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Summary: I never thought funny and historical could go together!
Review: Catherine Called Birdy
By: Karen Cushman
Catherine Called Birdy is an excellent example of what life was like in the Middle Ages for young women. Cushman draws you in to Catherine's life with her outrageous humor. I am not sure if I have ever read a book that came close to being as funny and entertaining as this one. Wait, I take that back, I am sure. What's really fascinating about this book is that what happened in Catherine's life could actually have happened to a girl in that era. So if your interested in the Middle Ages, but you don't want that old boring, regular book read Catherine Called Birdy. It will give you historical insight along with a lot of laughs.
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Summary: Dear Middle Ages Diary
Review: This was a great book about a girl who lived during the Middle Ages and wrote about it in her fictional diary.
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Summary: Inappropriate for 10-12 year olds
Review: ZERO STARS......... but that selection was not available.I was helping my son with the book for class work. He was terribly uncomfortable with the book. I complained to the teacher about the vulgarity and overall negative tone of the book. Since we have to complete the book, we've spent a lot of time together discussing inappropriate behaviors in society today, starting with the lack of judgment in the public school system. I'm fortunate to have a scholar's child which will be attending a private school in January because of the poor judgment in literary talents available for this specific age group.
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Summary: A funny book on an unusual topic
Review: The best thing about this book is that it's short and funny. It's a strange mix of historical accuracy and complete nonsense: in 1290, paper and ink were precious commodities and no girl would have thought of wasting them on her current favorite expletives. A diary from that time would instead be filled with important news (which this includes), sage sayings, copied poems, and other scholarly-sounding items. Paper and ink is not where the young lady of 1290 would have naturally poured out her private soul, much less thrown screaming fits and recorded her many insolences and disobediences. However, if you pretend that this isn't really 1290, it's screamingly funny. Catherine is really a modern young woman set in a sort-of-1290 setting, and most of the book is about her growing awareness of her sexuality and her father's bald-faced efforts to sell her to the highest bidder, I mean, to marry her to an appropriate husband. Given what sends some parents to the telephone, I am amazed sometimes that I've never heard a complaint about her chronicling the size of her growing breasts, but it really is handled in a completely innocent and lighthearted fashion, so I don't see much to complain about (except the ending: not only is her feminist resolution well before her time, but the lightning-speed shifts in position are a little disconcerting). This is a book about a girl, and therefore, in my experience, about half of the boys in upper elementary/lower junior high will be unhappy about reading it. But it's really funny and worth reading anyway.
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Summary: God's thumbs! This is a *GReAT* book =)
Review: I just finished reading it after finding it hidden away for a couple of years. I had originally ordered it from flyers we got in public school, and at eleven I remember really enjoying it. I am now eighteen, and I decided to read it again before perhaps giving it away. I have now rejected any thought of giving it away because I have realized that it is a truly awesome book. Not only is it completely hilarious, and I still find it amusing at eighteen, but it's also very interesting because it is historically accurate and actually brings you into the year 1290..with an insanely lovable character. I would recommend this book to anyone..of any age..because anyone could at least get a laugh out of it if not appreciate it for all it is...which is absolutely wonderful.
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Summary: Catherine Called Birdy
Review: Catherine Called Birdy is about a young teenage girl who lives in medieval times during the year 1290. This book is also about her struggle to outsmart every suitor that her father has picked for her to marry. Catherine's father wants to marry her off to a rich man. He doesn't even care one little bit about his daughter's happiness. All he is concerned about is how much money this person will have. Meanwhile, Catherine's mother wants to make her daughter into a very fine lady. Somehow though Catherine manages to send each and every man who comes to the door packing. One day though, just as Catherine thinks she has sent every man on his way, she is surely mistaken. Her father arranges for the richest, oldest, and most ugliest man of all to come and marry his daughter. There is no escape out of this marriage for Catherine. She is trapped. Catherine can't do anything about the situation. What is going to happen to her in the end? Will she have to marry this repulsive man, or will she be able to send him on his way too, just as she did with the others.
In this book, the author, Karen Cushman provides much suspense as she wrote this book about Catherine's life in the form of a diary. It is Catherine's diary. I thoroughly enjoyed Catherine's adventure and her sense of humor. Her story made me so glad that I live in the present time because I wouldn't want to be forced to marry anyone. This is a great book for anyone who wants to learn about medieval times because this book offers much informaton about a typical young person who is growing up in this period in time.
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Summary: Catherine, Called Birdy
Review: This book is about a 14 year old girl called Catherine/Birdy. She is very mischievous, tricky, clever, and funny. I laughed every time Catherine out-witted her boring and money-hungry suitors! Catherine was forever thinking. She thought about things that most women wouldn't have dared let cross their simple minds. She thought about why things happened, why things were the way they were, and why people judged so quickly. She would have made an amazing scientist if ever given the chance! Throughout the book Catherine tries to figure out who she really is. Soon she finds out that she can only be Catherine and appreciates it. This is a wonderful book for anyone who's interested in: Boring suitors, a young girl who refuses to have anything to do with them and would rather be out on adventures, and constant fights between a stubborn father and daughter.
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Summary: An idea of what life was really like!
Review: How horrifying -- the heroine of this story does not get to choose her own husband. And unhappily, her father does not seem to care whether her future husband belches at the dinner table, has children older than she is, or doesn't seem to notice that she is a real person with thoughts of her own. Catherine is a young girl, but faced with real grown-up problems. She is child enough to have little control over her own destiny, yet considered old enough to be married to the richest suitor. The story begins with Catherine as a self-absorbed, rebellious child. It is her diary - and we follow her throughout a year, as she grows into a mature young woman. In the end, she accepts her destiny with wonderful grace. I felt very proud of her, and also very glad that times have changed since the Middle Ages! Very appropriate for young girls - very thought-provoking and challenging, but not in any way controversial reading.
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Summary: Magnificent Medieval Maiden
Review: What a fantastic read for young adult readers! Kushman really did a terrific job in researching the middle ages and integrating it into a work of fiction. I loved the sense of humor that Catherine had and how Kushman brought out serious issue from the middle ages with humor. The fact that Catherine grows up before your very eyes is great too.
Teens would love this book because they can become more grateful for the freedom that they have. Yet, they can relate to Catherine because sometimes they too feel "caged" by the rules and restrictions of not being treated like adults. I think that every teen should read this book.
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Summary: I loved this book!
Review: I read this a few years ago, and I absolutely loved it! It was my favorite book for a while. It tells about a fourteen year old girl during the Middle Ages who has to keep herself from being married off to this horribly ugly and terrible man. It is humorous and fast-paced. It will make people of all ages laugh, although I do think that you have to be at least a teen to understand it. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a fast, entertaining read.
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