Have you read this book? No? Then go and read it. Immediately. Especially if you are a fan of To Kill a Mockingbird because Calpurnia Tate surely will remind you of a certain Scout Finch, and the relationship with her naturalist Grandfather will definitely remind you of Scout's relationship with Atticus.

Funny, heartfelt, sweet and sad, this book just had my heart from the first page. It's 1899 and Calpurnia is a 12 yr old with a whole mess of brothers. She lives in a small town outside of Austin and her father runs a cotton farm. Her grandfather is a naturalist who corresponds with a Mr. Charles Darwin, and turns Calpurnia's life of boring domestic inanity around as she becomes his assistant.