The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

Eleven-year-old Calpurnia Tate is growing up in Texas in 1899. She's surrounded by six brothers and is just beginning to figure out who she is. This summer she's going to make great friends with her slightly reclusive grandfather and the two of them are going to explore the natural world around them. This is a fascinating look at life at the turn of that century as Darwin's theories are emerging, the family gets a fan and the telephone finds its way to them. Just as these changes are taking place in society, Callie Vee is watching her brothers fight over the attention of her friend Lula, sharing in the adventure of perhaps discovering a new species of plant, and learning about the hopes of her mother to present her as a debutante. Steadily she gains clarity on her world and herself and faces the challenges of being true to her own sense of self at a time when being a girl had a very narrow window of possibilities.