Parents' Guide to

The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate

By Mary Eisenhart, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Callie gets into science and scrapes in strong sequel.

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A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

age 8+

Based on 1 parent review

age 8+

Strong and Powerful female lead with a great story line

Great book about a person’s ability to become whatever they want to be and not constrained by what others tell them they can or can’t do. A good strong female lead who takes her own future into her hands through science and education. Lots of fun historical facts mixed in which created opportunities for the family to look into different historical events and scientific discoveries.

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Great role models

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Jacqueline Kelly's follow-up to The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate works well as a standalone story, but readers of the first volume will find THE CURIOUS WORLD OF CALPURNIA TATE a happy reunion. Old fans and new will be on the edges of their seats as Callie and her beloved brother land in numerous scrapes and fib, finagle, and charm their way out of quite a few others -- almost always with a kindhearted motive. For those who aren't as entranced with scientific pursuits as Callie, some of the experiments, dissections, and research might get old, but the detail is great for kids who love to investigate nature or think they might like to be veterinarians.

Though the story has an obvious appeal to smart, strong girls -- especially those who think they're not being taken seriously -- Callie's plight and creative thinking will resonate with any kid who feels imprisoned by the expectations of others. What spirited kid's blood would not boil at this exchange, as Callie's father gives her a five-dollar gold piece for Christmas:

"I thought of all the scientific equipment I could buy, maybe even a third-hand microscope of my own.

"'Save it now and spend it wisely in the future,' he said. 'perhaps on your hope chest and your trousseau.'"

Book Details

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