Karen Cushman

Karen Cushman

Newbery award-winning children’s book author

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Karen Cushman

Reading

The fleas! The dirt! The dung!

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Catherine, Called BirdyThe first time I read Catherine, Called Birdy wasn’t all that long ago, only about six years ago. But the first time I heard about it was in January of 1995, at ALA Midwinter. This was my first time attending ALA, so I was thrilled just to be there and not sure what to expect. I’ll admit to being a little taken aback by all the buzz about one book—Catherine, Called Birdy, by Karen Cushman. Whatever committee meeting I went to the librarians couldn’t say enough good things about this book. The fleas! The dirt! The dung! They were agog over the level of detail in the story. And then there was Catherine, called Birdy. She is so strong, independent, intelligent—someone today’s teens can relate to, even if she is living in a 13th century British manor. (“Today” being twenty years ago, of course. But I would bet those librarians would feel the same in regard to today’s—as in right now—teens too.) All this raving about Birdy made me a bit skeptical. (Seriously, it was a lot.) Can one book be that good?

The answer is yes, most definitely yes, indefatigably yes: A book can be that good. The fleas! The dirt! The dung! I, too, was besotted by every detail. I could taste and feel and smell life in medieval times. And Birdy! I wish Karen had been writing when I was fourteen. I would have completely connected to Birdy’s desire to get out from beneath her parents and the life they want for her. My parents never tried to marry me off, but the life they presented for me felt just as burdensome, and I longed to get out from under it. I wanted to be Julia, not my parents’ daughter. In the end, my life turned out okay, just like Birdy’s does. But I could have used her guidance when I was young. My only regret in regards to this book is that I didn’t read it sooner.

I have my own children now, and I’m sure one day they will feel the same way as Birdy: restless and yearning for something different from the life being offered. When that time comes, I will hand them Catherine, Called Birdy and say, read it; may it guide you on your discovery of whom you are and the path you will take. And then I will thank Birdy and Karen for letting me borrow their words of wisdom.

Happy birthday, Birdy!!!

Love,

Julia Richardson
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers
Editorial Director, Paperbacks

Those Girls Said What They Meant

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Amy Timberlake
Amy Timberlake

When I first came across Karen Cushman’s books, it was the ‘90s. Back then, I was a mess (and that’s putting it nicely). I was a graduate school drop-out who wanted to write fiction. Unfortunately, every time I put pen to paper (or more accurately, fingers to keyboard) I felt physically nauseous. I had a bad case of writer’s block, something to do with graduate school. Hence, I got a job at Borders Bookstore. If I couldn’t write books, I’d read them. The managers, for whatever reason, decided to put me in the children’s section. Since the last children’s book I’d read was Are You There God, It’s Me Margaret I had some reading to do. I read, read, and read. Some of my favorite reads from that time? Two of Karen Cushman’s books come to mind immediately: Catherine, Called Birdy and The Midwife’s Apprentice.

I loved those books. The heroines were right up my alley. Those girls said what they meant, did what they needed to do, and then got themselves back up when they fell. They didn’t take themselves too seriously either — they acknowledged their foibles, and as they did, the reader couldn’t help but smile.

Did I mention that these books are set in the past? This was important — to me especially. I’d dropped out of a graduate program in history. It was just as well, since I’d never reconciled writing history with wanting to write novels. But reading these books, I was struck by the way the author saw the past.This wasn’t a ‘please-pass-the-tea-dear’ past, the kind with silence punctuated by ticking clocks. No, this stuff set my my heart racing. Something about the way Karen Cushman wrote about the past felt like a way forward for me.

It’s been over a decade since I’ve read Catherine, Called Birdy and The Midwife’s Apprentice, but the stories have lived on in my imagination. I am indebted to both of these books, and to the author, Karen Cushman, for taking the time to commit them to paper.

Thank you, Karen Cushman!

—Amy Timberlake

Learn more about Amy Timberlake …

Anniversary Greetings from Susan Fletcher

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Susan Fletcher
Susan Fletcher

It’s hard to believe it’s been twenty years since Birdy burst upon the scene, tangling her yarn and scaring off suitors, bringing the fleas and rats and dirt of the 14th century into the family rooms of the 20th century, enchanting us with her indomitable spirit and making room in our hearts, as Karen Cushman says in her author’s note, for “all sorts of different people” who are in some ways vastly different from our modern selves. Bravo for Birdy! I imagine Birdy at twenty, perhaps a mother now herself, accomplished in the lady arts but fighting to stay authentically herself despite the expectations of her era, and inspiring us to do the same in ours. —Susan Fletcher

More about author Susan Fletcher

Thanks to A Mighty Girl

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I appreciate the shout-out about Catherine, Called Birdy. It’s a thrill to find my book on your wonderful site. Readers, be sure to visit A Mighty Girl for more book recommendations.
 

Post by A Mighty Girl.

Busy Weekend

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Zane and the Hurricane and The Shadow ThroneIn the past three days I have battled hurricane and pirates, floods and evil kings, false friends and kind strangers. I was angry, frightened, discouraged, and determined. All this while I rode a train from here to Portland and back. Yup, I was reading—two amazingly good books.

Rodman Philbrick, author of the entirely splendid Freak the Mighty, took me to New Orleans in Zane and the Hurricane, just in time to to be trapped by Hurricane Katrina. Zane and his dog, Bandy, also encounter a feisty young girl and an elderly musician, dangerous drug lords, uncaring officials, and generous strangers. I could feel the wet and the cold and the hunger. Great book. 

Entirely different but equally compelling is The Shadow Throne, the third book in the Ascendance trilogy that started with The False Prince. Jennifer Nielsen has done it again, given us a rip-roaring adventure about good and evil, courage, loyalty, and love. I read this one much too late into the night. Great book.

I recommend you get these titles from your local independent bookstore. What would we do without them?

My Bedside Table

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Bedside TableI thought you might like to see what I’ve been reading (when I should be writing): 

Mrs. Hemingway (Naomi Wood, Penguin): Insightful fictional look at Ernest Hemingway’s four wives. There’s a lot to admire in the women but I still don’t get Hemingway’s appeal. 

The Bear (Claire Cameron, Little, Brown): Two children must find their way out of the wilderness after their parents are eaten (really!) by a bear. I can’t say I enjoyed it—so violent and tragic—but I can’t forget it either. Not for children or the faint of heart. 

Under the Wide and Starry Sky (Nancy Horan, Ballantine): Fanny Osborne meets and marries Robert Louis Stevenson. The novel follows the couple as they travel the world, Louis writing and Fanny nursing him. I found it engaging. 

The Invention of Wings (Sue Monk Kidd, Viking): 19th century abolitionist Sarah Grimke struggles against her upbringing, her family, and other abolitionists as she insists also on rights for women. It’s a lovely, moving book and I enjoyed it wholeheartedly. 

I lucked out—all four were excellent and worth reading. Watch for them. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for advance reading copies.

The Hollywood Ten

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The Loud Silence of Francine GreenBackground: The Loud Silence of Francine Green: From reading the book, you know that Francine’s friend Sophie’s father was a screenwriter in Hollywood, which is a factor upon which the plot turns.

You may find it interesting to learn more about Ring Lardner, Jr., a writer who won Academy Awards for M*A*S*H and Woman of the Year. In 1947, he was one of the Hollywood Ten, actors and writers from Hollywood who were questioned by the House Un-American Activities Committee for suspicions of having left-wing or Communist sympathies. He refused to answer questions about his political status and was sent to prison for 12 months and fined $1,000. He was fired as one of the highest-paid screenwriters in Hollywood and blacklisted from working there again. 

Here’s a 90-minute reading by various actors from Ring Lardner, Jr’s, memoir, I’d Hate Myself in the Morning. 

You can listen to an audio clip from The Loud Silence of Francine Green here.

My Own Favorite Medieval Novels

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Favorite Medieval BooksHappy Birthday, Birdy

2014 is the 20th anniversary of Catherine, Called Birdy. There will be celebrations all year, there will be hoopla, there will be cake. Here for your reading pleasure is a list, in no particular order, of my own favorite medieval novels for young people.                       

Crossing to Paradise — Kevin Crossley-Holland

Gatty, the engaging peasant girl from Crossley-Holland’s Arthur trilogy, accompanies her mistress on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. When tragedy hits, it is Gatty who leads the group to the fulfillment of its pilgrimage and, by the time she returns home, she is much changed. The story is compelling, and the writing is gorgeous.        

Blood Red Horse — K.M. Grant

Will and his brother Gavin follow the king on crusade to the Holy Land. Blood is shed, lives are changed and lost, but two things are constant—his love for Eleanor and the blood-red horse called Hosanna. Lovely, thoughtful depiction of the Muslims and their side of the conflict.

Book of the Maidservant — Rebecca Barnhouse

Johanna, serving girl to Dame Margery Kempe, a renowned and difficult medieval holy woman, accompanies her mistress on a pilgrimage to Rome. But Dame Margery abandons Johanna, who must journey through fear and anger and physical hardship to find her own way. 

Knight’s Fee — Rosemary Sutcliff

A game of chess, a brave minstrel, a kind old knight, and a friend lead the orphaned Randal to squirehood, and his own courage paves his path to becoming a knight.

The Puppeteer’s Apprentice — D. Anne Love

Mouse, a timid orphan, joins the company of a master puppeteer, and she, too, learns to make the puppets dance. Searching for her own identity, Mouse ultimately receives a name and experiences great joy and great sorrow on her way to fulfilling her dreams.

The Ramsay Scallop — Frances Temple

Eleanor and her betrothed, Thomas, are sent on a pilgrimage to the shrine of St. James and come to realize the glorious possibilities of the world around them … and within each other.

The Wicked and the Just — J. Anderson Coats

Cecily’s family moves to Wales, where the king needs loyal Englishmen to control the rebellious Welsh. The Welsh Gwenhwyfar, struggling to survive under the hostile English, is taken as servant to the bratty Cecily … until tensions explode and the tables are turned.

The Story Sleuths

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Alchemy and Meggy SwannAllyson Valentine Schrier, Meg Lippert, and Heather Hedin Singh, the women behind The Story Sleuths, did a seven-part series on Alchemy and Meggy Swann, culminating in an interview with me. They look at things such as character transformation, inner dialogue, and details. It’s a good thing an author doesn’t have to plan all of this while writing a story. Much better to have the readers mull it all over and find meaning.

Prospecting

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The Ballad of Lucy WhippleReading The Ballad of Lucy Whipple? There are a number of Gold Rush history museums throughout California that will give you a look at different aspects of that particular time in American history. Among them: the Maidu Museum, the Gold Country Museum in Auburn, and the Rocklin History Museum.

If you’re in California for the holidays, plan a visit. As always, double-check the library’s open dates and hours. http://bit.ly/1e0XDa5