Catherine Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

Catherine is quite the interesting girl. She would be the typical everyday girl in this period in England (1290). She lives in a manor. It is a small manor but she helps her mother to tend to sicknesses and embroiders a lot. She is not too happy with her lot in life. She is especially not excited to be told she has to marry who her father choses for her. This is a story of her defiance and her dreams of her own life.

I like this book. I thought it was most unique. Some parts could be a little crude such as talking about relieving one’s bladder and body parts but I think it helped to understand the crudeness of this period of time. This is not a lady like girl. The book is also written like a diary which is a fun way to get the idea across.

I learned much about this period of time especially about how their homes worked in regards to the king. I love how the author adds notes at the end. I didn’t realize what a Historical Fiction kind of person I am. This book is right along those lines.

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Matilda Bone by Karen Cushman

This is a story about a girl named Matilda. Matilda has an interesting background. She was raised by Father Leufredus in a very religious manor. She didn’t worry about food or clothing. She only had to worry about learning Latin, French, Writing and Religion. Her life is about to change as she is on her way to the Bonesetter’s to be a help to Peg. Peg doesn’t quite fit into Matilda’s background and she has to learn a new way of life. She seems to always be longing to be back with Father Leufredus.



This is a story about book learning versus real life. It is about real people versus theory.

There is a greater theme though and I’ve had a hard time putting a finger on what it is but I think it has something to do with listening to oneself and how we feel as opposed to something we may have learned from others or instead of believing what others sometimes erroneously believe even if many join in that belief.


I found the notes at the end of the book very valuable. The Author gave some more information about bone setting and medicine. It is interesting, some of the theories about medicine. I am glad we’ve come a long way since then.

I think this is one of the great books.

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Rodzina by Karen Cushman

I enjoyed learning a bit while I read this fun little novel. It talks of orphans being transported to the West by trains from the overly orphaned populated Chicago. The interesting part is that this really happened in America. It helped me to think about what it would be like to be one of those orphans.


This book is about a 12 year old girl named Rodzina. Rodzina is a big girl for her age. She doesn’t describe herself as pretty either. She has been well taken care of as she’s grown up but suddenly she finds herself without family when her mother passes away. She’d like to stay in Chicago but the orphanage doesn’t give her an option. This is her adventure with the train of orphans headed West.

I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading more of Cushman’s books. I like the way she writes. This book helped me want to treat people better. It makes me want to think about how the children around me are treated and to remember that they are people too. It made me ponder a different day and relate it to my own. I’d definitely recommend this book.

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Winning Mr. Wrong by Marie Higgins

Cute, romantic, funny little story. This book is a really fun read. It was the kind of feel good reading that I often crave. It was a story about a girl named Charley. In High School, Charley had a crush on a boy from her High School.  His name is Max.  She is surprised to find out that he is now employed at the same place she is.  She reads an article on the internet about “10 Ways to Win Your Man.” She decides to try the ideas on Max. She has quite a bit of help from a neighbor who ends up being a big part of the story.

I loved every part of the book but, there were some parts of the book that I really smiled because the story is really fun.

I recommend this book for anyone wanting to read a “get away from life” book. It is a great book to read to get totally involved in a good story. I liked this book.

A Coming Evil by Vivian Vande Velde

I love, love, loved this book. It is s a story of a girl named Lisette whose parents send her away to her aunt’s in the country so that she is away from Paris and the bombings. When her father drops her off, both she and her father find out that it is not just the Aunt and her cousin that live there. Her Aunt is hiding some Jewish children in her home. This is a time when harboring Jews could lead to death or imprisonment. The Germans’ are trying to eliminate the inferior races.

In the story, there is even mention of a ghost in the story. I was a little trepid to read this book thinking it would be the bad kind of scary. I found it a very cool story of two periods of time: Hitler’s time and a time of knights, kings, priests, and nobles. I learned much from this story and found it to be a very moving story. I’d recommend this to everyone. This was a very great story.

Hoarders, the by Jean Stringam

Amazing kids...just AMAZING!!!

This is a book about two boys, Cheyenne and Joaquin Walker.  Joaquin sounds like Walking when you say it and so his name is Walking Walker.  I thought that was a pretty fun name.  There's a lot about this book that I really, really liked.  These two boys are very worried that they will not have any food in the future.  So they start saving food in their backpacks and hiding the backpacks.  One week their mom will shop and the next week there will be no food in the house.  Their Aunt Amy helps them with advice and feeding them when she is around but that isn't nearly enough.  The book has twists and turns that I just loved.  It ends in a place that I did not foresee.  I love it when a book can surprise me like that.

One of my favorite things is about two characters in the book that were twins.  Their family called them all sorts of things like: Ketchup & Mustard, Salt & Pepper, Ham & Cheese, Stars & Stripes, Bread & Butter etc.  Each time they were referred to they had a different name.  I liked that and wondered what they would be called next.  That just made the story so fun.

I would highly recommend this quick, fun, well written book.  It is an amazing book!

Carnival Girl by Sonja Herbert

The author of this book had a rough childhood. She lived in a carnival growing up and she traveled from town to town in Germany. Her mother was part Jewish and had escaped the Nazi’s by joining the circus and then later her mother and father (who owned a carnival) married.

Sonja tells many stories. Some stories make me sad and a bit disturbed but the over-all story is of survival and getting through tough times. It is a memoir and sometimes real life isn’t so glamorous. To me this was an eye opener of how hard someone’s life can be. I had a lot of sympathy for her and I am glad she is doing well now.