The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate

This follow-up to the Newbery Honor book The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate may just top Jacqueline Kelly's debut.

Here narrator Callie Vee turns 13, and her fans will happily fall back into the turn-of-the-20th-century Texas landscape and quickly recognize Kelly's exploration of gender roles and sibling relationships. Smart, strong-willed Callie questions why being a girl should dictate her interests, her worth and her goals in life. She knows that her brothers are valued more just for being boys (literally--they get $10 gold pieces; she gets $5). But thanks to Granddaddy's mentorship, her focus on scientific discovery and a few big events, Callie continues to explore who she is and the world around her. When she notices changing patterns in nature, she builds a barometer that predicts a hurricane. Callie's younger brother, Travis, rescues strays of all kinds, providing a constant stream of animals (including an armadillo and a half dog–half coyote) for them to care for secretly (their mother would not approve). Some new relationships help her figure out where she fits in as a person and a scientist: Aggie, a cousin who barely talks to her but now shares Callie's room as a result of the 1900 hurricane in Galveston, and Dr. Pritzker, the town's new veterinarian, to whom Callie becomes assistant.

Callie's delightful voice tells a multilayered story with humor and insight. The book moves at a steady pace, as readers watch Callie grow confident and mature through her adventures with science and society. --Susannah Richards, associate professor, Eastern Connecticut State University

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