The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate Book

3.75 stars. This book is basically a series of vignettes from a six month period in the life of a spunky, independent 11 year old girl living in Texas in 1899. Calpurnia Virginia (Callie Vee) Tate yearns for more than the life of a debutante and housewife that she already sees her mother herding her toward. She unexpectedly finds a kindred spirit in her scientifically-minded grandfather, who encourages her inquisitive character and teaches her, not just about scientific observation, but about great women scientists. The quotes from Charles Darwin at the beginning of each chapter have an interesting and often amusing connection to the events occurring in that chapter.

When Callie first looks into her grandfather's microscope at a drop of river water, you can see the world opening up for her:A teeming, swirling world of enormous, wriggling creatures burst into my vision, scaring the daylights out of me. ... Something with many tiny hairs rowed past at high speed; something else with a lashing tail whipped by; a tumbling barbed sphere like a medieval mace rolled past; delicate, filmy ghostlike shadows flitted in and out of the field. It was chaotic, it was wild, it was . . . the most amazing thing I'd ever seen.

"This is what I swim in?" I said, wishing I didn't know.This middle grade book reminds me of the Little House books of Laura Ingalls Wilder, but with more of a feminist slant. There's not much of a plot here, and what there is of it is kind of meandering and unresolved, but Callie is a sympathetic and engaging character, her brothers were a hoot (even if they seemed pretty much interchangeable to Callie's grandfather and to me), and her life and experiences in a small town in turn-of-the-century Texas felt very real.

Some fine research went into the writing of this book. I particularly liked the scenes of celebrating the turn of the century, Callie and brother drinking the new drink Coca-Cola (back when the "Coca" part of the name really meant something!), and winning ribbons at the county fair. Callie and her friend Lula have a hilarious talk about getting married, from an eleven year old's perspective:"You have to let your husband kiss you once you're married. And you have to kiss him back."

"No," she said.

"Yes." I nodded, as if I knew everything there was to know about husbands and wives kissing. "That's what they do together."

"Do you have to?"

"Oh, absolutely. It's the law."

"I never heard of that law," she said dubiously.

"It's true, it's Texas law."I wish Callie and the novel hadn't been quite so dismissive of homemaking--Callie's mother has seven children and regularly resorts to imbibing a tonic with a high alcoholic content to get her through the day, and Callie can't imagine anything worse than being a debutante and then a housewife, even though her family is wealthy enough to have several servants--but on the other hand I'm a firm believer in opportunities and choices for women, and deeply appreciate the sacrifices made by women in prior generations that have enabled us to have so many more rights and options for our lives today. This book is a good reminder for young readers, and for all of us, of the importance of having opportunities to pursue our dreams.