The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly (10 - 14 Children's lit.) I discovered this sitting on the library shelf and it is delightful. 11 year old Callie is the only girl in a family of seven children. The story starts in Texas during the blisteringly hot summer of 1899. Callie wants to cool off and frequently sneaks off to swim in the river. She slyly cuts an inch off her hair every week to fool her mother who won't hear of her getting a crew cut like her brothers. And she takes to exploring with her grandfather, an amateur naturalist. Every chapter is headed by a quote from Darwin's Origin of the Species but this book doesn't delve into controversy. It shows how Callie discovers the scientific process and dreams of being a naturalist when she grows up. One caveat...the grandfather describes some of his Civil War experiences in a matter of fact but somewhat graphic way. These are not sensationalized but could be upsetting for a sensitive reader.
Here's Callie on books..."One day I would have all the books in the world, shelves and shelves of them. I would live my life in a tower of books. I would read all day long and eat peaches. And if any young knights in shining armor dared to come calling on their white chargers and plead with me to let down my hair, I would pelt them with peach pits until they went home."
1 comment:
Sounds good. I love it when random library finds turn out to be good :)
Post a Comment