12th day of September (1290): "I am commanded to write an account of my days: I am bit by fleas and plagued by family. That is all there is to say." Fourteen-year-old Catherine has struck a deal: she can forego spinning, a task she loathes, if she agrees to keep a diary of her daily life. Catherine's chronicle of her life as lady-of-the-manor-in-training (a position she has no desire to fulfill) is witty, acerbic and altogether delightful. Over the course of a year, Catherine writes about events ranging from the number of fleas she's had to pick off herself (29 one day) to arrangements being made for her pending marriage to the man she calls "Shaggy Beard" - a marriage Catherine - independent of mind and spirit - does not wish to make. A fascinating and entertaining novel rich with detail of life in the middle ages. (Age 12 and older)

What follows will be my book -- the book of Catherine, called Little Bird or Birdy, daughter of Rollo and the lady Aislinn, sister to Thomas, Edward, and the abominable Robert. Begun this 19th day of September in the year of Our Lord 1290. Picked off twenty-nine fleas today. Catherine's mother wants to teach her the skills of the lady of the manor and to prepare her to be a gentle and patient wife. Her father wants only to see her married off, and profitably. Catherine herself hopes to become a painter, a Crusader, a maker of songs, a peddler, a minstrel, a monk, a wart charmer. Of all the possibilities, she has ruled out only one: being sold like a cheese to the highest bidder. Against a vivid background of everyday life on a medieval English manor, Catherine's earthy, spirited account of her fourteenth year is a richly entertaining story with an utterly unforgettable heroine. - Back cover.