The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate

        The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, by Jacqueline Kelly, is a wonderful blend of the wonders of science and the life of a girl in 1899. Calpurnia is eleven years old, the only daughter of a family of six boys. She lives on a pecan farm not far from Austin and loves more than anything to spend time with her grandfather exploring the countryside studying the local flora and fauna. She is expected to be good at sewing and housekeeping but Calpurnia prefers to explore and go on adventures. Although she wants an educated, scientific life, Calpurnia's parents expect her to act like a "reasonable" girl. 

One of the moral values I discovered in this book is determination. Calpurnia Tate simply refuses to be a ‘lady’ and strives towards being a scientist, something a ‘lady’ should never do in 1899. Yet she is determined to chase her dream. She keeps a journal where she writes all her scientific discoveries and if she encounters a problem, she handles them well. In one of her first observations, she discovers that the yellow grasshoppers in her garden and bigger than the green ones. With a little help from her grandfather and Charles Darwin, she figures out that the green ones are far less easier to see amongst the grass therefore the yellow ones get eaten at a higher rate despite being larger.

Next is the moral value is to stand up for yourself and tell people how you really feel. In the story, Calpurnia dreams of being a scientist despite the fact that it is not accepted among ladies to go to school. After many months she finally works up the courage to tell her mother about how she feels about going to school for young women where they learn science, instead of the school her mother intends to send her to where they learn how to cook and sew. If Calpurnia hadn’t stood up for herself to her mother for once she wouldn’tve gotten the chance to pursue her dreams.

Last but not least, dare to dream.What Calpurnia doesn't enjoy doing is everything expected of a girl growing up in 19th century Texas: sewing, cooking, knitting, piano playing, and behaving like a lady. Calpurnia struggles with the weight of these expectations throughout the entire book because deep down she knows she wants nothing more than to go to college and become a natural scientist, a life-long dream that runs counter to her mother and the community in general. Despite all the risks, she dared to dream.

These are some of the moral values I found in this amazing book. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is willing to read it. It made me see the world differently, maybe you would too. It definitely left a great impact on me. Frankly, I believe this book deserved the 2010 Newberry Award that it won.

Shaweena Syaira

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