Kicking and screaming (literally), Birdy finds herself unceremoniously thrown into the marital pool, being introduced to a range of potential suitors, all of whom she works overtime attempting to care off. But she’s forced to face it head on when she has her first period and then soon after finds out that her father has mismanaged their finances and is in dire need of revenue so they don’t lose their property. While Birdy is rather smart, she’s never been interested in the details of how that might actually apply to her. Being a daughter in 1290 means Birdy’s real value comes to bear when she hits puberty, as that’s the time when she can be married off to any man willing to pay her family a healthy dowry. The youngest and wildest child of Lord Rollo (Andrew Scott) and Lady Aislinn (Billie Piper), Birdy spends her days running free amongst her family’s rural estate of Stonebridge Manor. Like Cushman’s book, the cinematic version of Catherine Called Birdy is also told in diary style in the literal voice of precocious 14-year-old Lady Catherine, or Birdy (Bella Ramsey). But for everyone else who may be far more ambivalent, director/writer Lena Dunham makes some wise choices meant to entice contemporary eyes to her rambunctious and appealing take on the tale. Among the only assured audiences are fans of novelist Karen Cushman’s award-winning YA book Catherine Called Birdy, who will likely flock to this adaptation.

My Lady Jane, My Plain Jane, My Contrary Mary, My Imaginary Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadowsĭear America, The Royal Diaries, and American Girl DollsNo matter how you spin it, getting tweens and teens who aren’t readers to give a live-action period piece the time of day is a hard sell.

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We love discussing books and reading with all of you and hope you’ll join our group of nerdy readers at /novelpairings. Together, we’re learning to be better, more critical and thorough readers of classic and contemporary literature. We also go down a couple of rabbit holes of our own this episode, including a discussion about how we teach and model gender for children and the role of literature in that development. We share what we remember about the book from childhood, why we connected with it more now, and why a book about a girl trying to avoid marriage in the 13th-century feels so relevant today. Catherine, Called Birdy has been a surprise hit with our listeners and book club community, and today Chelsey and Sara share their experience with Karen Cushman’s award-winning work of middle grade historical fiction.

Catherine called birdy by karen cushman