Bibliography
Cushman, Karen. Catherine, Called Birdy. New York: HaperCollins Publishers, 1994. ISBN: 0060739428
Plot Summary
The thirteen-year-old daughter of an English country knight keeps a journal in which she records the events of her life, particularly her longing for adventures beyond the usual role of women and her efforts to avoid being married off
Critical Analysis
The story is told through the diary of Catherine, the 13 year old daughter of a medieval knight. She goes by the nickname Birdy after the pet birds she keeps in her chamber. Her father is trying to marry her off to increase his wealth but all Birdy longs for is adventure. Through several resourceful tricks she she scares off most of the suitors her father has chosen, until her compassion for a wounded animal, and her unselfishness toward a village couple, traps her into a betrothal with the older Shaggy Beard .
The book is filled with historical information about the food, religion, medical practices and herbal remedies, lack of cleanliness, and social order of medieval people. Cushman does a good job realistically portraying issues of the time such as, child marriages, death, miscarriages, and that marriages of the time were based on economics not love. At the heart of the story is Birdy’s realization that she cannot escape what the future has in store for her, but she can decide how she faces it, with courage and determination. Cushman successfully blends historical facts with entertaining characters and a realistic story.
Awards and Excerpts
ABC Children's Booksellers Choices Award, 1995 Winner Young Adults United States
American Booksellers Book Sense Book of the Year (ABBY) Award, 1996 Honor Book United States
Bay Area Book Reviewers Association Award, 1995 Winner Children's Literature United States
California Book Awards, 1994 Winner Ages 11-16 United States
Carl Sandburg Literary Arts Awards, 1994 Winner United States
Golden Kite Award, 1995 Award Book Fiction United States
International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) Honor List, 1996 Winner Text International
John Newbery Medal, 1995 Honor Book United States
Parents' Choice Award, 1994 Gold Fiction United States
Parents' Choice Award, 2003 Gold Best 25 Books in 25 Years United States
Reading Magic Award, 1994 Winner United States
West Australian Young Readers' Book Award (WAYRBA), 1998 Reading List Older Reader Australia
School Library Journal review excerpt: “A feminist far ahead of her time, she is both believable and lovable. Superb historical fiction”
Children’s Literature review excerpt: “Cushman brings the Middle Ages alive with a revealing, humorous and riveting story of a young girl.”
Connections
Other Books By Karen Cushman:
The Midwife's Apprentice, 1996
The Ballad of Lucy Whipple, 1998
Matilda Bone, 2000
Rodzina, 2003
Alchemy and Meggy Swann, 2010
Will Sparrow’s Road, 2012
Other books on the middle ages:
The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer, 1964
Life in a Medieval Castle by Joseph and Frances Gies, 2008
Growing Up in Thirteenth Century England by Alfred Duggan, 1980
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