Reviewed by Liza Perrat
5/5 stars
Set in 1290, Catherine Called Birdy is
written for the age range 9 and up. The story is told through 14-year old
Catherine’s quirky diary entries. The daughter of a minor nobleman, Catherine
would prefer to play outdoors with the wild peasants, rather than pursuing the
usual occupations of a noble girl, such as embroidering and sewing. She yearns
for her independence, and truly wishes she’d been born a boy.
But Catherine is approaching the age of
marriage, and her hateful father invites one suitor after another, all of whom
the girl finds repulsive. She wants none of this marriage lark, and makes a
game of turning away each potential husband. That is, until she meets her match
– the ugliest of all the men, who seems determined to make Catherine his wife.
She plans and schemes, trying to find a way out of her predicament, learning
and growing along the way.
Written in diary form, I think the reader
gains a more personal understanding of Catherine’s life, and although hers is
starkly different from that of a modern child, Catherine’s responses and
actions are strikingly familiar.
A wonderful experience for a young person
of our electronic era to meet a child from a long-gone age, I would highly
recommend this moving and entertaining tale, but not only for children. Adults
too, could not fail to find Catherine Called Birdy amusing and
thought-provoking.
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