The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
The Calpurnia Tate series, Book 1
Jacqueline Kelly
Square Fish
Fiction, MG Historical Fiction
Themes: Country Tales, Girl Power
****
Description
The summer of 1899 is a hot one in Texas, where Calpurnia Tate lives with a gaggle of brothers on acres of cotton fields, pecan trees, and wilderness. Though half-grown, she's never given much thought to the future or her place in it, content to linger in the seemingly-endless days of carefree childhood, until a question about grasshoppers sends her to Granddaddy. He's a strange and reclusive figure, just shy of an outright embarrassment for his interest in science and naturalism, but he opens doorways Calpurnia had never known existed, teaching her about all manner of subjects they never covered in her one-room school: physics, chemistry, and those controversial ideas espoused in Darwin's forbidden book - ideas she can see with her own eyes right in the back yard. Suddenly, the life laid out before her by her mother and countless generations of Tradition no longer looks appealing... but girls, especially girls from rural Texas, just can't grow up to be whatever they want. Can they?
Review
Though I lean strongly toward science fiction and fantasy (as is obvious), a fair bit of my reading selection goes by gut reaction, and I got a good "vibe" off this one when I saw it at work. Callie's a strong-willed, if still immature, girl who doesn't yet know what she doesn't know, yet is too clever and ornery to let ignorance lie once she discovers it, even if pursuing knowledge goes against every social grain in her community. Her grandfather provides a window into new worlds, but cannot answer every question or solve ever problem, especially as much of what she encounters is unique to her life: he was never raised to think he shouldn't ask questions or aspire to an education or even live a life defined by herself and not a spouse, as Calpurina has been (though she doesn't realize it until she knows to look.) Her family isn't a monolithic stumbling block - her brothers can be helps or hindrances - but still are part of the maze she must navigate as she finds herself drawn toward new dreams, dreams that fly in the face of what's expected of a girl with good "prospects." Several colorful characters fill the pages, some more rounded and intriguing than others, as various episodes slowly draw Calpurnia toward womanhood and a potentially doomed future hemmed in by Tradition. A few of these read like filler, if generally amusing filler, and Calpurnia's scientific pursuits tend to get crowded off the page during these tangents. I'd expected a bit more conclusive of an ending, a more complete arc (particularly regarding her family), but this turns out to be just the first installment of a longer series. It's a fun book told in a great voice, fun enough I might eventually track down the next volume. Calpurnia Tate may not be a perfect heroine, but she's definitely one to root for.