Chapters 1 and 2 Summary

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, by Jacqueline Kelly, follows six months in the life of 11-year old Calpurnia Virginia Tate. Callie, or Callie Vee as she is sometimes called by her family, lives on a pecan and cotton farm in tiny Fentress, Texas with her family, including her parents, her six brothers and her grandfather. The year is 1899.

The book's first chapter sets the stage by identifying the main characters and telling the reader what their lives are like. It opens with Callie noting the terrible heat during a Texas summer. Most of her family sleeps during mid-day when the temperature is highest, but Callie sneaks off to the nearby river to cool off. She also plans to cool off by cutting her long hair one inch each week, hoping her mother will not notice. She is interested in nature and...