Why do you think there's so much in the book about the saints and their martyrdom?.What do you think either or both should look like? Birdy and Morwenna watch a play in Lincoln in which the roles of the Devil and God are acted out somewhat hilariously and Birdy thinks about what God should look like for her paintings.Find some places where, if certain things hadn't happened or had happened, Birdy's life would have turned out differently. Luck plays a part in what happens to Birdy.What do you think his chances are for success? Perkin, the goat boy, also rebels against his role in medieval society.What changes do you see? Why do you think this happens? Birdy's relationship with her parents changes in this year of her life.The afterword sets Birdy's life in a larger context and contains a lot of easily grasped historical information within a few pages, as does the whole book. She's a fully developed character and by the time you finish this short novel, you'll feel you know her well and regret having to leave her when the year is over. She's not just there, as are many protagonists in children's historical fiction, as a camera to witness the events for our benefit. The skill of Cushman, however, is so great that mostly we learn about Birdy. Jews are expelled from England and some stop at the manor house where Birdy, who has been warned about them, looks for their tails and wonders at their humanity. We learn about herbal medicine and the roles played by every station of feudal life. We attend fairs, weddings, morality plays, masses and funerals. As she ponders her life and her options, she spends a lot of time painting scenes on her bedroom wall.Īs we live through a year with Birdy, we learn about village, castle and manor life. She resents her being bought and sold in order to make her father richer and she has succeeded in driving off all previous suitors. Unlike most of her friends, Birdy rebels against women's work and life. Unfortunately, she finds her future bridegroom to be old, crude and disgusting. The scene is a manor house in England in 1290 and fourteen-year-old Catherine, the willful, stubborn and delightful daughter of Sir Rollo and Lady Aislinn, has been asked, by her brother the monk, to keep a journal-these are her daily entries for one important year in her life.īirdy has been promised in marriage to a richer knight than her father.
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