Catherine, Called Birdy

With wit and determination, thirteen-year-old Catherine chronicles her sometimes outrageous strategies to thwart her father’s plans to marry her off and finds “a way to make her voice heard among all of these forces that want to shut it down” in medieval England. The beloved Newbery Honor Book’s 25th Anniversary! (Bustle) New introduction by Linda Sue Park.

“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