Texas, 1899. 12-year-old Calpurnia Virginia Tate, or Callie Vee for short, is enduring another blistering summer on her family's farm. As the only girl out of seven children, her responsibilities, challenges and obligations slowly begin to change. The biggest change, however, is the day her brother Harry gives her a bright red notebook. In it, Calpurnia begins to take small notes on what she sees. One day, she finally works up the courage to talk to her Granddaddy about nature. Soon, the two become inseparable as he teaches her the joy of being a naturalist and exploring the world and the realms of science. As she learns to explore and to question, she realizes that maybe the life her parents have set out for her isn't what she wants. Maybe what she wants is something extremely radical for that time, yet exactly for her. Is it possible to be in the history books with other female scientists? Or is she destined for a life of housewifery that leaves her feeling less than fulfilled?
I absolutely loved this book. The first few chapters were a bit difficult to wade through, I'll admit it, but it was just amazing. Every chapter started with a piece from Charles Darwin's book of evolution. The characters were perfectly written and you couldn't help but smile. It sort of made you want to go out with a butterfly net and catch what you could while wading in the river before rushing home to examine it. Mind you, I'm not one for science, so that's saying something!
It's a bit of a lengthy book, but it was still worth the read. I quite enjoyed it. It was a historical and scientific read that you don't often come across as being entirely engrossing. One of my favorite parts was when they were at the fair and they sampled the "brand new drink" of Coca-Cola. That part had me actually laughing out loud. It was so cute. All in all, I absolutely loved this.
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