Catherine, Called Birdy AND Anna of Byzantium

Young Adult Historical Fiction

Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

Anna of Byzantium by Tracy Barrett

Ok, I finally did my homework. I am teaching an honors seventh grade social studies class this semester, and we only have time to study the ancient cultures of Egypt, Greece, and Rome. I want the kids' understanding of the scope of history to go beyond the Mediterranean and beyond the fall of Rome. So I decided to give them a choice of novels to read about a different culture and time period. These two were recommended by our librarian and some other sources, but I hadn't read them, so I've had them sitting on my bedside table since Christmas, waiting for inspiration to strike. (I'm also offering two books about ancient Korea by Linda Sue Parks, The Kite Fighters and A Single Shard, but I've already read those.)

You know I love historical fiction, and mostly I like YA fiction as well. Following suit, I enjoyed both of these books. It's interesting to review two books at once because I can't help but compare them. The first one I read was Anna, and it's my least favorite of the two. It's about a true historical figure, a princess of Byzantium (the area that was the Eastern part of the Roman Empire and continued on after the fall, though was more Greek than Roman in culture). Anna would have been empress, but a family dispute made her brother emperor instead. That's no plot spoiler--the story starts with her telling her tale of woe after the fact. I learned more about Byzantine culture from the book than I had ever known before, which I enjoyed, but the characters were dark and complicated--too much like real people for me. I think the author should have romanticized it a bit. Catherine, on the other hand, was a real winner. It's also told from a young girl's perspective, but this time in medieval Europe. It's in the form of a diary kept in 1290, the year in which Catherine's father, a minor knight, is attempting to marry her off at a profit. Catherine is stubborn, foul tongued, and tender hearted, and she doesn't want to marry a stranger. In fact, she'd rather be a Crusader, or a minstrel, or a hundred other things. She is delightful. God's thumbs (to borrow her idiom), this is a good one!

I'm glad the kids are going to be reading these mostly outside class, and discussing in their own little book clubs, because otherwise it would be a little too...interesting...to discuss some parts of the books together. There's a good deal of talk about baby making in Catherine. Not sex; just baby making. But still. That's more than I want to talk about with middle school boys, thank you very much. There's also a great deal of religion in both, mostly Christian but with some Greek mythology thrown into Anna. Should make for some good discussion with the kids. I'm glad I get to listen in...