Karen Cushman

In 1573, the crippled, scorned, and destitute Meggy Swann goes to London, where she meets her father, an impoverished alchemist, and eventually discovers that although her legs are bent and weak, she has many other strengths.

In 1949, thirteen-year-old Francine goes to Catholic school in Los Angeles where she becomes best friends with a girl who questions authority and is frequently punished by the nuns, causing Francine to question her own values.

A twelve-year-old Polish American girl is boarded onto an orphan train in Chicago with fears about traveling to the West and to the hazards of a new life.

Fourteen-year-old Matilda, an apprentice bonesetter and practitioner of medicine in a village in medieval England, tries to reconcile the various aspects of her life, both spiritual and practical.

In medieval England, a nameless, homeless girl is taken in by a sharp-tempered midwife, and in spite of obstacles and hardship, eventually gains the three things she most wants: a full belly, a contented heart, and a place in this world.

¨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 only wants her to be married off, and profitably. Catherine herself hopes to become a painter, a Crusader, a maker of songs, a peddlar, a monk, a ministrel, a wart charmer... Of all the possibilities, she has ruled out only one: being sold like 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.¨ -Karen Cushman

In 1599 England, twelve-year-old lying, thieving Will Sparrow runs away, meets many colorful characters on the road, and then reluctantly joins a traveling "oddities" exhibit, where he learns to see beyond appearances.

Gefingeerd dagboek van de veertienjarige dochter van een Engelse ridder in de middeleeuwen over haar leven. In een fictief dagboek vertelt de dochter van een Engelse ridder, de veertienjarige Catherine, over het alledaagse leven in de middeleeuwen en over haar verzet tegen haar uithuwelijking door de familie.

In a medieval kingdom, Grayling finds self-confidence when her mother is turned into a tree by evil forces and Grayling must venture into the wilds to reverse the spell. Grayling's mother, a "wise woman," has been turned into a tree by evil forces. Lacking confidence after years of being called "Feeble Wits" by her mother, Grayling heads off dubiously into the wilds in search of help. There she gets help from weather witch, an aromatic enchantress, a cheese soothsayer, a slyly foolish apprentice, and a shape-shifting mouse named Pook!