Catherine, Called Birdy has been a surprise hit with our listeners and book club community, and today Chelsey and Sara share their experience with Karen Cushman's award-winning work of middle grade historical fiction. We share what we remember about the book from childhood, why we connected with it more now, and why a book about a girl trying to avoid marriage in the 13th-century feels so relevant today. We also go down a couple of rabbit holes of our own this episode, including a discussion about how we teach and model gender for children and the role of literature in that development.

Together, we're learning to be better, more critical and thorough readers of classic and contemporary literature. We love discussing books and reading with all of you and hope you'll join our group of nerdy readers at patreon.com/novelpairings. Annual subscriptions are now available at a discounted price.

Pairings Timestamp: 42:00

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Books mentioned:

• Margaret the First by Danielle Dutton

• Doomsday Book by Connie Willis

• Matrix by Lauren Groff

• My Lady Jane, My Plain Jane, My Contrary Mary, My Imaginary Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows

Also mentioned:

• Dear America, The Royal Diaries, and American Girl Dolls

• The Men–and the Boys–are Not Alright