Book cover compliments of Titlewave)
Bibliography
Kelly, Jacqueline. 2009. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate. New York: Henry Holt. ISBN 0805088415
Plot summary
The only girl in a well-to-do family of six brothers, 11-year old Calpurnia Tate struggles to find her place in 1899 Texas life between the demands of “lady-like” society and her unconventional desires to explore nature.
Critical Analysis
Calpurnia Tate (Callie Vee) doesn’t fit the 19th century mold her mother desires for her only daughter. Set in Central Texas in 1899, Callie’s large family of brothers offer an enviable contrast to the lady-like world that is continually thrust upon Callie. When Callie discovers an unlikely companion in her grouchy, but scientific grandfather, she begins a road to self-discovery among river banks, dirt, and insects that creates dreams of more than needlepoint, cooking lessons, and piano recitals. Kelly creates a lush backdrop of late 19th century Texas life permeated with accurate details of expectations of polite society, arrival of the first telephone, publication of Darwin’s Origin of Species, and life on a Texas cotton and pecan plantation. When Callie and her grandfather discover a new species of plant-life, the plot thickens in their journey to get their discovery officially recognized by the Smithsonian. Riddled with laugh-out-loud scenes created by Callie’s colorful brothers (several of whom have a simultaneous crush on Callie’s best friend) and grandfather’s misadventures with his pecan whiskey experiments, readers will embrace this story of a spirited, science-loving young girl who seeks to be more than what society expects.
Reviews and Honors
“A charming and inventive story of a child struggling to find her identity at the turn of the 20th century . . . there’s no uncertainty over the achievement of Kelly’s debut novel.”—Starred Review, School Library Journal
“The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate is the most delightful historical novel for tweens in many, many years. . . . Callie’s struggles to find a place in the world where she’ll be encouraged in the gawky joys of intellectual curiosity are fresh, funny, and poignant today.”—The New Yorker
Newbery Honor Book
IRA Children's Book Award
IRA Teachers' Choices
Starred Booklist; Bulletin-Center Child Books; Chicago Tribune; Horn Book; Starred Kirkus Review; New York Times; Starred Publishers Weekly Review; Starred School Library Journal Review; Washington Post Book World; Wilson's Children and Junior High School
Connections
- Have students read other stories of children/young adults with science/nature themes as well as non-fiction titles. Some titles might include:
My Side of the Mountain (George)
Hatchet (Paulsen)
Non-fiction titles:
The Tarantula in My Purse: and 172 other wild pets (Jean C. George)
Turtle summer : a journal for my daughter (Monroe)
The eco-diary of Kiran Singer (Alderson)
Hummingbird nest : a journal of poems (Kristine George)
- After reading the book, discuss whether or not Callie will be likely to pursue a career as a naturalist/scientist or embrace the expectations of women that her mother and society expect. Share some of the stories from Girls who looked under rocks : the lives of six pioneering naturalists (Jeannine Atkins) ISBN 1-58469-011-9. Follow up the discussion with a research exploration of women of the 19th century that embraced unconventional “careers” and made valuable contributions to society. Parallel this study with modern contributions of women to the field of science.
- Create a collaborative unit with the science department during their plant or insect studies. Have students keep naturalists notebooks like Callie’s. Be sure to include daily nature time outside teaching students to make detailed notes on small areas of ground (12 square inches or less) to gain the eyes for observation using all 5 senses. (Share The eco-diary of Kiran Singer by Alderson). Have students develop their own presentation based on personal studies and observations in nature away from school.
