#2 - Cathrine Called Birdy

Catherine Called Birdy
Karen Cushman
1995 Newbery Honor Book
Historical Fiction

I remember reading this book in sixth grade because my teacher had a copy in the classroom.  I must have been out of books to read or needing something for Accelerated Reader because at the time, I almost exclusively read Star Trek books.  I remember having to stifle my laughs in class.

This book is told in a series of journal entries that Catherine makes as she goes her through her daily life as the daughter of a knight.  Eventually, she gets a book of saints so the saint of the day is added to the entries.  Catherine wants to do so much more than just do embroidery but she gets even more upset when she finds out that she is getting married off to Shaggy Beard, an old man. 

Unfortunately, this book gets a lot of flack because many argue that a girl in the middle ages would not be able to read and write.  While that is probably very true, I am sure that there were some exceptions to the rule.  Moreover, I tend to suspend my disbelief when reading so a lot of the inaccuracies don't always bother me.

I liked this book a lot better than The Midwife's Apprentice which actually won Cushman the Newbery medal.  They are both set in the middle ages but this book is way more detailed.