Friday, February 21, 2014

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate written by Jacqueline Kelly

Another wonderful read! I bought this book a few years ago when it was first published, but only recently read it. I teach fourth grade, so I am hesitant to use such a long novel as a read aloud, but I have did assign it as an independent reading assignment for a group of very high students in my class. Since they happen to all be intelleigent, strong ladies, they really related to the character of Calpurnia. Well, I suppose you'd like a bit of a summary...

Calpurnia (Callie) lives in the late 1800s. She lives during a time of slavery, a time where women had traditional roles in the home and did not dare to dream of university. Callie has a strong connection with her grandfather, who teaches her how to be a scientist. They research together. While Callie struggles to balance the life her mother would like for her, full of stitching and marriage proposals, with the life she would like, which includes receiving a higher level education, the reader truly relates to this character and fights for her. It really was an enlightening story, one that sparks discussion and debate.

TeachersPayTeachers Novel Study

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