Calpurnia, Callie Vee, es una niña que vive en un pueblo de Texas. A pesar de que su madre insiste en que aprenda a tocar el piano, coser y cocinar, ella está más interesada en lo que ocurre tras la puerta cerrada de la biblioteca, o en el laboratorio de su abuelo. Poco a poco irá ganándose a este señor un tanto huraño y empezará a colaborar con él en sus observaciones del medio natural, aprenderá quién es Darwin, qué son las especies y las subespecies y también lo idiotas que se vuelven los hermanos mayores cuando se enamoran.

First off, what drew me to this book was the cover. It is absolutely gorgeous, and conceals so many important components of Calpurnia. I know, I know, "never judge a book by its cover" but I'm glad I did. I empathized so much with Callie who followed in her grandfather's footsteps and preferring to use her brain to study to natural world than her hands to sew or embroider. This book made me laugh, sigh with regret, want to scream and shake certain characters, and in the end, hope. ( )

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly follows the above mentioned young lady through her eleventh year in 1899. Calpurnia lives with her parents, grandfather and her six brothers. She has an interest in the natural world and her curiosity and questions eventually lead her to her notoriously cantankerous grandfather. He spends his days in his laboratory or out hunting specimens.

She and her grandfather bond over their shared interests and Calpurnia yearns to be able to have more freedom from the expectations that are placed upon her. She has no interest in cooking, cleaning or sewing but she is expected to perfect these skills for a future as a wife and homemaker. She dreams of being allowed to go to university and becoming a scientist. Although there is no resolution to Calpurnia’s dreams, it is clear that she is a determined, ambitious girl and I can imagine that she will definitely have a say in what her future will look like.

I found The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate to be an excellent coming-of-age story. The author succeeds in making Calpurnia unique and believable, and the writing is engaging with humor and style. Written for middle-grade children, this senior citizen fell under the spell of this delightful book ( )

This story is set at the turn of the twentieth century in a small Texas town. The narrator is a likeable girl, and the ideas about Darwin and evolution that she learns from her grandfather are interesting, but the story itself moves incredibly slowly. ( )

I read this many years ago and loved it. Calpurnia is such a strong character and her relationship with her grandfather is wonderful. Now I'm reading it again for Lopez Island Library's Never Too Old: a Young Adult Book Club for Adults. ( )