trapped. Her father is determined to marry her off to a rich man—any rich man, no matter how awful.

But by wit, trickery, and luck, Catherine manages to send several would-be husbands packing. Then a shaggy-bearded suitor from the north comes to call—by far the oldest, ugliest, most revolting suitor of them all. Unfortunately, he is also the richest.

Can a sharp-tongued, high-spirited, clever young maiden with a mind of her own actually lose the battle against an ill-mannered, piglike lord and an unimaginative, greedy toad of a father? Deus! Not if Catherine has anything to say about it!

Catherine, a spirited and inquisitive young woman, narrates in diary form the story of her fourteenth year—the year 1290.

In an appreciation in the New York Times, illustrator Vera Brosgol spoke for many fans of this beloved book: "I fell hard for Karen Cushman's Catherine, Called Birdy the second I opened it. More than any other heroine I'd read, this one sounded like me. For Catherine, and for me, there is no easy solution to the cages life makes for you. Sometimes the power is in deciding to be yourself in whatever cage you're in."

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A Newbery Honor Book, this witty and wise fictive diary of a 13th-century English girl, according to PW, "introduces an admirable heroine and pungently evokes a largely unfamiliar setting." Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9-This unusual book provides an insider's look at the life of Birdy, 14, the daughter of a minor English nobleman. The year is 1290 and the vehicle for storytelling is the girl's witty, irreverent diary. She looks with a clear and critical eye upon the world around her, telling of the people she knows and of the daily events in her small manor house. Much of Birdy's energy is consumed by avoiding the various suitors her father chooses for her to marry. She sends them all packing with assorted ruses until she is almost wed to an older, unattractive man she refers to as Shaggy Beard. In the process of telling the routines of her young life, Birdy lays before readers a feast of details about medieval England. The book is rich with information about the food, dress, religious beliefs, manners, health, medical practices, and sanitary habits (or lack thereof) of the people of her day. From the number of fleas she kills in an evening to her herbal medicines laced with urine, Birdy reveals fascinating facts about her time period. A feminist far ahead of her time, she is both believable and lovable. A somewhat philosophical afterword discusses the mind set of medieval people and concludes with a list of books to consult for further information about the period. Superb historical fiction.
Bruce Anne Shook, Mendenhall Middle School, Greensboro, NC
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 6-9. Like the recent The Ramsey Scallop , this is a story of life in the last decade of the twelfth century as seen through the eyes of a young teenage girl. Here the heroine is feisty Birdy, who's been instructed by her older brother to keep a diary so that she may grow less childish. Birdy, the daughter of a minor lord and lady in Lincolnshire, reluctantly agrees, but initially she has nothing more interesting to report than how many fleas she has picked off herself. As the months roll on, however, life becomes more stimulating as Birdy's father tries to marry her off to a variety of suitors. The diary format helps portray the tedium of life in the Middle Ages, the never-ending sewing, cooking, and other chores; the dirt and the illness; and, worse, the lowly role of women in medieval life. But this diary style also inhibits the ability of the characters to come alive. Birdy's is the only real voice. Fortunately, it's a sprightly voice, complete with its own brand of cursing ("God's thumbs!"), that moves the action. Kids can read this on their own or as a supplement to studies of the Middle Ages. Ilene Cooper

From Kirkus Reviews

Unwillingly keeping a journal at the behest of her brother, a monk, Birdy (daughter of a 13th-century knight) makes a terse first entry--``I am bit by fleas and plagued by family. That is all there is to say''--but is soon confiding her pranks and troubles in fascinating detail. Her marriage must suit her drunken father's financial needs, and though the 14-year-old scares off several suitors (she pretends to be mad, sets fire to the privy one is using, etc.), in the end she's ``betrothed and betrayed.'' Meanwhile, she observes Edward I's England with keen curiosity and an open mind, paints a mural in her chamber, evades womanly tasks whenever possible, reports that--ladylike or no-- ``I always have strong feelings and they are quite painful until I let them out,'' and chooses her own special profanity, ``God's thumbs.'' At year's end she makes peace with her family and acquires, beyond hope, a possibly compatible betrothed (they have yet to meet). Birdy's frequent saint's day entries begin with pithy summaries of the saints' claims to fame; their dire deaths have a uniquely medieval tang, as do such oddities as St. Bridget turning bathwater into beer. Much else here is casually earthy- -offstage bedding among villagers, home remedies, pissing out a fire--while death is commonplace. The period has rarely been presented for young people with such authenticity; the exotic details will intrigue readers while they relate more closely to Birdy's yen for independence and her sensibilities toward the downtrodden. Her tenacity and ebullient navet are extraordinary; at once comic and thought-provoking, this first novel is a delight. Historical note. (Fiction. 12+) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Review

"This unusual book provides an insider’s look at the life of Birdy, 14, the daughter of a minor English nobleman. The year is 1290 and the vehicle for storytelling is the girl’s witty, irreverent diary. . . . Superb historical fiction."

School Library Journal, Starred

"The period has rarely been presented for young people with such authenticity; the exotic details will intrigue readers while they relate more closely to Birdy’s yen for independence and her sensibilities toward the downtrodden. Her tenacity and ebullient naiveté are extraordinary; at once comic and thought-provoking, this first novel is a delight."

Kirkus Reviews with Pointers

From the Inside Flap

n has a long-standing interest in history. Growing tired of hearing about kings, princes, generals, and presidents, she wanted to know what life was like for ordinary young people in other times. Her research into medieval English history and culture led to the writing of Catherine, Called Birdy, her first work.

Contained in this program is Catherine's diary -- Catherine, called Little Bird or Birdy, daughter of Rollo and the lady Aislinn, sister to Thomas, Edward, and the abominable Robert.

Begun this 12th day of September in the year of Our Lord 1290...I am commanded to write an account of my days. I am bit by fleas and plagued by family...Tangled my spinning again. Corpus bones, what a torture...Spent two hours embroidering a cloth for the church and three hours picking out the stitches after my mother saw it...Picked off twenty-nine fleas today.

Catherine's mother wants to teach her the skills of the lady of the manor and to prepare her to be a gentle and pat

About the Author

Karen Cushman has a long-standing interest in history. She says, "I grew tired of hearing about kings, princes, generals and presidents. I wanted to know what life was like for ordinary young people in other times." Research into medieval English history and culture led to the writing of Catherine Called Birdy,winner of the 1995 Newbery Honor Award, and The Midwife's Apprentice, winner of the 1996 Newbery Medal. Her research moved in a new diredtion as she learned about nineteenth century women and children for The Ballad of Lucy Whipple.

Ms. Cushman was born in Chicago, Illinois. She received an M.A. in Human Behavior and one in Museum Studies. She and her husband and daughter share their Oakland, California, home with two cats, a dog and a rabbit.

From AudioFile

In England, in 1290, 14-year-old Catherine (called "Birdy" because of the many caged birds she keeps) is keeping a diary, as directed by her older brother. Her observations of life in the Middle Ages are perceptive and witty, and her thoughts and reflections about herself strike a contemporary chord. The book concludes with an excellent short description of medieval life. This Newbery Honor book is given a marvelous performance in British English. Sterlin delivers totally persuasive characters. She reads with such clarity and impeccable diction that even unfamiliar vocabulary is accessible. The wit and humor come across much better in the audio. In addition to having enjoyed a good story, young teens will come away with a vivid image of life in the Middle Ages. S.S.R. An AudioFile Earphones Award winner. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B003K16PNM
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Clarion Books; Reprint edition (May 23, 1994)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 23, 1994
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 24758 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 228 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #368,788 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)

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Karen Cushman

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Karen Cushman was born in Chicago, Illinois and lives now on Vashon Island west of Seattle, Washington. She received an M.A. in human behavior and one in museum studies. Ms. Cushman has had a lifelong interest in history. She says, "I grew tired of hearing about kings, princes, generals, presidents. I wanted to know what ordinary life was like for ordinary young people in other times." Research into medieval English history and culture led to the writing of her first two novels, the Newbery Honor book CATHERINE, CALLED BIRDY and the Newbery Medal-winner THE MIDWIFE'S APPRENTICE. She is also the author of MATILDA BONE, THE BALLAD OF LUCY WHIPPLE, RODZINA, and most recently ALCHEMY AND MEGGY SWANN.

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Z Hayes

Engaging book that will encourage children's interest in history

Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2010

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This is another gem that I discovered in a graduate class. Catherine, Called Birdy is a historical novel set in Medieval England in the year 1290, and is written in the form of diary entries. Catherine, who is fourteen-years-old, is the daughter of Lord Rollo and Lady Aislinn, and sister to Thomas, Edward, and Robert. She lives in a manor house, and begins the diary upon the prompting of her favorite brother Edward, who is a monk at an abbey.

The diary contains Catherine's entries of a year in her life which is filled with rich details of life in medieval England. It begins on the 19th of September, 1290 and Catherine writes on the leftover skins from the household accounts. She writes that she is the daughter of a country knight with ten servants and seventy villagers. Catherine's intense dislike of her father is evidenced throughout the diary. She also laments her situation as a girl with limited prospects. All she does on a daily basis is sew, hem, brew, nurse, and count linen, activities which she does not care for. Instead, she daydreams about going off to fight in the Crusades and lead an adventurous life, like some of her brothers and uncle Robert. She also finds herself in a predicament as her father keeps trying to marry her off to a series of incompatible suitors, finally betrothing her to a vile old man whom she calls Shaggy Beard.

Catherine is a complex and multi-dimensional character who is well-delineated. Contrary to the times she lived in, where women were considered no more than chattel to be bartered at will, Catherine is presented as a strong-willed and opinionated young woman. The feelings that Catherine expresses through her diary entries are typical for an adolescent dealing with difficult issues, and though the setting of the story is medieval England, these feelings are relevant in today's context and are feelings many adolescents will identify with.The author's writing style is witty and engaging with the main character using interesting and often funny phrases to convey how she is feeling, such as "Corpus Bones!" as an expression of frustration. Catherine is a young woman ahead of her time and a character many adolescents will relate to.

19 people found this helpful

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S. Werkema

Entertaining and worthwhile

Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2017

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Birdy is a girl ahead of her time. Trapped in well-to-do medieval manorial life, she tries to invent ways to escape both the place and the people surrounding her. Birdy is funny, sarcastic, wry, observant, sensitive toward folks she respects and merciless toward those she disdains. The story, written as a diary, moves smoothly through Birdy's trials and schemes and reactions. She's someone the reader would like to know personally, if only for the fun of hearing what she'd say next. But probably no reader would want to switch places with Birdy and feel caged for life as Birdy does. In the end she does escape, though not in the way she expects or to the extent she'd choose. There were serious limits on women then, even for those who had money. The one element of the story that I found difficult to believe was Birdy's acceptance of her father's physical brutality. I would think she'd suffer more inside herself because of it. But that's my only caveat about this book, which I definitely enjoyed.

3 people found this helpful

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KC

Dear Medieval Diary...

Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2009

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Fans of diaries will take to Karen Cushman's CATHERINE, CALLED BIRDY, wherein a 14-year-old girl in 13th-century England spills her innermost thoughts on matters medieval. Chief among Birdy's troubles is her dad (a.k.a. "the Beast") who chooses to marry her off to the disgusting "Shaggy Beard" (a man old enough to be her father). Birdy has used wit and guile to fend off Dad's previous choices, but this time it appears she's stuck.

What works well: the tone and characterization of Birdy. We come to enjoy her humor, stubbornness, and intelligence as she plays "color man" to the action playing out around her. Thus is the late 13th century made palatable to even history-phobic readers, and Cushman has done her homework, accurately protraying family dynamics, village life, and social mores from mating to medicine.

What doesn't work as well: Each entry starts with an italicized bullet about that day's saint (Birdy gets a copy of LIVES OF THE SAINTS early on). Some of these are funny, but most are straightforward and drab. With the number of entries in the diary, readers may be tempted to jump over the saint-of-the-day bits without losing much in the narrative. Finally, the book ends with a bit of deus ex machina. In that sense, Birdy's life becomes a Miracle Play in itself. I guess it's a personal call on each reader's part, but I dislike that type of finish.

Nevertheless, a spirited, intelligent read that should satisfy most readers willing to appreciate not only history, but how the human heart never changes, no matter what the century.

2 people found this helpful

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Lilyn G.

Kid had to read this for class and enjoyed it

Reviewed in the United States on September 10, 2023

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It's hard to get my child to read anything other than graphic novels but they genuinely seemed to enjoy not only reading this book but talking about it after.

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Double Espresso

Watched the film, read the book. And I'm so glad I did!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 27, 2022

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I was intrigued by the different world-view of this feisty 13th century teenager in the recent film adaptation, and so I hunted for the book. Both book and author are new to me, although it was written in the 1990s. And it's a textbook example of how to realise a world entirely different to our 21st Century existence. Catherine's diary tells a matter-of-fact, sometimes hilarious, often tragic story of the confined world she lives in, where few people are literate, and where a mixture of religion and folklore govern the life and expectations of a teenage girl. Essential reading for anyone who wants to step back into an authentic past.

2 people found this helpful

Sakura

Das Leben im Mittelalter

Reviewed in Germany on May 25, 2016

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m Jahre 1290 schreibt Catherine, die Tocher eines unbedeutetenden Ritters ihr Tagebuch. Sie ist 14 Jahre alt und soll verheiratet werden. Es missfällt ihr verkauft zu werden wie ein Tier, genauso wie sie auch sonst wenig Interesse an den üblichen Frauenarbeiten wie Spinnen und Sticken hat.
Sie erzählt von ihrem Alter auf der kleinen Burg ihres Vaters, von den Läusen, dem Gestank von Dung, ihrem Alltag, besonderen Feiertagen und ihren Streichen, mit denen sie versucht, potenzielle Verehrer fernzuhalten. Doch jetztendlich findet ihr Vater einen Mann, den sie nicht so einfach loswird. Er ist ungepflegt und unmanierlich und uralt und Catherine kann sich mit ihrem Schicksal einfach nicht abfinden.

Das Buch greift sehr gut auch die unschönen Details des Mittelalters auf: Ungeziefer, das von den Betten gesammelt werden muss, Dung überall, Baden einmal im Jahr, das Bett mit vielen anderen Menschen teilen müssen.
Auch ist die Entwicklung von Catherine von frechem Kind zur verantwortungsbewussten Frau schön, aber subtiel dargestellt.
Am Anfang ist versucht sie, ihren Pflichten und Aufgaben zu entgehen, spielt Streiche und versucht sich sogar an Flüchen.
Später im Buch wird sie durch die Fehlgeburt und Krankheit ihrer Mutter und der unmöglichen Zuneigung ihrer Freundin zu ihrem Onkel weicher. Sie übernimmt pflichtbewusster ihre Aufgaben und zeigt mehr Fürsorge und Mitgefühl.

Ich fand das Buch sehr angenehm und flüssig zu lesen. Es ist natürlich an Kinder gerichtet, aber ich denke auch als Erwachsener kann man daran Spass haben.
Ich denke Kinder haben in Catherine eine Person, die sie nachvollziehen können, die aber gleichzeitig für ihre Zeit nicht unrealistisch dargestellt ist.

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john brannan

Good reading

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 26, 2024

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Good item

Arabella

Diary of a Medieval Teenage Girl

Reviewed in Canada on November 16, 2017

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A wonderful way to introduce young girls to the Middle Ages...they will empathize with the sassy attitude of Birdie, whose
father is planning her marriage to someone she does not want to marry. She keeps a diary during an entire year,
so we learn about all the seasonal activities, saints' days, etc.Very humorous also.

Highlander

Fun

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 30, 2019

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This was a lighthearted, amusing read. There were a few anachronisms - I may be wrong but I don't believe thorn apples (datura) were native to Britain, and I'm always thrown when men's garments are referred to as pants -it sounds too American. But it's rare not to find any anachronisms, and those were the only two I spotted so well done.
As.to the rest, I found it easy to imagine a rebellious young girl on the cusp of marriage. Kudos to the author for making her rebellious without turning her into a kickass heroine. She is desperate to find a way out and comes up with some ridiculouzsy far-fetched ideas even while she knows she cannot really carry them out. It was an amusing read.

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