Sarah, Plain and Tall (Sarah, Plain and Tall)

Sarah, Plain and Tall (Sarah, Plain and Tall)
by Patricia MacLachlan

Sarah, Plain and Tall (Sarah, Plain and Tall)
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Book Summary Information

Author: Patricia MacLachlan
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Published)
Format: Bargain Price
Published: 1985-04-25
ISBN: N/A
Number of pages: 64
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Publisher: Joanna Cotler

Book Reviews of Sarah, Plain and Tall (Sarah, Plain and Tall)

Book Review: Plain is Right...
Summary: 1 Stars

First off, let me clarify in my personal response that I've never been a fan of the historical fiction genre. Historical fiction books bore me, and they never seem to contain the excitement found in contemporary fiction. Sarah, Plain and Tall, while more character-centric than most historical fiction books, still just didn't catch my interest. I was just glad that unlike many historical fiction books, this one actually didn't shove random historical facts down the readers' throats in massive clumps--the historical details were there, but very subtle. Still, the plot was too plain, with not enough branches and wacky plot twists. Everything was hopelessly predictable, and I know children's authors can do much better than that. That being said, I'd still like to read the sequels (never can pass up a good sequel!) to learn more about the characters, especially since the books are such quick reads.

Summary of Sarah, Plain and Tall (Sarah, Plain and Tall)

"Did Mama sing every day?" Caleb asks his sister Anna. "Every-single-day," she answers. "Papa too."

Winner, 1986 Newbery Medal
1986 Christopher Award
1986 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction for Children
1986 Golden Kite Award for Fiction (SCBW)
Notable Children's Book of 1985 (ALA)
1985 Children's Editors' Choices (BL)
Best Books of 1985 (SLJ)
Children's Choices for 1986 (IRA/CBC)
Outstanding Children's Books of 1985 (N.Y. Times Book Review)
International Board of Books for Young People Honor List for Writing, 1988
1986 Notable Trade Book in the Language Arts (NCTE)
1986 Fanfare Honor List (The Horn Book)
1985 Books for Children (Library of Congress)
1988 Garden State Children's Book Award (New Jersey)
1988 Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award (Arkansas)
100 Favorite Paperbacks 1989 (IRA/CBC)
Best of the 80's (BL)
1986 Christopher Award
1986 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction for Children
1986 Golden Kite Award for Fiction (SCBW)
Notable Children's Books of 1985 (ALA)
1985 Children's Editors' Choices (BL)
Best Books of 1985 (SLJ)
Children's Choices for 1986 (IRA/CBC)
Outstanding Children's Books of 1985 (NYTBR)
1986 Fanfare Honor List (The Horn Book)
1985 Children's Books (Library of Congress)
1988 Garden State Children's Book Award (New Jersey Library Association)
1988 Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award (Arkansas)
100 Favorite Paperbacks of 1989 (IRA/CBC)
Best of the '80s (BL)
1986 Notable Children's Trade Books in the Language Arts (NCTE)
1988 Choices (Association of Booksellers for Children)
1988 International Borad of Books for Young People Honor List for Writing
1986 Jefferson Cup Award (Virginia Library Association)


MacLachlan, author of Unclaimed Treasures, has written an affecting tale for children. In the late 19th century a widowed midwestern farmer with two children--Anna and Caleb--advertises for a wife. When Sarah arrives she is homesick for Maine, especially for the ocean which she misses greatly. The children fear that she will not stay, and when she goes off to town alone, young Caleb--whose mother died during childbirth--is stricken with the fear that she has gone for good. But she returns with colored pencils to illustrate for them the beauty of Maine, and to explain that, though she misses her home, "the truth of it is I would miss you more." The tale gently explores themes of abandonment, loss and love.
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