The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

Jacqueline Kelly
New York: Henry Holt, 2009
340 p. (Grades 4-10)

"Girl Scientist Thwarted for All Time by Stupid Sewing Projects. Loss to Society Immeasurable. Entire Scientific Community in Mourning." Calpurnia Virginia Tate, like most heroines, is not your average girl. Growing up in Texas at the turn of the twentieth century, eleven-year-old Callie Vee would rather traipse through the wilderness collecting specimens with her Darwinist, naturalist grandfather than embrace "the science of housewifery" that will make her a lady. This intriguing novel follows her through that formative summer in which she befriends her mysterious grandfather and discovers the science behind the world she already relished in exploring. The first person narrative invites readers to join the colorful life of the Tate family, while vivid imagery and pointed commentary keeps them turning each page. Humorous familial anecdotes, with which modern children can easily identify, will bridge the century-long gap between readers and their spirited young narrator, as they experience her struggle between the traditional expectations of her parents and the dreams of university she has for herself. Young and old will delight in the insightful wit of a modern-women-in-the-making, while learning lessons of an oft-ignored historical period in the process.