The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate |  | Author: Jacqueline Kelly
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
List Price: $16.99
Buy New: $7.45
as of 11/24/2009 02:56 CST details
You Save: $9.54 (56%)
New (28) Used (12) Collectible (1) from $5.95
Seller: smokymtnbooks
Rating:  24 reviews
Sales Rank: 853
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Pages: 352
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.6 x 1.3
ISBN: 0805088415
EAN: 9780805088410
ASIN: 0805088415
Publication Date: May 12, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
| |
| Features:
|
| Similar Items:
| |
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Calpurnia Virginia Tate is eleven years old in 1899 when she wonders why the yellow grasshoppers in her Texas backyard are so much bigger than the green ones.With a little help from her notoriously cantankerous grandfather, an avid naturalist, she figures out that the green grasshoppers are easier to see against the yellow grass, so they are eaten before they can get any larger. As Callie explores the natural world around her, she develops a close relationship with her grandfather, navigates the dangers of living with six brothers, and comes up against just what it means to be a girl at the turn of the century. Debut author Jacqueline Kelly deftly brings Callie and her family to life, capturing a year of growing up with unique sensitivity and a wry wit.
|
| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 24
 A wonderful book about a young girl, science, and the south that will keep you laughing November 16, 2009
K. Eckert (Minneapolis, MN)
I will be honest I picked up this book because I loved the cover, then I read the premise and it sounded interesting. I am so glad I read this book, it was an awesome and wonderful read.
Calpurnia is an eleven year old girl who lives in south at the turn of the 19th century. This book takes place in the summer of 1899; just as wonderful things like Coca-cola, telephones, and cars are being introduced to the region. Calpurnia (usually called Callie) is struggling through a long hot summer as the only girl in the family (she has six brothers). Then one day she wonders why the green grasshoppers and the yellow ones are different. She decides to ask her somewhat intimidating grandfather. Her grandfather opens up a whole new world to her. He used to be a naturalist for National Geographic and now he is teaching Callie all about the science behind nature, how to be a good scientist, and how to be a naturalist. Callie loves spending time learning about how to be a good scientist, unfortunately as the only daughter in the family, domestic issues rear their ugly head. Callie is expected to learn things like sewing, cooking, and tatting. She struggles with her parents expectations of her as a daughter even as she gets deeper and deeper into the science of what it means to be a naturalist.
I loved this book. The book is written in a wonderful way and has a great sense of humor about things. All of the characters in the book are well developed; and Kelly writes in such a way that you are really brought into the South during that hot summer. There are little things added in that keep the story engaging and give it some urgency; so it ends up being very hard to put down and quite the page turner.
Calpurnia is an intriguing character. She is smart and she is fair in how she judges things (although sometimes it is hard to be fair). Even as she hates learning domestic chores she does grudgingly recognize the value in learning them. She struggles with trying to figure out how she can fit science into her parents' idea of what a girl should be. This insight and thoughtfulness makes for a wonderful character. At one point she recognizes the futility of her mother's work as she discusses how her poor mother labors over house, cloths and food and then has nothing to show for it when it all needs to be done again the next day.
Callie also has a wonderful sense of humor; at one point wondering why she can't get a wife of her own to do all of these horrible chores. Much of the second half of this book has Callie struggling with gender roles. She sees the necessity of them, but she can't fathom why her brothers can't do domestic work so she can have more time for science. It is people like Callie, that made it so women like myself can make a good career out of science without causing too much trouble in this day and age.
Kelly does a wonderful job of showing life in the south as it was at that time. I loved watching the characters experience phones, cars, and Coca-cola for the very first time. The whole book was just a pleasure to read as you witness Callie's brothers' antics as well as her own.
Kelly also did an excellent job of presenting scientific theory in a wonderful and interesting way. Kelly really captures the wonder of discovery and the things that drive scientists to do what they do. This book will make you re-examine the world around you and take new wonder in everything you see. As a scientist myself, this book really made me remember why I do what I do.
I really loved this book. Not only was it a great portrait of that late 1800's, but Calpurnia really captured my heart both as a girl and as a scientist. I was a little disappointed that we didn't find out what Calpurnia's future was going to be. But, that wasn't the point of the story and the story ended as it should have; it ended realistically. Still, I can't help but wish I could read more about Calpurnia in a future book.
This is definitely a keeper. A great book for all ages, genders, and interests. I will definitely be keeping tabs on Jacqueline Kelly to see what wonderful thing she writes next.
 Unresolved conflict and a predictable, anticlimactic plot detract from this promising story about a science-minded girl November 12, 2009
Julee Rudolf (Oak Harbor, WA USA)
growing up near the turn of the century.
After recently reading Ingrid Law's religious-themed Newberry Honor book, Savvy (unique but unspectacular), I looked forward to finding out what one might do with a more evolutionary theme. The story, about an eleven-year-old only girl (and only daughter of seven children) growing up on a five-acre farm in Texas from the summer of 1899 through January 1900, seems promising from the start. When "Callie Vee" shows an interest in and aptitude for natural science, her granddaddy (with connections not only to the father of evolutionary theory but also the inventor of the telephone) acts as teacher, mentor and partner in crime. The two trek off regularly in search of plants and wildlife and are always successful in finding a variety of both. If that and not much more is enough motivation for young adult bookworms to traipse through its 350 pages, more power to `em. Unfortunately, most kids (including my own) of that age range (9 to 12) seem unlikely to feel that way. The problem is that nothing UNEXPECTEDLY extraordinary ever really happens. The intended primary issue of interest seems to be whether or not Callie and her grandfather's find of a prospective new plant species will turn out to be the real deal. The result is as expected. The main conflict in the story is Callie's aptitude for and interest in science, which doesn't jibe with her parents' (and society's) expectation that she choose the more traditional path: housewifery. The issue is left unresolved. Since it's obviously narrated by Callie Vee, an Afterword, with an update on her later life (perhaps signed, Dr. Calpurnia Virginia Tate) would have been helpful. Additionally, it's hard to imagine that out of six boys of various ages, that not one would get caught up (or more likely, force his way) in (to) Granddaddy's and Callie Vee's naturalist world.
The book has its highlights, including: kindness concerning kittens: Lula, love-interest; her elder brother Harry's interest in girls; the trouble with turkeys; an overly interested photographer; and the day to day life of dealing with six brothers. There are also intriguing allusions to things like former slave quarters (never explained), Grandma Tate (briefly mentioned - what happened to her?), and Granddaddy's misstatement about Callie being his only grandchild (unintended cruelty or the beginnings of dementia?). By mid-book, I had had about enough, and was checking to see how many pages until I'd be done with it. In summary, great subject, decent writing, but not compelling enough to thrill many of its intended audience. Better: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery, and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and for adults: Servants of the Map by Andrea Barrett.
The Century Ends with the beginning of 1901, not 1900! November 8, 2009
Erin Bliss (Boston, MA)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
I loved this story right up to the end when they kept talking about the Turn of the Century. Well, it wasn't the Turn of the Century! The Century ends with the END of 1900 not the beginning of it! You start counting with 1! 1901, in this case. Didn't we just go through this with the turn of this century?
Other than that, I found it to be an acceptable book to give to a young girl. I would think any where from 8 to 12 years old, depending on the child. I liked the characters, even though they weren't very deep or well developed. As an adult, I wasn't bored reading it and any lessons weren't shoved in your face.
I think it would show young girls that they can do anything and they shouldn't be held back by social perceptions.
Give this book a Newbery Award! October 31, 2009
Molly Grue (SF Bay Area, CA USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
At the end of the 19th century, eleven year old Calpurnia Tate is the middle child and only girl in a family of seven children. Her family is respected and well off, pillars of society in their rural Texas town, but Calpurnia is dissatisfied with the feminine pursuits her mother approves of, as well as the narrow trajectory planned for her future. Curiosity about the natural world leads her to forge a bond with her paternal grandfather, a man who dutifully spent his youth in service to his family and country, and is now spending his final years on earth cultivating his own interests. These interests include a thorough study of nature, and to the despair of her gentle mother, Calpurnia is inexplicably delighted to tramp through fields and swamps in search of weeds and bugs.
Each chapter begins with a quote from Darwin's Origin of Species that is well matched to Calpurnia's thoughts and activities. Told in the first person from Calpurnia's perspective, this could have been just another well-researched coming of age story from a promising first time author, but Jacqueline Kelly's rich narrative is beautifully written. Both a physician and a lawyer, her command of the English language is extraordinary and her writing is a sheer pleasure to read.
For example, this passage, where Calpurnia is musing on her sloppy handiwork: "Stitches dropped themselves and later reappeared at random so that the long striped scarf I was knitting bulged in the middle like a python after dining on a rabbit. I fancied that a malevolent Rumpelstiltskin crept into my room at night and undid my best work, turning the gold of my efforts into pathetic dross on a wheel perversely spinning backward."
I love exciting books and was astonished to find this subtly plotted character study so engaging, particularly since the ending is both ambiguous and understated. It is clear that Calpurnia's mother doesn't understand or support her only daughter's yearnings for scientific study, and Calpurnia's ultimate fate is never revealed, as her story ends when the year (and century) do. Still, the book's overarching theme reminds us that change is gradual, and we leave Calpurnia on a hopeful note as one of her least likely dreams comes true.
Highly recommended.
Falling in Love with Science October 26, 2009
Dr. W. C. kasten (Ohio)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate is a delightful story where the words of Darwin are the preamble to each chapter while young protagonist Calpurnia comes of age, but not in the way her society conscious mother hopes. This 11 year old becomes close to her off-beat Grandfather, a man who in retirement finds an intense love of the natural world, and Calpurnia catches his enthusiasm and intrigue. "Callie Vee" as she is nicknamed is the only girl in the upper crust Texas family with five brothers. The fact that as the only girl, it is she who is captivated by bugs and plants and finally dares to dream of becoming a scientist is somewhat ironic. The tensions between the societal expectations of her, fostered mostly by her mother, and her own dreams feels just as frustrating to readers as it does to her.
I find it refreshing that we have a novel with substantive science and a girl who finds natural things fascinating, and who tries to read and understand Darwin, when her own formal schooling for girls contains so little content. I enjoyed every minute of reading, and I think intermediate and middle school girls will too. I recommend this as a good selection for literature circles in classrooms with students age 11-14.
Wendy C. Kasten, Ph.D.
[...]
Showing reviews 1-5 of 24
|
|
|
|
