Catherine, Called Birdy

Karen Cushman

Jun 2008 · Recorded Books · Narrated by Jenny Sterlin

About this audiobook

In 1290, her 14th year, Catherine begins a diary that quickly fills with the irrepressible joys and frustrations of her days. Always looking for ways to avoid drudging hours of embroidery, Birdy fills her time with pranks, celebrations of feast days, and local gossip. Wriggling out of her father's plans to find a prosperous husband for her proves to be Birdy's greatest challenge. As each prospective suitor appears, Birdy blacks her teeth, drools, and does her best to scare him off. These mischievous tricks work until Shaggy Beard, the richest one of all, arrives with his fat purse of silver. Karen Cushman does careful research for each of her books, so Birdy's lively journal is sprinkled with the vivid, personal details of life in medieval England. Catherine, Called Birdy is a Newbery Honor Book. It was chosen as an ALA Children's Notable Book, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, and an ALA Quick Picks for Young Adults.

About the author

Karen Cushman was born on October 4, 1941 and grew up in a working-class family in Chicago, but never put much thought into becoming a writer. Though she wrote poetry and plays as a child, Cushman didn't begin writing professionally for young adults until she was fifty. She holds an MA in both Human Behavior and Museum Studies. Cushman has always been interested in history. It was this interest that led her to her research into medieval England and its culture, which led to both Catherine, Called Birdy, a Newbery Honor Book, and The Midwife's Apprentice, her second book and winner of the prestigious Newbery Award in 1996. Both Catherine, Called Birdy and The Midwife's Apprentice have earned many awards and honors including the Gold Kite Award for Fiction from the Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, and was chosen as one of School Library Journal's Best Books of the Year. Cushman's work has also been recognized for excellence by Horn Book, Parenting Magazine, Hungry Mind Review, and the American Library Association.