Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Search - The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate

The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate
The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate
Author: Jacqueline Kelly
Whether wrangling a rogue armadillo or stray dog, a guileless younger brother or standoffish cousin, Callie Vee and her escapades will have readers laughing and crying in this return to Fentress, Texas. Travis keeps bringing home strays. And Callie has her hands full keeping the animals?her brother included?away from her mother's critical eye. W...  more »
The Market's bargain prices are even better for Paperbackswap club members!
Retail Price: $16.99
Buy New (Hardcover): $13.29 (save 21%) or
Become a PBS member and pay $9.39+1 PBS book credit Help icon(save 44%)
ISBN-13: 9780805097443
ISBN-10: 0805097449
Publication Date: 7/7/2015
Pages: 320
Edition: First Edition
Rating:
  • Currently 3.5/5 Stars.
 3

3.5 stars, based on 3 ratings
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback, Audio CD
Members Wishing: 1
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review
Read All 1 Book Reviews of "The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate"

Please Log in to Rate these Book Reviews

ophelia99 avatar reviewed The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate on + 2527 more book reviews
This book is the sequel to the book The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate was a book I absolutely adored so I was incredibly excited to hear that a sequel was coming out. However, I didnt enjoy this book quite as much as the first one...it just didnt have much of a point to it.

Travis, Calpurnias younger brother, keeps bringing home strays. Whether its stray rabbits, stray armadillos, or stray half coyote pups Callie is having a heck of a time hiding all the animals from her mother. When a horrible hurricane takes out Galveston Texas things change for Callies family. They end up taking in one of Callies older female cousins and a new veterinarian comes into town introducing Callie to a new career that shes very interested in.

I didn't enjoy this book quite as much as the first one because it didn't have anything to really drive the plot forward. It was still an engaging read; very nostalgic and provides an interesting look into the life of a young girl trying to make her way in science in a time when women didnt really do that.

I love reading about Callie and her family. However for the first half of the book things are very wandering and pretty much just detail day to day life of this family. There is absolutely nothing to drive the plot forward (there really isnt a plot). Things get more interesting when the hurricane goes through Galveston; there is some intersting history in this part and it shakes things up for Callies family quite a bit.

The veterinarian doesnt even come into the story until the second half of the book and Callie doesnt get involved working with him until the last quarter or so. There is a rather compelling scene where Callie finally puts her foot down and lets it be known that she has plans for a career in science, but her family still brushes her off and doesnt take her seriously.

Although the book is well written and fairly engaging by the end of it I couldnt really tell you what the point to the whole thing was. The first book Callie and her Grandpa here discovering a new species and trying to get it recognized. In this book Callie spends time learning about animals but the story is very defocused.

Overall I enjoyed the book but struggled a bit with the lack of any plot. I still enjoy reading about Callie and her family, however I wish the author had maybe focused on Callies want to become a scientist or focused on something that gave the book more cohesion. I still recommending reading this if you enjoyed The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate and I still think everyone should read The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate...however this second book wasnt as impressive.


Genres: