Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan received the Newbery Medal in 1986 and at a very short 58 pages it took mere moments to read. It’s short, it’s sweet but it’s not one that will stay with me for a long time.
Set during the 1800’s on the praire, two children, Anna and Caleb are motherless. Papa no longer sings like he used to and the house no longer has any happiness. Papa puts an ad in the paper for a new wife, and Sarah from Maine comes to live with them for a month to see if it will work out. She misses the ocean but learns how to work on the farm. The children fear that when the month is over, Sarah will return to Maine and leave them motherless once again.
So, I’m not really sure what to say about Sarah, Plain and Tall It was fine. It was sweet. I liked that it introduced the idea of mail order brides to children who don’t know that such a practice existed and of life on the prairie. It did feel flat the whole time. Nothing really happened. They needed a mother, papa sent for one, and she came. Sarah, Plain and Tall explores death, loss, abandonment and love.
I have put the Hallmark movie on hold at the library and am really looking forward to watching it. I have a feeling it will be better than the book. The book (and movie) is a series and if I came across the others I would probably read them, just to say that I have.
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Category: Book Reviews, Fiction, Middle Readers
Tags: book to movie, historical fiction, M-P Author, Newbery, Q-T Title
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I read this book in second grade and I remember feeling the same way as you did. Sort of bored by it, not really anything special. I also remember liking the teacher I had much more than the book, which is the only reason I remember reading this book specifically – it’s connected in my mind with her.
on January 26th, 2009 at 10:25 amI read this as a young girl — probably between 6 and 8 — and I loved it. I read it again as an adult, and felt the same way you described: it’s flat, and not much happens.
I wonder why I liked it so much as a little girl. I really don’t know. But I remember considering it my favorite book.
on January 26th, 2009 at 11:08 amThe book moved me deeply when I read it. My daughter loved it, too. It’s a quiet book and doesn’t compete with flashy stories, almost more of a long poem than a novel. I wouldn’t recommend it for the wiggly bunch, but I would strongly recommend it for a quiet thoughtful kid. “Death, loss, abandonment, and love” are pretty powerful themes, and sometimes most moving in a quiet setting.
on January 26th, 2009 at 11:20 amI was supposed to read this book for an independent reading project in 6th grade. Didn’t. I couldn’t get into it, and I refused to read a book that I wasn’t enjoying, no matter how short it was.
(I also didn’t finish reading White Fang that year.)
on January 26th, 2009 at 12:05 pmHa! I remember this one too! I don’t remember it being 58 only pages though.
I might get through these Newberry’s faster than I thought.
on January 26th, 2009 at 9:59 pmI remember the librarian reading this to us in 4th or 5th grade. Only 58 pages?? I had no idea. There is a play in production here in Dallas and I thought about getting tickets, but I couldn’t really remember what the story was about.
on January 28th, 2009 at 5:04 pmMeghan – Isn’t that great that some books are tied with the teachers who introduced them to us?
Rebecca – I wonder how I would have felt about it when I was younger.
Joe – Very, very true. While those themes can be very quiet, they can also be very loud as well depending upon the story behind it. I suppose this one was a quiet one.
Jenn M. – Short and sweet.
Trish – I have the DVD’s on hold at the library to watch. They look pretty good.
on January 28th, 2009 at 5:28 pmI loved this book and the Hallmark movie made from it.
on January 29th, 2009 at 7:52 pmI remember reading this book when I was a kid too!
on January 29th, 2009 at 11:40 pm