The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline KellyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Do you remember how excited I was when I found out I won a book? About two weeks later, a copy arrived in my mail box. I could not wait to begin reading because from the description on the Goodreads website, I knew I would enjoy this book. I was not disappointed.
Calpurnia Tate (isn't that the most delicious name?) is an 11 year old girl living in Texas in 1899. She is the middle child in a family of seven--sandwiched between three older brothers and three younger ones. Her mother has high aspirations for her only daughter--good student, well-behaved daughter, schooled in the domestic arts, and promising debutante. Unfortunately for Mother, Calpurnia does not share those aspirations.
During an extremely hot summer in Texas, Callie Vee wonders why there are yellow grasshoppers instead of the normal green ones. She doesn't think her parents will know, so she musters up her courage and asks her rather aloof grandfather, who spends his days studying nature and tinkering in the shed. He replies that he is sure she'll figure it out. After several more days pondering this perplexing question, she comes up with an answer. When she shares the news with grandfather, he takes an interest in her--the only member of the family he IS interested in.
Grandfather opens up a whole new world to Callie. She soaks up her new knowledge of the world around her like a thirsty sponge. She also is awakened to ambition and desires with all her heart to attend the University (an unheard of thing in 1899) and learn more. Mother is not amused by Callie's new interests and her homemaking education takes on an added fervency.
While the story line is wonderful, it's the way Jacqueline Kelly writes that made this book so special. She writes with such a sense of description that it is poetic at times. Several times I found myself laughing out loud with her touches of humor. This is a wonderful book for anyone 5th grade on up.
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