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Summary: A young girl living in medevial times writes about her life
Review: I did not like the book. It was too graphic on many of the subjects. The diary format of the book was hard to follow.
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Summary: DEFINITELY not deserving of the Newberry award!!!
Review: This book may be historically accurate, but I found it extremely dull and pointless. The story had almost no plot and I fouund myself sometimes falling asleep while reading it. I do not think it is for 6-9th graders. It is more suited for elementary school students with her childish attitude and stupid speech. The story was overall very sappy and I don't even recommend it to the slowest of readers! This is why it received only two stars from me.
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Summary: A girl living in the Renaissance is forced to marry.
Review: In Catherine, Called Birdy, a historical fiction book by Karen Cushman, a teenaged girl completely disproves most people's ideas of how 'proper' young ladies always act. When Catherine's own father is willing to sell her like livestock to any suitor who comes along, she uses her own wit to scare them off. All of the rich old men leave, almost immediately - all except one, that is. In an exciting climax, Catherine faces the very possible disaster of being forced to marry a rich pig without any input in the matter at all. Catherine's situation becomes more and more certain to end in disaster -- right up to a fairy-tale happy ending. I think that almost anyone would enjoy this book -- from a young person with a special interest in the Middle Ages to anyone simply looking for a good read. Written in diary form, this book has a lot of historical truth, yet its humor is appealing to kids.
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Summary: Catherine Called Birdy is hilariously witty!
Review: "Catherine Called Birdy" was one of the funniest books I have read in a long time. Catherine was overflowing with wit, and yet the book delt with some very real problems. I also loved how in dealing with these problems the story never shed its light humor. I loved the book and would also reccomend Karen Cushman's "The Midwife's Apprentice".
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Summary: This book is everything under one cover!
Review: Karen Cushman out did herself. She really did her homework on the middle ages. This book gives you tons of onformation mixed in with humor. This is a wonderful book that will actually get kids my age (11 and 12) interested in the middle ages. It is a great book that many girls can relate to.
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Summary: Kate Maberly takes you to 13th Century in Cushman story
Review: Welcome to 13th century England, where uncles go off to fight in the Crusades, brothers leave home for careers in monasteries, and 14 year-old daughters are sent away in arranged marriages. Who better to narrate such a story than Kate Maberly, 14 years old herself at the time of this recording. As in her flawless performance 3 years earlier as Mary Lennox in Agnieszka Holland's 1993 film "The Secret Garden", Kate once again displays her extraordinary talent as a storyteller. To be honest, before I heard this tape I really had no interest in audio books; I had always preferred reading and relying solely on my imagination to "see" the story unfold. Well, that opinion has been changed considerably. Within the first 5 minutes of this tape Kate's voice had whisked me out of the present and plopped me right in the middle of Cushman's 13th Century England. It was as if Catherine herself was sitting in my living room, reciting her diary entries for the past year. All the emotions and subtle inflections were there, all the humor and frustration of growing up in that time period brought alive. What's more Kate kept this up for 3 hours, and never once did my interest wane or was I distracted. As with all great stories I did not want to leave at the end. I wanted to find out more about the characters, of what happened to them afterwards, they were made that real to me. And all by one actress, reciting from a fictitious 14 year-old's diary! God's thumbs! I highly recommend this tape, even to those who have already read the book. Believe me, Kate tells it like no one else can.
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Summary: This book is a great one!
Review: This book is so cool but in the begining it is a little slow. It is about a young girl named Catherine who is forced to marry acording to her father and is supposed to act like a lady in front of her mother. Catherine has escaped from marriage many times before, but she does not know how long she can keep it up for.
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Summary: A comical way to express teenage pressure.
Review: This book shows how a teenage in girl in the Middle Ages has just as many problems as we do in the 90's. It is a comical book that will keep you wanting more and more!!
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Summary: Absolutley fabulous
Review: This book rocks. It's the story of a medieval English girl, the daughter of a country knight. Her mother is a good woman who wants her to be a lady, and so gives Catherine (called Birdy, for her love of birds) "lady-lessons." Catherine is a feminist before her time, however- she wants to be anything but the docile lady. Her father wants to "sell her like a cheese to some lack-wit suitor" but Catherine will not. She manages to outwit most of her suitors, but there is one she cannot outwit. He just happens to be the oldest, ugliest, and richest of the bunch.This story is entertaining, plus you can learn a good bit of history. It is written in diary form, so you see her thoughts. All in all: READ THIS BOOK!
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Summary: -clever and wonderful-
Review: This is one of the more interesting books i've read! You'd especially like it if you're into the Middle Ages and their lifestyle and if you like reading other peoples' diaries, because this whole book is in diary form. If any part of this book was "boring" as the others put it, it would more appropriately fit in a "challenging" catagory. I turned 13 on June 15th, and I've read "Catherine, Called Birdy" 3 times. I wish there was a 2nd part to this book. A WELL WRITTEN BOOK!
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