false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255794734m/6202556.jpg 6202556 7 Calpurnia Virginia Tate is eleven years old in 1899 when she wonders why the yellow grasshoppers in her Texas backyard are so much bigger than the green ones.With a little help from her notoriously cantankerous grandfather, an avid naturalist, she figures out that the green grasshoppers are easier to see against the yellow grass, so they are eaten before they can get any larger. As Callie explores the natural world around her, she develops a close relationship with her grandfather, navigates the dangers of living with six brothers, and comes up against just what it means to be a girl at the turn of the century. <P></P>Debut author Jacqueline Kelly deftly brings Callie and her family to life, capturing a year of growing up with unique sensitivity and a wry wit. 6383049 book 12 5 2009 The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate total:581|5:224|4:241|3:97|2:16|1:3| 581 2410 2348 298 5 5 false false Mon Feb 23 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 23 11:29:03 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 23 11:29:14 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 3 true false Mon Jul 13 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jul 04 08:07:50 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 22 13:00:18 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 2 false false Sun Mar 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 08 19:11:41 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 15 09:25:23 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 5 false false Tue Mar 17 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Feb 24 19:51:03 -0800 2009 Sun Apr 12 13:56:56 -0700 2009 The Winged Girl of Knossos by Erick Berry to Caddie Woodlawn and Roller Skates, historical fiction and so-called tomboys go together like cereal and milk. It would be tempting then to view The Evolut...more...]]> 4 2 false false Sat Apr 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 18 05:44:15 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 29 09:10:23 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Sat Oct 17 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 17 09:28:05 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 17 09:35:43 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 2 false false Mon Oct 12 14:44:17 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 12 15:25:41 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false true Tue Oct 06 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 06 17:37:30 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 06 17:53:29 -0700 2009
In the first place, this kind of book really bothered me when I was a kid. The whole "smart kid who blooms under the attention of an eccentric mentor" thing was a pain. Not unlike a Disney prince, that's a device that...more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 05 12:52:30 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 05 13:05:11 -0700 2009
...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sun Oct 04 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 05 07:38:44 -0700 2009 Mon Oct 05 07:50:51 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Wed Sep 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 04 18:59:51 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 04 19:00:20 -0700 2009 1
*GUSHGUSHGUSHGUSH*

Ok, now that that's over with, on with what I really thought of the book.

The story follows the intrepid and precociously curious Calpurnia Tate as she feeds a burgeoning interest in the natural sciences, as well as a blossoming rela...more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Sep 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 27 12:43:10 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 27 12:50:16 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Wed Sep 23 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 23 07:54:24 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 23 08:20:08 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Sep 16 20:19:27 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 16 20:32:18 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false true Mon Aug 24 15:07:37 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 24 15:22:02 -0700 2009
Ahhh, so rare is a book so delicately written that you feel as if you have read a classic the moment you turn the last page.

Usually I am an awful speed reader. I needed to finish "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" before my boyfriend and did so wit...more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Aug 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 21 04:12:19 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 21 04:12:38 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Fri May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 01 11:01:01 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 01 11:01:01 -0700 2009
The story wasn't that exciting. Except for Calpurnia and her grandfather, the characters were fairly one dimensional. The setting, while nicely rendered, could have been much...more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 06 14:54:32 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 06 14:55:16 -0700 2009
Some reviewers have commented that Callie's voice, while wry and witty, is way too knowing and adult to be that of an 11-year-old. For me, this problem was cleared up early on (page 2, actually) when Callie says "My name is Calpurnia Vi...more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Aug 19 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Aug 21 16:54:59 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 23 21:16:51 -0700 2009 1 more...]]> 2 1 false false Sun Sep 20 06:51:35 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 23 20:20:01 -0700 2009
That said, this story really, real...more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=6202556