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Catherine, Called Birdy
Unavailable
Catherine, Called Birdy
Unavailable
Catherine, Called Birdy
Audiobook (abridged)3 hours

Catherine, Called Birdy

Written by Karen Cushman

Narrated by Kate Maberly

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4/5

()

Currently unavailable

Currently unavailable

About this audiobook

Karen Cushman's Newbery Honor-winning book tells the story of a medieval girl who works to avoid the marriage her father has arranged for her during her 14th year.

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 patient wife. Her father wants only to see her married off, and profitably. Catherine fancies herself a painter, a Crusader, a maker of songs, a peddler, a minstrel, a monk, a wart charmer...Of all the possibilities, she has ruled out only one: being sold like cheese to the highest bidder.

Against a vivid backdrop of everyday life on a medieval English manor, Catherine's earthy, spirited account of her fourteenth year is a richly entertaining story with an utterly unforgettable heroine.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateJul 5, 2000
ISBN9780553750584
Unavailable
Catherine, Called Birdy
Author

Karen Cushman

Karen Cushman's acclaimed historical novels include Catherine, Called Birdy, a Newbery Honor winner, and The Midwife's Apprentice, which received the Newbery Medal. She lives on Vashon Island in Washington State. Visit her online at karencushman.com and on Twitter @cushmanbooks.

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Reviews for Catherine, Called Birdy

Rating: 3.8844340931603774 out of 5 stars
4/5

848 ratings46 reviews

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  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    It's about a girl named Catherine(nickname is Birdy) who writes what she does in a form of a diary
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A one year diary of a medieval girl, a lady in a lower knight's manor. She is 13/14 and longs for an independence that no one had in the medieval English world. Her father (the beast) is desperate to marry her off to somebody - anybody. She is equally determined not to marry whatever swine her father chooses.Other than the ongoing battle with her horror of a father about marriage, there is little ongoing story. Much of the book is simply a commentary on life in 11th century England.Each day's entry is introduced with a note on a saint. Reading these notes, I wonder at the appeal of sainthood. It seems that most saints died torturous deaths. Seems that would be a strong argument against becoming a Christian rather than weighing in favor the religion.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    I remember seeing this all the time in my school library and in the Scholastic book order forms I would get in school but I never picked it up until I was an adult. It's about Catherine, who is nicknamed Birdy because she keeps so many pet birds, a girl living in medieval England. She records her life and accounts in a diary which surprisingly sounds like it could be written by a modern person. She hates the traditional feminine trappings of the middle ages like embroidery and marriage. She is betrothed to a horrendous and gross man twice her age, she'd rather become a knight than get married to an oaf. I really enjoyed reading this, I liked the character of Birdy and it seemed like Cushman enjoys writing about the middle ages and really did her research about the time period. I recommend this book for readers in grades 3 or 4 and up. I think it's an important addition to any library because there aren't many juvenile fiction books for kids set in the middle ages that aren't King Arthur or that are about women. It's aged pretty well given the time period it's set and a story I think young readers, especially young female readers, can relate to. It would make a great discussion in school about comparisons between present day and medieval times, like what is different and what has remained the same.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Catherine is a girl of marriageable age in medieval England, and she demonstrably doesn't want to. Get married off to some oaf, that is. So, she plays all sorts of pranks on her suitors and gets up to other shenanigans, all while worrying about her pregnant mother and avoiding her embroidery.Another spunky female character born out of her time, and I was disappointed in the ending, which fizzled and didn't really follow with how her character had been drawn throughout the narrative. *shrug*
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Funny and poignant.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    God's Thumbs! I was fairly certain that I had read this while I was younger, but I was not 100% until I read this phrase.

    It's a short fun read that I need to put on my list to pass onto my children.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I wish I had read Catherine, Called Birdy when I was Birdy's age - nearly 14 - because I would have been fascinated by all the revelations about life in a manor house in the late 13th century, and I also would have felt more optimistic about Birdy's future.Reading it as an adult, I am less surprised by the details, and more aware of how many girls have faced the prospect of marriage at such a young age. Of how many girls still face such a prospect. It's not just something that's comfortably in the past.Nevertheless, I enjoyed how spirited Birdy is, how determined she is to resist her parents' plans for her. Catherine, Called Birdy does an excellent job of capturing her world and her perspective of it, and the wavering experience of being caught between childhood and adulthood.23rd day of September There was a hanging in Riverford today. I am being punished for impudence again, so was not allowed to go. I am near fourteen and have never yet seen a hanging. My life is barren.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Fun, juvenile (YA) literature. A year in diary form of a 13 year old daughter of a knight in 1290 England. She is quite a spirited youngster.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Fun YA novel about Birdy, who is 14 in the year 1290. She's suspiciously spunky and independent-minded for the time, but it's a good read nonetheless. Richly detailed, pretty funny, and finally, a Newbery Honor book that's not terribly sad.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Born to the upper class, although in the lower echelons, 14-year-old Catherine refuses to accept her lot in life in the England of 1290 - spinning, embroidery, manor care, and being married off to the highest bidder. Catherine has a mind for mischief, a tenderness for animals, and love for the village and villagers that surround her. Told through diary entries prompted by her favorite brother Edward, gone to be a monk, Catherine's story is both lively and heartbreaking as we see "Birdy" beat her wings against her gilded cage.

    Jenny Sterlin narrates with vim and vigor that brings Cushman's historically detailed medieval England and colorful characters to vibrant life. Despite some of the achaic language which might not be familiar to young readers, Sterlin's narration always gets the gist across.

    Listened to the Recorded Books CD edition. Previously read.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Even though this book is for young adults/teens, I still found it very interesting to read in light of its youthful narrator. I liked contrast of individuality verses community in the decision of marriage.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    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.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I've had this book since I was about 11 or 12 and it's still one of my favorites! I love how everything turns out at the end.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The titular Catherine (called Birdy) is a fourteen year old young lady in medieval England. Her mother is kind and softspoken, her father is a beast, one brother takes after their father and her other brother is a priest. The novel, told in journal form, starts when Birdy's brother (the priest) gives her a journal and asks her to write in it, in the hopes of helping Birdy to think, grow more introspective, and grow up a little. Then Birdy's troubles begin: her father notices she's become a young woman, and decides it's time to shop for a husband for her.Catherine, Called Birdy was one of my favorite books as a child. It chronicles not only Birdy's attempts to foil her father's plans to (basically) auction her off, but also her life in 13th century England.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Formatted as a young girl's diary of her attempt to avoid being married off to the "highest bidder".
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    A diary of a 13-year-old British girl in 1290. Absolutely delightful. Birdy's commentary is loads of fun: earthy, funny, and brutally honest. Things just get better when she obtains a book of saints and marks whose feast day it is, often with hilarious commentary. I wonder how many of them are real. (Probably most, given the level of Christian superstition during those days.) Definitely recommended for anyway - children and adults alike - looking for an interesting and entertaining sample of medieval life (pay particular attention to the food - eww!). I don't know why I didn't read this years ago.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Cushman reveals through Birdy’s daily diary entries the many struggles that medieval people endured daily. Birdy talks about everything from the privy to embroidery to unwanted marriages to helping the poor. She reveals the jobs each person performed and the societal status based on those jobs. Readers will enjoy the candid manner in dealing with such mundane and oftentimes unmentionable daily activities. In the author’s note, Cushman explains the realities of what medieval people might have experienced in daily life, within family units, personal identity, within their community, and employment anchoring Birdy’s commentary with that of historical research. Cushman includes a booklist of medieval topics.The universal theme of finding one’s place within limited boundaries resounds among teens today. Trying to please and be obedient while struggling to discover what is true to oneself is a constant battle that teens face. Though bound to her father’s arranged marriage, Birdy is able to find resolve when she reflects on the few voices of reason who whispered to her throughout the year. She can be herself no matter where she is bound by agreement and can become true to herself--- a lesson teens can find parallel to their own lives. The only stretch of belief is in that Birdy must marry who her father has decided upon AND she has enough gumption to bargain for her future. So, the stretch lies in how believable is it that a woman would stand up against the ruling male? A bit of a stretch of reality but overall an interesting vantage of medieval life.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is one of my all-time favorite books. I've read it at least once a year since I was 9 -- even though I'm an adult now, this book still retains its charm. I love Birdy's spirit and wit; her voice as narrator is just delightful. Cushman also paints a more realistic view of medieval life than many authors, illustrating that even the upper strata of society had to deal with muck, fleas, and filth -- while at the same time showing that people still found reasons to celebrate life, rather than sitting around wishing they'd been born in the Renaissance. ;) I heartily recommend this for all girls, and for all those still girls at heart.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A friend loaned this book to me, saying I would like it. I was skeptical... but she was right! The main character of Catherine is likable, funny, and believable as a young teen living in 1290 AD. I appreciated how Cushman included a section at the back on the real history of the time period, it shows that she really did her research and tried her hardest to make her novel authentic. And it shows! I recommend: A hot cup of tea, a comfy pillow, and an hour or two of uninterrupted reading time to enjoy this one best!
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    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 wish Cushman had created a protagonist who was both engaging to the reader and able to provide illumination of how much people have changed over time. That's the book I want for my kids. You know, if I wasn't half-convinced that I would destroy the poor things with my eccentric brand of madness. Then again, I couldn't do any worse than most parents.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Although it sounds deadly--one year in the life of Birdy, the13 year old daughter of a minor knight in 11th century England, as told through her diary entries--it is, instead, brilliant. Birdy is irreverent, manipulative, modern, lively, funny, thoughtful, moody, anxious, headstrong and thoroughly alive--she is Anne of Green Gables, Hermoine Granger, Jo March, Charlotte Doyle-- a strong adolescent female character coming of age and trying to make sense of her world. Birdy, as the daughter of a poor and minor knight, hates lots of things about her life--killing fleas, cleaning rushes, her older brother, endless needle work--and she fights against the social constraints put on women of her era-- sometime actually longing for the imagined greener grass life of the peasantry. In the course of the year she loses her best friend to a less than happy marriage and is herself facing the very real prospect of being married off to the highest bidder--which she decides to fight with every tool in her limited power. The details of daily life are certainly realistic--the actual character of Birdy--i'm not so sure--but that does not diminish the story at all--the character is one many girls (and boys) will identify with and while the ending is a bit convenient (yes, i 'll give you that) it is historic fiction and a great story and one that kids love. This is Karen Cushman doing what she does best.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was a nice fun book that went at a good pace. Some of the terminology was a little confusing, but otherwise I liked it. The main character is especially fun and easy to relate to.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Funny, interesting look at what life as a teen girl in medieval times must have been like. The protagonist's voice is self-confident and likeable, if a bit modern in mindset.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Reviewed Sept 1998 This is a Oakland, CA author who was tired of reading about Kings & Princes and decided to write books concerning real young people living in the Middle Ages. Bringing history to life for many young people. Catherine is a 14 year old daughter of a knight who is being forced to marry whomever her father selects. she has another idea, she will sabotage the courting, in one case, burning the privy while her suitor is in it, another by crossing her eyes and drooling in her meat during dinner. Her search for the perfect swear word is great, finally settling on "Gods Thumbs." Very entertaining reading, really brings life in 1290, England to understanding
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Catherine is an engaging wee thing, and I wholly sympathised with her desire not to be married off to someone dreadful. The diary format of the novel provided plenty of opportunity for dry wit - I enjoyed how the modern convention of the teenage girl's diary was translated back into the historical time period, complete with "Geoffery! Geoffery! Geoffery!"The little details of daily life were delightful, although I was horrified by the frequent occurrence of herring!I often criticise historical fiction for giving characters anachronistic sensibilities, and while this was the case here as well, it did not detract from my enjoyment of the story.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A beloved J or YA (I can't always tell) book that is written as the journal of the daughter of a country knight. Her brother Edward (a monk) taught her to write, and her mother wants to please him, so between them they convince Catherine to keep the journal. It is by far the most entertaining journal-book I've ever read and Catherine is a fabulous character.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Good book if you are looking for a book to read. Can get boring but is good. The story is about a girl in the medival times who is just like anyone our age.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    this book was the best that i read during the school year. the author put alot of detale into creating the story and setting. the book is over all short, though. u could probably finish it in a few sit downs. the story takes place in the middle ages. Birdy, is being forced to get married by her father to people she has never met before and probably would never love. But, with wit and creativeity she finds ways to out do these horrible suiters :D
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    I am sorry but this was probally the worst book ever! But also in a way kind of fascinating..
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    this was a good book. it is about a girl that live in a castle and has to marry a groos man shaggy beard.