~ Trade Paperback
~ Winner of the California Book Award for Juvenile - 1994, and the Young Protagonist Award - 1998
Fourteen year old Catherine, a spirited and inquisitive young woman, is determined to fend off the awful suitors her father has found for her . . .
Told in the form of a diary during the year 1290, Catherine Called Birdy is a middle grade historical fiction classic that continues to draw in generations of readers with its message that there are no easy solutions to the cages life creates, and sometimes true power is in deciding to be yourself regardless of the cage you are in.
"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, Catherine Called Birdy is a delight." -- Kirkus Reviews