The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate

Allow me to tell you a story.Months ago, I came across this title in the Kindle store. I was overjoyed, having loved the first Calpurnia Tate book to tears and never having suspected a sequel. I pre-ordered it without a second thought and then promptly forgot all about it.Fast forward to yesterday, at about 9:30 in the evening. I was lying in my bed, browsing Pinterest on my phone, when it buzzed to alert me of a new email. I quickly tapped to see my inbox and was at first confused. An email from Amazon? Confirming a recent purchase? I tapped again to see the full email and hardly glanced at the name of the purchase in question before tossing my phone aside, suppressing a squeal of joy, and grabbed my Kindle. This was a piece of literature that deserved to be read on the big screen.It did not disappoint. Prepare for everything you loved about the first book and more: the laughter, the challenges to be overcome, the beautifully wrought characters and the relationships between them. This book had me pumping my fist and suppressing gasps, giggles, and everything in between on multiple occasions. It was lovely, and I never stopped reading it to go to sleep. No, rather I kept going until around 1:30 this very morning when, ever so regretfully, I finished the last page.The inevitable sadness of finishing a good book is dampened, however. I knew, even as I started it, that this book would become an instant classic for me. Everything about it makes it ideal for being read over and over again, to calm me down after a stressful day, to help me rest in sickness, or to celebrate good health and the appreciation of this great wide world we live in.Therefore, I recommend that you set aside a few hours, grab a blanket, and enjoy this book the way it was meant to be enjoyed: all at once (for who has the willpower to do otherwise?).

As Calpurnia Virginia Tate (Callie Vee to family and friends) continues to struggle against the inexorable customs of turn-of-the-previous century Texas, where girls are brought up to be good housewives and mothers, while her only interest is to grow up and study the sciences like her aristocratic Grandfather has done, she finds a curious ally in her younger brother Travis, who is a friend to all animals great and small, from the armadillo he drags home in the first chapters of the book to the young half-coyote dog Callie helps him hide from disapproving parents. Callie is also expecting great things from the new year 1900, but all it appears to bring her is an unhappy cousin who was flooded out of her home when the savage hurricane hit Galveston.This sequel to THE EVOLUTION OF CALPURNIA TATE is a bit more episodic than the original, but still holds some surprises and truths for Callie Vee, who eventually gets to help the new veterinarian in town and who finally declares her intention to go to college somehow, even if it's not in the "game plan" of a young woman of the early 20th century. Perhaps the must frustrating thing about this book is living with Callie's inequality of being female, which is hurtfully illustrated in a chapter about money given to her for Christmas—you simply want to go and give her father a piece of your mind, but it was common thinking in those days about girl children. Callie's continued friendship with her grandfather is muted a bit this time as she attempts to help sensitive Travis navigate his life's shoals, but she is still the same likeable, determined character she was in her first outing, and her further adventures are a joy to read. I love her because she is not a depressing girlie character obsessed with clothes and shoes and looking pretty. I hope in the future to spend more time with Miss Calpurnia Tate.

There are books that you can't put down, books with chapters that end with one cliffhanger after another, books with such a swiftly moving plot, you find yourself holding your breath.And then there are books that you can't put down because you have fallen in love with the main character. The main character is so endearing that you would read a chapter of them simply brushing their hair or watching the clouds."The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate," is an example of the latter. Calpurnia Tate, first introduced in "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate," is an Anne (with an "e") Shirley type of girl, passionate (in this case about science and the natural world) and struggling mightily to find a place for herself in a society (1900s Texas) that has no place for women who might, for example, want to go to college one day to be a doctor or a scientist.Calpurnia's struggles with her family over this issue are heartbreaking. Frequently, I found myself shaking the book because that's what I wanted to do to Calpurnia's mother and father.Fortunately, Calpurnia has the support of her grandfather and the friendship of her younger brother to get her through the day.The plot of this book, which centers around the changes in Calpurnia's life following the infamous Galveston hurricane, is secondary to Calpurnia's continued personal growth.

It seems like the whole purpose of book 2 was to set the stage for the author's 'Girl Vet' series which is written for an even younger crowd than the first Calpurnia book, which is written for middle graders (generally speaking). All the characters from book 1 are reduced to card board cut-outs (or forgotten) in terms of character development except for the one new character she introduces, like she needed to add a new character when she had a ton of them already. Read book 1, skip all the rest.

I can't wait to read more of Calpurnia.

Lang habe ich gewartet auf diesen 2. Band mit Geschichten über Callie Tate. Deshalb war die Ernüchterung umso grösser, denn dieser Band hat nicht die unbeschwerte Leichtigkeit des Vorgängers und nur einen Teil des Witzes und Charmes. Dennoch habe ich das Buch sehr gerne gelesen, auch wenn mich der sehr abrupte Schluss gestört hat. Die Beschreibung der Galveston-Katastrophe ist sehr gelungen, dennoch gefiel mit der erste Band besser.

Nicely written, historically-set novel. Great for children who like animals. My daughter wants to read the next book now.

Es un libro que o te gusta o no te gusta no hay nada que contar . Está bien el inglés

Granddaughter enjoyed.