This historical fiction, written for middle grades, is set in central Texas in 1899. The title character is the only daughter of a typical southern family. While Calpurnia is interested in science and nature, and spending afternoon collecting specimens and discussing Darwin's theories with her grandfather, her mother is interested in having her knit, sew and cook. Calpurnia wants to get an...
more This historical fiction, written for middle grades, is set in central Texas in 1899. The title character is the only daughter of a typical southern family. While Calpurnia is interested in science and nature, and spending afternoon collecting specimens and discussing Darwin's theories with her grandfather, her mother is interested in having her knit, sew and cook. Calpurnia wants to get an education, while her mother wants her to be a debutante and housewife. This novel is funny and poignant, and Calpurnia and her family come alive on the page. I bought this on a hunch from Scholastic, not really knowing anything about it. I got lucky, it's a great book, and I couldn't put it down. I hope this first-time author writes more.
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