Most Popular Books by Karen Cushman

The thirteen-year-old daughter of an English country knight keeps a journal in which she records the events of her life, particularly her longing for adventures beyond the usual role of women and her efforts to avoid being married off.

In a small village in medieval England, a young homeless girl acquires a home and a new career when she becomes the apprentice to a sharp-tempered midwife.

Originally published: [New York]: Clarion Books, 1994.

From a Newbery Medalist ("The Midwife's Apprentice") comes the adventures of a lovable rogue and vagabond in Elizabethan England.

From the Newbery-Award winning author of Catherine, Called Birdy and The Midwife's Apprentice comes the story of an orphan on the American frontier who decides to go west--with nothing but gumption as her guide. Sally O'Malley is an orphan working at a mineral spring hotel in the woods of central Oregon--that is, until she's chucked out like chewed-on chicken bones, due entirely to an unfortunate incident with a pig and some church ladies. And so Sally decides to head west to the sea. Glorious, she's heard. Fierce, she's heard. Why not see for herself? Before long Sally encounters a dangerous bobcat--and that's just the first day! Safe in the knowledge that she's fearless, she continues on her journey with no place to belong and no one to depend on. And that's just fine with her. Then a lady called Major, an old donkey, a loyal dog, and an abominable brat show Sally that she's not quite as brave as she thinks. It turns out that counting on someone else is the scariest thing of all.

Newbery Medal-Winning Author: A sheltered, self-involved girl finds herself apprenticed to a bonesetter in medieval England in a tale "laced with humor" ( Kirkus Reviews). Into the fascinating, pungent setting of Blood and Bone Alley, home of leech, barber-surgeon, and apothecary, comes Matilda, raised by a priest to disdain worldly affairs and focus on spiritual matters. To Matilda's dismay, her work will not involve Latin or writing, but practical tasks: lighting the fire, going to market, mixing plasters and poultices, and helping Peg treat patients. She is appalled by the worldliness of her new surroundings, and the sharp-tongued saints she turns to for advice are no help at all. Filled with the witty dialogue and richly authentic detail that Karen Cushman's work is known for, Matilda Bone is a compelling comic novel about a girl who learns to see herself and others clearly, to laugh, and to live contentedly in this world. "Will capture readers' imaginations and hearts." — VOYA "This humorous, frank look at life in the medical quarters in medieval times shows readers that love and compassion, laughter and companionship, are indeed the best medicine." — School Library Journal (starred review)

The historical fiction classic, told in the form of a diary, has drawn in generations of readers and is a Newbery Honor Book. Catherine feels trapped. Her father is determined to marry her off to a rich man--any rich man, no matter how awful. But by wit, trickery, and luck, Catherine manages to send several would-be husbands packing. Then a shaggy-bearded suitor from the north comes to call--by far the oldest, ugliest, most revolting suitor of them all. Unfortunately, he is also the richest. Can a sharp-tongued, high-spirited, clever young maiden with a mind of her own actually lose the battle against an ill-mannered, piglike lord and an unimaginative, greedy toad of a father? Deus! Not if Catherine has anything to say about it! Catherine, a spirited and inquisitive young woman, narrates in diary form the story of her fourteenth year--the year 1290. In an appreciation in the New York Times, illustrator Vera Brosgol spoke for many fans of this beloved book: "I fell hard for Karen Cushman's Catherine, Called Birdy the second I opened it. More than any other heroine I'd read, this one sounded like me. For Catherine, and for me, there is no easy solution to the cages life makes for you. Sometimes the power is in deciding to be yourself in whatever cage you're in."

Grayling doesn't want to be a hero, but to save her mother from a dark enchantment, she seeks out the few second-string magic makers who haven't been immobilized by the spell and goes off in search of her mother's grimoire, or book of magic. Obstacles both natural and supernatural block their way, and friction within the group delays the journey. Surprising herself, Grayling finds the strength and decisiveness to move the group forward and reach her goal. Eccentric witches and wizards plus a shape-shifting mouse provide moments of high comedy, as do odd practices that date back to the Middle Ages, such as divination with cheese.

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

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.

Det fattige og barske liv i guldgraverbyen Lusky Diggins i 1850'ernes Californien er ikke, hvad den 12-årige Lucy Whipple er vant til. Hvordan kommer hun hjem til bedsteforældrene i Massachusetts?

"Cushman's latest historical novel captures the terrors and confusions of the McCarthy era." --Booklist

Millie McGonigle lives in California. It should be perfect, but Hitler is attacking Europe and it looks like the United States may be going to war. Food is rationed and money is tight. Millie's little sister is sick. Will Millie be able to keep her balance as the world becomes grim?

Monsieur et Madame Whipple, du Massachusetts, rêvaient si fort d'aller un jour dans l'Ouest, qu'ils avaient baptisé leurs enfants Californie, Canyon, Prairie, Sierra, Promesse Dorée et Océan, et leur chien Rocheuses. Aussi quand son mari et sa fille cadette moururent de pneumonie, Maman Whipple partit seule avec ses enfants. Au bout de cinq mois de bateau, ils arrivèrent dans la baie de San Francisco. Californie appela tout de suite l'endroit " un tas de boue et d'ordures ". Elle comprit que l'or promis devait être caché par les lézards et les crottins de mules. Tandis que sa mère ouvrait sous une tente une pension de famille pour mineurs sales et dépenaillés, elle décida de changer son nom honni en " Lucy ". Et de faire tout ce qui était en son pouvoir pour vite repartir en sens inverse, vers la civilisation, ses maisons et ses bibliothèques. Ce qui était en son pouvoir n'était pas grand-chose : des tartes aux pommes, des économies, des lettres à ses grands-parents, des prières et des rêves fous. Mais une surprise l'attendait.