"The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly

I chose to review this book because it is a Newberry Honor book as well as a nominee for the 2011 Oregon Readers' Choice Award.

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
Author: Jacqueline Kelly
Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Level: 10-14 years

SUMMARY
Calpurnia Virginia Tate, affectionately called Callie Vee, is eleven years old and the only girl in a family of seven children. With so many brothers, it is not surprising that she is a tomboy. With the help and encouragement of her grandfather, who is an amateur naturalist, she discovers that she has an interest in and aptitude for science. While her mother wants her to dedicate her time to learning how to knit and cook, Callie prefers to be romping through the woods, Notebook in hand, searching for new specimens to collect.

Over the course of the novel, we learn how science and technology are changing rapidly, yet social mores remain relatively stagnant. Callie struggles to find her role as a young woman living at the turn of the twentieth century. By the end of the story, Callie has an increased understanding of the conflict between her true interests and society's expectations for her.

CRITIQUE
I had varied opinions about this book. I enjoyed the writing style. The beginning of the novel, in particular, had some great descriptions of the hot Texan summer. It was also intriguing to read a novel set in this time period. There were many changes happening and the author captured the excitement and sometimes bewilderment that accompanied these rapid technological advances. Having said this, while there were some genuinely interesting and entertaining parts, I also found myself on a couple of occasions feeling indifferent about finishing the book. I had to force myself to keep reading and then the ending was disappointing. There was very little resolution to the various plot lines. We are given hints about the future of the Tate family, but overall it was a bit unsatisfying.

The character development was also inconsistent. For the most part, Callie was a compelling character and I hoped that she would find the strength to break free from her social bonds and pursue her scientific interests. Most of the other characters, however, were not well developed enough to generate much interest. Others may disagree with me, but I thought that the character of Callie's grandfather was unappealing. He was detached, selfish, and uncaring toward his family. The only individual he showed interest in was Callie, and he set her up for a big disappointment by encouraging her to pursue science without the approval, or even full knowledge, of her parents.

The bottom line is that there is nothing objectionable about this story. It is a good book, but probably not the best story I have read. If you are looking for a tale about a young, strong-willed female character, who is resisting the social pressures of approximately the same time period in history, I would recommend Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink.

RATINGS
Disrespectful/Bad Attitude: Mild
Frightening/Suspenseful: None
Profanity: Mild
Sex: Mild
Substance Use: Moderate
Mature Themes: Mild
Violence: Mild

SPECIFIC CONTENT
Disrespectful/Bad Attitude:
-On numerous occasions Callie complains and/or argues with her parents. No serious disrespect, but it is pretty constant.

Profanity:
-Grandfather says "damn" and "hell" a handful of times.

Sex:
-Fairly innocent descriptions of Callie's older brother courting two different girls.
-Three of Callie's brothers "fall in love" with her best friend. There is an entire chapter dedicated to describing their attempts to get Lula's attention. She is completely ignorant of their feelings.

Substance Use:
-Grandfather is trying to find a way to distill liquor from pecans, so there is quite a bit of sampling of alcohol. At one point, he has Callie try it, and it makes her sick.
-There is smoking of cigars on various occasions. At the fair, there is so much smoke in the tent that Callie gets sick and faints.
-Callie's mother regularly drinks Lydia Pinkham's Vegetable Compound for Women, ostensibly for her headaches. The reader discovers later that it is 20% alcohol.

Violence:
-Grandfather briefly describes the aftermath of a battle scene and an amputation of a boy's leg.
-Callie narrates that a man, after discovering that his wife was an octoroon, “pitch-forked her to death.”

"Heart of a Shepherd" by Rosanne Parry

I chose to review this book because it appeared this year on the 6th-8th grade list for Oregon Battle of the Books.

Heart of a Shepherd
Author: Rosanne Parry
Genre: Realistic Fiction
Age Level: 9-12 years

SUMMARY
Ignatius, affectionately known as Brother, is going on 12 years old. With four older brothers either in school or military training camp and a father who has been deployed to Iraq, it becomes Brother's responsibility to take care of the family ranch in Eastern Oregon. He has the help of his grandparents and a hired hand, but it is still a tough job. Brother is not sure he even likes ranching - there is too much death and suffering - but he is anxious to prove that he can handle it. In the end, he experiences an unexpected trial that points him in the direction of his calling in life.

CRITIQUE

This coming-of-age story is refreshing in the sense that most of the characters are committed to doing the right thing, even when it is difficult. Brother, in particular, is a boy of true integrity - honest, hard-working, dependable, and loyal. The author also paints a wonderful picture of true community, both physical and spiritual.

Ms. Parry is a first-time novelist, and at times the writing betrays her inexperience. The narrative tone and pacing of the book are awkward in parts. I also felt that the character development was a bit inconsistent.

The bottom line is that, despite some difficulties with the writing style, I would recommend this book because it is a healthy picture of a boy with good male role models guiding him on the path toward becoming a man of character.

RATINGS
Disrespectful/Bad Attitude: None
Frightening/Suspenseful: Mild
Profanity: Mild
Sex: None
Substance Use: Mild
Mature Themes: Mild
Violence: Mild

SPECIFIC CONTENT
Frightening/Suspenseful:
-Brother, Ernesto, and Grandpa are threatened to be engulfed by a wildfire. 

Profanity:
-One use of the word "s--t." 

Substance Use:
-Older brothers drink some whiskey.
-Paco's mother smokes a cigarette. 

Mature Themes:
-War

Violence:
-Father is sent off to Iraq war where reports come back of people dying.
-Paco's father returns from Iraq having lost a leg.
-Brothers get into a fight which ends with one of them needing stitches.
-Brother and other children play "war" in schoolyard and kids "die."

"Fever 1793" by Laurie Halse Anderson

I chose to review this book because it has won several awards and appeared this year on the 6th-8th grade list for Oregon Battle of the Books.

Fever 1793
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Genre: Historical Fiction
Age Level: 12+ years

SUMMARY
This historical novel is a gripping account of the 1793 yellow fever epidemic in Philadelphia. It is told from the perspective of fourteen-year-old, Mattie Cook, whose widowed mother and grandfather own a coffeehouse in the capital city. As the novel opens, Mattie wants to be treated like an adult, but isn't yet mature enough to act like one. However, she is quickly forced to handle cares beyond her age when the yellow fever strikes close to home. On her way to the countryside, where she hopes to escape the deadly disease, Mattie herself becomes ill. She is fortunate enough to survive the fever. However, when she returns to the city, which has become almost a ghost town, she faces many other hardships which test her ability to survive.

CRITIQUE

This was a very exhilarating tale based upon true events in our nation's early history. The main characters were compelling and I was emotionally invested in their well-being. I couldn't put the book down, wanting to discover what their future would hold. The only thread in the story that I found uninteresting and unnecessary was the relationship between Mattie and Nathaniel.

I predict that most young readers today would have very little conception of what an epidemic is. Before assigning this book, I would recommend teaching children about epidemics, in general, and yellow fever, in particular, in order that they might fully understand and appreciate the horrors Mattie must have experienced. In the novel, Ms. Anderson alludes to many effects of the epidemic, but with no prior knowledge, I suspect that much of this may be lost on the uninformed reader.

The bottom line is that I would highly recommend this book to readers aged 12 or older.

RATINGS
Disrespectful/Bad Attitude: Mild
Frightening/Suspenseful: Moderate
Profanity: None
Sex: None
Substance Use: None
Mature Themes: Moderate
Violence: Mild

SPECIFIC CONTENT
Disrespectful/Bad Attitude:
-Some mild disrespect and bad attitude exhibited by Mattie toward her mother at the beginning of the story. For example, she makes faces behind her back and calls her "horrid."

Frightening/Suspenseful:
-Many images of death.
-Robbers enter an unlocked window when Mattie is sleeping downstairs in the coffeehouse.

Mature Themes:
-People leave their sick family members outside to die.
-Individuals who are suspected of being infected with the fever are not allowed to enter any villages and are left at the side of the road to fend for themselves.

Violence:
-In a scene with robbers, Mattie and her grandfather are both hit and kicked. Grandfather fires a rifle at them, although no one is shot. Mattie cuts one of the robbers in the shoulder with a sword.
-Nell bites the hand of a drunken sailor who has grabbed her.