12th Day of September
I am commanded to write an account of my days: I am bit by fleas and plagued by family. That is all there is to say.
So begins the diary of Catherine (nicknamed Little Bird or Birdy), a clever and spunky 13-year-old girl growing up in England in the year 1290. Though she begins her journal with reluctance, Catherine soon becomes an enthusiastic diarist. She describes her family, her surroundings, and her stifled life as a young woman whose loutish father is constantly seeking to marry her off to one rich man or another. Determined not to be married off against her will, Catherine comes up with countless clever schemes to drive away suitors and preserve her independence. In an era when a woman's life is confined to marriage and child-bearing, Catherine fights fiercely to be recognized as a brave and intelligent individual.
Catherine, Called Birdy was written in 1994 by Karen Cushman. The book won a Newberry Award. Unlike many novels set in the Middle Ages, this book does not focus on royalty or aristocrats but on a fairly typical medieval family. It does not shy away from discussing the harsh realities of medieval life: repression, illness, violence, and death. But it also illustrates the joyous side of medieval life: celebrations, love, and mischievous pranks.
What is a fanlisting? It's a list of people who are all fans of a certain subject, person, show, movie, book, character, relationship, etc. This is a listing of everyone who likes the book Catherine, Called Birdy. Still not clear? Check out TheFanlistings.org for more information and more fanlistings.
The layout for this site was created using Adobe Photoshop 6 and images from Carol Gerten's Fine Art. It was hand-coded in Notepad.
This site is not in any way affiliated with or approved by Karen Cushman, HarperCollins Publishers, or any other person/group involved in the book's production. This is an unofficial fan site, meant as a tribute and not an infringement. I do not make any money off this site.