"This unusual book provides an insider's look at the life of Birdy, 14, the daughter of a minor English nobleman. The year is 1290 and the vehicle for storytelling is the girl's witty, irreverent diary. Superb historical fiction." - School Library Journal (starred review) "The period has rarely been presented for young people with such authenticity; the exotic details will intrigue readers while they relate more closely to Birdy's yen for independence and her sensibilities toward the downtrodden. Her tenacity and ebullient naiveté are extraordinary; at once comic and thought-provoking, this first novel is a delight." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "The lesson isn't that love will save us. It's to find a way to make your voice heard among all of the forces that want to shut it down. Catherine never gives up or loses her spirit.

She still fights for what she believes in--women's rights, herself, living the life she wants." - Bustle "Birdy's journal, begun as an assignment, first wells up in the reluctant and aggressive prose of hated homework, and then eases into the lighthearted flow of descriptive adventures and true confessions; the narrative device reveals Birdy's passage from rebellious child to responsible adult. This first novel introduces an admirable heroine and pungently evokes a largely unfamiliar setting." - Publishers Weekly.