It’s hard to believe it’s been twenty years since Birdy burst upon the scene, tangling her yarn and scaring off suitors, bringing the fleas and rats and dirt of the 14th century into the family rooms of the 20th century, enchanting us with her indomitable spirit and making room in our hearts, as Karen Cushman says in her author’s note, for “all sorts of different people” who are in some ways vastly different from our modern selves. Bravo for Birdy! I imagine Birdy at twenty, perhaps a mother now herself, accomplished in the lady arts but fighting to stay authentically herself despite the expectations of her era, and inspiring us to do the same in ours. —Susan Fletcher

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