The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly

In 1899, the world excitedly awaits the new century. However if you are 11 and a girl, life seems full of constraints. Smack in the middle of six brothers in a upper class Texas family, Calpurnia finds no use for the study of deportment and needlework. Her only salvation is the time spent with her grandfather. As the founder of the family fortune, he has retired to his "library" in a shed near the house. There he has stored a vast collection of flora and fauna to study using the ideas of Charles Darwin. Most of the community and even his family find him odd but Calpurnia finds his naturalist's world fascinating. Her grandfather's possible discovery of a new plant species is far more interesting than her mother's concerns about "coming out" parties and marriage. The new century brings scores of new inventions and discoveries (although I suspect the author plays a little fast and loose with some of the dates) for the country. And for Calpurnia - a new found determination to find a place for herself and other young women in the world of science.