Sarah, Plain and Tall (1985)

It's one of my picks for my Newbery reads every year.
I don't know how to describe how I feel or think about this book.
I find it a little bit bland in comparison to most Newbery books I read (e.g. The Graveyard Book).
Maybe I just can't relate to the setting of time and location?
Hope the sequels are more exciting. ( )

This book came along after I outgrew the age group it's targeted at, so I had never read it until now. I was under the misapprehension that it was a more substantial read, in terms of length (one of the difficulties with reading ebooks is never knowing how long they really are). So this was an exceedingly quick read, but a very pleasant one. I didn't know until I was cataloguing it here at LT that it is the first in a whole series of books about this particular family. I don't have any others on the shelf, so I don't expect to continue with it. But I'm very glad to have read this at last. ( )

Also finished as read-aloud with kids. Loved it. ( )

This book follows Caleb, Anna, and their papa who live on the plains of America in the olden days. Caleb and Anna’s mother has died, and their papa puts an ad in the paper for a wife. Sarah answers the ad and comes to meet the family. Anna and Caleb worry that Sarah will miss the ocean and not like them or the plains. Will she like them? Will she be nice? Will she stay? ( )

Course evaluation:

Personal Response: This is a short story but a powerful one about loss and finding new happiness in life. The setting reminded me of Willa Cather’s wonderful novels. Though the children are a bit one-note, Sarah is a complex, spunky character that I enjoyed.

Evaluation: The setting is particularly important to this story; different elements of the prairie are referenced in order to highlight Sarah’s homesickness for the sea and reflect her loneliness. MacLachlan’s characterization is also effective in that each character is realistic and their actions and dialogue are consistent for the time period. Sarah and children also struggle with their weaknesses throughout the story, which play into the theme of creating a new family. This theme is made evident in the first few lines when Caleb asks about his mother’s singing, and is infused in each small event throughout the plot. ( )