In 1899 Calpurnia Tate is not the least bit interested in learning all the "womanly" skills her mother thinks she should. She would much rather be exploring along the river with her naturalist, grandfather, learning about the local plants and animals and discovering that there is a whole world in a drop of water when you look at it through a microscope. Grandfather is a curmudgeonly old guy and the rest of the kids in the family are a bit afraid of him. Calpurnia is fascinated by the fact that he was a founding member of the National Geographic Society and once corresponded with Charles Darwin. When they discover what could be a new species of vetch, they send photos to the Smithsonian for verification. The long wait for an answer seems interminable. Mother, however, pulls Calpurnia from her wild rambles to inflict such tortures as piano lessons, knitting socks, and cooking lessons on the budding scientist. Since she is the only girl in a family full of boys, she is also being groomed for her future coming out into society in preparation for finding a husbund, a prospect that horrifies Calpurnia. This is an enjoyable look at a simpler time that wasn't all that simple.
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