The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
By: Jacqueline Kelly
Published by: Scholastic Inc.
Copyright: 2010
Calpurnia Virginia Tate or "Callie Vee" as she is called is an eleven year old girl who is far from what her mother and society want her to be. Instead of being interested in her future as a future wife who knits and cooks, Callie is an explorer of the world around her and wants to spend her time studying plants, insects, and evolution.With six brothers and a mother who disapproves Callie finds comfort in spending time with her naturalist grandfather who goes along with Callie in her exploring of the world. As the world is changing around them Callie's grandfather questions the future for young women and the traditional expectations that have been around for so long.
Reading Level: Grade 5-6; Lexile: 830L
Suggested Delivery: Independent Read
Web Resources:
Author's Site: Here is a link to author Jacqueline Kelly's website. Here you will find out more about her, where she will be making appearances, and how to purchase her book.
The following list of sites are examples of discussion guides to help students focus on their inferential and literal comprehension.
Key Vocabulary:
- Benzene
- Chemise
- Scrutiny
- Swelter
- Eddies
- Pestiferous
- Chivvy
- Torpid
- Loiter
- Envisaged
- Torrid
- Excelsior
- Dilapidated
- Consternation
- Malacca
- Laburnum
- Morass
- Transom
- Cadge
- Octoroon
- Aborning
- Dissonant
- Pedagogic
- Protuberant
- Salvo
- Ostentatious
- Petulant
- Interminable
- Bonhmonie
- Pargon
- Daguerrotype
- Codger
- Prodigious
- Prerequisite
- Inane
- Uncinate
- Desiccated
- Deference
- Ensconced
- Expunge
- Kowtow
- Onerous
- Veritable
- Dross
- Distaff
- Tumbrel
- Quagmire
- Efficacious
- Detritus
- Noxious
- Aspics
- Assiduously
- Futile
- Convivial
- Cannily
- Pompously
- Rota
- Tetchy
- Dyspeptic
- Redolent
- Tarpaulin
- Foofaraw
- Insipid
- Odious
- Citadel
- Perspicacious
- Deckled
- Tepid
Suggestions for Activities for Students:
During Reading -
This novel is definitely for a higher level read due to the mature vocabulary that the author presents. Therefore, for a novel like this I would suggest focusing on the vocabulary to fully understand what the character of Callie is talking about. By using the ability to use context clues first have the student or students trying think of what the word means only by using what the other words in the sentence are. Then, they can find a dictionary or use one online to figure out the actual definition.
Awards and Acknowledgements:
Newbery Award, 2010
IRA Children's Book Award, 2010
North Carolina Young Adult Book Award, 2010
TN YA Volunteer State Book Award, 2010
Law Book Award, 2009
School Library Journal:
This novel is definitely for a higher level read due to the mature vocabulary that the author presents. Therefore, for a novel like this I would suggest focusing on the vocabulary to fully understand what the character of Callie is talking about. By using the ability to use context clues first have the student or students trying think of what the word means only by using what the other words in the sentence are. Then, they can find a dictionary or use one online to figure out the actual definition.
Awards and Acknowledgements:
Newbery Award, 2010
IRA Children's Book Award, 2010
North Carolina Young Adult Book Award, 2010
TN YA Volunteer State Book Award, 2010
Law Book Award, 2009
School Library Journal:
*Starred Review* Growing up with six brothers in rural Texas in 1899, 12-year-old Callie realizes that her aversion to needlework and cooking disappoints her mother. Still, she prefers to spend her time exploring the river, observing animals, and keeping notes on what she sees. Callie’s growing interest in nature creates a bond with her previously distant grandfather, an amateur naturalist of some distinction. After they discover an unknown species of vetch, he attempts to have it officially recognized. This process creates a dramatic focus for the novel, though really the main story here is Callie’s gradual self-discovery as revealed in her vivid first-person narrative. By the end, she is equally aware of her growing desire to become a scientist and of societal expectations that make her dream seem nearly impossible. Interwoven with the scientific theme are threads of daily life in a large family—the bonds with siblings, the conversations overheard, the unspoken understandings and misunderstandings—all told with wry humor and a sharp eye for details that bring the characters and the setting to life. The eye-catching jacket art, which silhouettes Callie and images from nature against a yellow background, is true to the period and the story. Many readers will hope for a sequel to this engaging, satisfying first novel. Grades 4-7. --Carolyn Phelan
Booklist Review:
Starred Review. Grade 5–8—A charming and inventive story of a child struggling to find her identity at the turn of the 20th century. As the only girl in an uppercrust Texas family of seven children, Calpurnia, 11, is expected to enter young womanhood with all its trappings of tight corsets, cookery, and handiwork. Unlike other girls her age, Callie is most content when observing and collecting scientific specimens with her grandfather. Bemoaning her lack of formal knowledge, he surreptitiously gives her a copy of The Origin of Species and Callie begins her exploration of the scientific method and evolution, eventually happening upon the possible discovery of a new plant species. Callie's mother, believing that a diet of Darwin, Dickens, and her grandfather's influence will make Callie dissatisfied with life, sets her on a path of cooking lessons, handiwork improvement, and an eventual debut into society. Callie's confusion and despair over her changing life will resonate with girls who feel different or are outsiders in their own society. Callie is a charming, inquisitive protagonist; a joyous, bright, and thoughtful creation. The conclusion encompasses bewilderment, excitement, and humor as the dawn of a new century approaches. Several scenes, including a younger brother's despair over his turkeys intended for the Thanksgiving table and Callie's heartache over receiving The Science of Housewifery as a Christmas gift, mix gentle humor and pathos to great effect. The book ends with uncertainty over Callie's future, but there's no uncertainty over the achievement of Kelly's debut novel.—Jennifer Schultz, Fauquier County Public Library, Warrenton, VA
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Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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