"Did Mama sing every day?" Caleb asks his sister Anna. "Every-single-day," she answers. "Papa sang, too."
Their mother died the day after Caleb ... read full description
reviews
Jan 12, 2012
Petra X
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This is a slight book, an hour or two's read at most, yet it's deeply-moving and addresses the existential problems of life in a straightforward way.
The book is as plain as Sarah, but neither the word "plain" nor Sarah's beauty or lack of it are ever defined. Does 'plain' mean not-goodlooking, not beautiful on the surface or does it mean unadorned, without unnecessary ornament, both in looks and her character. In the context of the book either way makes perfect sense.
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The book is as plain as Sarah, but neither the word "plain" nor Sarah's beauty or lack of it are ever defined. Does 'plain' mean not-goodlooking, not beautiful on the surface or does it mean unadorned, without unnecessary ornament, both in looks and her character. In the context of the book either way makes perfect sense.
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(30 people liked it)
Jul 10, 2010
Adrienne
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I'd forgotten all about this gem, until I saw someone elses review on here..I loved this and so did my daughter.
9 comments
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(3 people liked it)
Jan 23, 2012
Jeanette
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My mother is a retired librarian, and this was one of the books she recommended most frequently for young readers. Now many years into retirement, she still suggests it regularly.
Anna and Caleb live on the prairie with their papa. Mama died from childbirth complications, and the house feels hollow now that Papa doesn't sing anymore.
Sarah comes from Maine for a one-month trial period to see if she and Papa might want to marry. Sarah is plain and tall, which is probably why s More...
Anna and Caleb live on the prairie with their papa. Mama died from childbirth complications, and the house feels hollow now that Papa doesn't sing anymore.
Sarah comes from Maine for a one-month trial period to see if she and Papa might want to marry. Sarah is plain and tall, which is probably why s More...
8 comments
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(5 people liked it)
Dec 03, 2008
Shannon
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Incredibly concise and understated, with so much going on between the lines. Very well written - I enjoyed it as much as my daughter.
All 5 books in this series are good, but this first one, and the final one (Grandfather's Dance) are exceptional.
All 5 books in this series are good, but this first one, and the final one (Grandfather's Dance) are exceptional.
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(4 people liked it)
Jul 08, 2008
Lucy
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this book was great i was willing to read it over and over again.
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(3 people liked it)
Jul 16, 2008
Kathryne
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Anna, the voice of the story, is a young girl who lives on the prairie in the 19th Century. She lives on a farm with her Papa and her brother, Caleb. Her mother died shortly after giving birth to Caleb. The story begins several years later when Papa places an ad in an Eastern newspaper for a wife. Sarah responds to his ad in a brief letter that clearly describes her intentions and character. Anna and Caleb are both delighted, Caleb more so, at the prospect of a new mother. Letters are sent
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(1 person liked it)
Aug 31, 2008
Relyn
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This is my absolute favorite book. Well, OK, top 10. You know how it is with me and favorites. I have lost count of how many times I've read this little gem of a book. Every sentence is perfect and adds to the story. Each sentence has not one word or description too many. The prose is spare and perfect. The books reads like masterful storytelling instead of novel reading. I love this book!
I've lost count of how many times I have read it. Until this year, I taught it every y More...
I've lost count of how many times I have read it. Until this year, I taught it every y More...
Dec 30, 2008
H
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Short and straightforward, with a plot that will appeal to children, I think this is a time the Newberry committee got it right. This book is a classic for a reason: a timeless story well written, not over ambitious with a plot that is appealing and understandable to young readers.
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Jan 05, 2009
Nicole
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This book took place in Kansas, during 1910. It is mainly about a man(jJacob Witting) whose wife died. He believes that he has to remarry because a "women's role" is missing in his two children's life. He posts an add on the newspaper saying that he needs a wife. The advertisement was responded by Sarah, a women who is described as a beautiful and strong, from Maine. Jacob agreed that Sarah can travel to Kansas, to his house, but only if she makes a difference will he remarry. Ana
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Aug 01, 2011
Heidi Landry
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MacLachlan creates a story of ordinary circumstances and turns them into a living, breathing event readers can feel. She is able to reveal the characters emotions without telling us HOW they are feeling but WHAT they are feeling. By the end of the story, our heart is warmed as if we were sitting by a crackling fire.
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Jan 10, 2009
Marcia
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Stepmothers, frontier and pioneer life, death of a mother, and acceptance of others. a delightful story to read and is written from the view of the two young children. Sarah’s character is strong: she shows her courage to travel alone from Maine to Kansas; she leaves behind her home, family, and the sea; she begins a new life with strangers in a strange land; and most importantly, she “stands up” to Jacob. It is a strong woman such as Sarah who can love and be loved by a family broken apart by t
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Nov 23, 2008
Daniel
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Title: Sarah, Plain and Tall
Author: Patricia MacLachlan
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers, 64 pp, 1985
Audience: Children, ages 8 to 10
Format: Juvenile fiction (Newberry Medal, award winner)
Description: Sarah, Plain and Tall is an American classic about two children, Anna and Caleb, who are suffering from the loss of their mom. Caleb was too young to remember their mom as she died shortly after he was born. Anna remembers that their mom and dad used to sing More...
Author: Patricia MacLachlan
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers, 64 pp, 1985
Audience: Children, ages 8 to 10
Format: Juvenile fiction (Newberry Medal, award winner)
Description: Sarah, Plain and Tall is an American classic about two children, Anna and Caleb, who are suffering from the loss of their mom. Caleb was too young to remember their mom as she died shortly after he was born. Anna remembers that their mom and dad used to sing More...
Feb 06, 2012
Christy
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Sarah, Plain and Tall is a children's book written by Patricia MacLachlan, and the winner of the 1986 Newbery Medal. The book explores themes of loneliness and abandonment.
The novel is set in the midwestern United States (Kansas) during the late 19th century. Jacob Witting, a widowed farmer who is still saddened by the death of his wife several years earlier, g...moreSarah, Plain and Tall is a children's book written by Patricia MacLachlan, and the winner of the 1986 Newbery Medal. More...
The novel is set in the midwestern United States (Kansas) during the late 19th century. Jacob Witting, a widowed farmer who is still saddened by the death of his wife several years earlier, g...moreSarah, Plain and Tall is a children's book written by Patricia MacLachlan, and the winner of the 1986 Newbery Medal. More...
Jan 28, 2012
Lydia
rated it:
Book 4 of 52
I'd read Sarah Plain and Tall when I was a child. I grabbed it up for a quick re-read for book club (we were reading Newberys)After reading 11 other Newberys already last year I think this was the first time I'd really understood why this book won the prize.
It's very short, I read it in an hour. Despite it's brevity the story it tells is any thing but trivial. Instead of going on for 200 or 300 pages wordy-ly describing historical events in a way that adults would ass More...
I'd read Sarah Plain and Tall when I was a child. I grabbed it up for a quick re-read for book club (we were reading Newberys)After reading 11 other Newberys already last year I think this was the first time I'd really understood why this book won the prize.
It's very short, I read it in an hour. Despite it's brevity the story it tells is any thing but trivial. Instead of going on for 200 or 300 pages wordy-ly describing historical events in a way that adults would ass More...
Nov 28, 2011
Becca
rated it: 
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan is the winner of the Newbery Medal. MacLachlan’s book fits into the historical fiction genre of junior books. In this story, a family is saddened by the tragedy of losing their loving mother and wife. Young Anna and Caleb wished for a mother to bring back the light of songs into their life on their quiet farm. The children and father are hopeful to find what is missing in their lives when they receive a letter from plain and tall Sarah Wheaton.
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Oct 22, 2011
Maria
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This is a lovely story about two siblings Caleb and Anna who lost their mother when Caleb was very young. He does not remember his mother buy Anna who is older than Caleb remembers her and tells his that their Mom used to sing song to them. Their father Jacob, places an ad at the local news paper soliciting for a woman who can be his wife and the mother of his children. A woman named Sarah, from Maine, answers the ad and writes him a letter. The three of them start exchanging letters until More...
Aug 01, 2011
Warning... spoilers ahead!
Short and sweet, I read this book in a single sitting. Anna, the narrator, lives with her father, Jacob, and brother, Caleb, in what I affectionately refer to as "one of the square states in the middle." Anna's mother died the day after Caleb was born. Years later, Anna has learned to take care of household tasks, and the family is getting along fine. But something is still missing. At dinner one night, Jacob tells the children that he advertised in the n More...
Short and sweet, I read this book in a single sitting. Anna, the narrator, lives with her father, Jacob, and brother, Caleb, in what I affectionately refer to as "one of the square states in the middle." Anna's mother died the day after Caleb was born. Years later, Anna has learned to take care of household tasks, and the family is getting along fine. But something is still missing. At dinner one night, Jacob tells the children that he advertised in the n More...
Apr 25, 2011
Josiah
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In one of the shortest books—only fifty-eight pages in most editions—to ever win the Newbery Medal, Patricia MacLachlan takes the raw elements that make up a potential new family and gives us a rare, important glimpse into the wonder of those first few days and weeks that the nascent family spends together.
Anna and her brother, Caleb, have lived alone with their father since the day that their mother died after giving birth to Caleb. Their little family of three is good, but Anna More...
Anna and her brother, Caleb, have lived alone with their father since the day that their mother died after giving birth to Caleb. Their little family of three is good, but Anna More...
Apr 04, 2011
Jillaire
rated it:
I read this when I was younger (elementary school?) and then later fell in love with the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie (Glenn Close, Christopher Walken). When I saw this on the library shelf a couple weeks ago I grabbed it for my 8-year-old daughter. She enjoyed it and I re-read it in a day. It's a Newberry Medal winner for children's fiction.
I probably didn't enjoy reading it as much the second time through because I'm so familiar with the movie, which has some more complicated them More...
I probably didn't enjoy reading it as much the second time through because I'm so familiar with the movie, which has some more complicated them More...
Mar 21, 2011
Melanie
rated it:
Wonderful last line: "Papa," he called. "Papa, come quickly! Sarah has brought the sea!
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Feb 08, 2011
Jacob
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Simplest book in the world. A motherless family puts an ad in a paper, asking for any interested applicants. A woman named Sarah, describing herself as "plain and tall", leaves her home on the New Endland coast to visit this pioneer-era trio--sister, brother and father--on the prairies of the midwest. Will she stay? Will she like us? Does she sing? Each of these four characters are so clearly drawn, it's amazing to realize the author never comes out and TELLS you their dispositio
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Nov 18, 2010
Carol
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A widower living far out on the prairie with his two motherless children decides to seek a "mail order" bride. After some correspondence, Sarah, plain and tall, arrives. She brings with her love, wisdom and understanding and a willingness to leave her home in Maine behind her. Simplicity is a motif throughout this excellent novel; it is evident in the words of the story, in the lifestyle of the family and in the beauty of the growing relationships.
This novel is a great m More...
This novel is a great m More...
Mar 07, 2010
CH_Emily Scholnik
rated it:
Newbery Medal (1986), Scott O'Dell Award (1986) (Book)
Grade Range 3rd through 6th
(Audio CD) narrated by actress Glenn Close
This is the story of a family living on the midwestern prairie in the late 19th century. The story begins when Anna and Caleb, missing their mother who passed away, wish for another woman to make their father Jacob, happy once again. Sarah, Plain and Tall tells the story of Sarah, who came from Maine to answer Jacob's advertisement for a wife and moth More...
Grade Range 3rd through 6th
(Audio CD) narrated by actress Glenn Close
This is the story of a family living on the midwestern prairie in the late 19th century. The story begins when Anna and Caleb, missing their mother who passed away, wish for another woman to make their father Jacob, happy once again. Sarah, Plain and Tall tells the story of Sarah, who came from Maine to answer Jacob's advertisement for a wife and moth More...
Feb 21, 2010
Carin
rated it:
Unfortunately I had already seen the movie and although it was at least a year ago, the actors were still stuck in my head.
Regardless of that, the book was great. It is short but Ms. MacLachlan doesn’t use any extra words. The spare language perfectly reflected the simple life on the prairie. I had to wonder to myself about the courage and audacity of a woman like Sarah who was willing to move across the country during what I assume is the late 1800s by herself just on the possibility More...
Regardless of that, the book was great. It is short but Ms. MacLachlan doesn’t use any extra words. The spare language perfectly reflected the simple life on the prairie. I had to wonder to myself about the courage and audacity of a woman like Sarah who was willing to move across the country during what I assume is the late 1800s by herself just on the possibility More...
Sep 19, 2011
Sarah
rated it:
Genre: Historical Fiction
Awards: John Newbery Medal 1986
Intended Age Group: Primary-Intermediate
Summary:
After the death of their Mother, Caleb and Anna help their Father recruit a mail order bride using a newspaper ad. After exchanging several letters, Sarah arrives from Maine with her art supplies and cat in tow. The children instantly take to Sarah who brings song, love and warmth back into their lives.
Evaluation:
This book was heartwarming and relatable More...
Awards: John Newbery Medal 1986
Intended Age Group: Primary-Intermediate
Summary:
After the death of their Mother, Caleb and Anna help their Father recruit a mail order bride using a newspaper ad. After exchanging several letters, Sarah arrives from Maine with her art supplies and cat in tow. The children instantly take to Sarah who brings song, love and warmth back into their lives.
Evaluation:
This book was heartwarming and relatable More...
Mar 03, 2011
Jennifer
rated it:
Caleb and Anna live with their father who is a widow. Their mother died giving birth to Caleb. Their father decides to put an ad in the paper for a mail order bride to help care for the children. Sarah, who is from Maine, responds to the ad and travels to the prairie to see if it might be a good fit. Sarah soon becomes homesick and Caleb and Anna worry that she will return to Maine.
Publication date: 1985
Themes: Changes and new experiences, coping with death, grief, and loss, b More...
Publication date: 1985
Themes: Changes and new experiences, coping with death, grief, and loss, b More...
Jan 15, 2012
Stephanie
rated it:
Winner of the 1985 Newbery Award, Patricia MacLachlan shares a beautifully written short historical fiction novel set in the nineteenth century. Anna and Caleb have been motherless since Caleb was born. Their father writes an advertisement for a mail-order bride to come be his wife and a mother for his children. They are delighted to learn there is a response from a young lady living in Maine. They return letters back and forth until finally it is set for her to come visit for one month. Sh
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Jun 22, 2010
Melissa
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MacLachlan, Patricia. Sara, Plain and Tall. New York: Harper Collins, 2004. Print
Genre: Children’s Chapter Books
Sara, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan is about a woman that answers an advertisement for a wife and mother. She comes from Maine to be the wife and mother and learns some new things along her journey. This book is award winning book that is used in many schools for the aide of learning. This book gives detailed illustrations that help entice readers into envisioning t More...
Genre: Children’s Chapter Books
Sara, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan is about a woman that answers an advertisement for a wife and mother. She comes from Maine to be the wife and mother and learns some new things along her journey. This book is award winning book that is used in many schools for the aide of learning. This book gives detailed illustrations that help entice readers into envisioning t More...
Nov 12, 2009
Tami
rated it:
3rd – 6th Grade: Independent Reading
Patricia MacLachlan wittingly tells the story of a frequent occurrence from the late 1800s to early 1900s, a man finding a mother for his children after his wife has died from an illness of one kind or another. She meaningfully writes of the emotions in which the children endure when finding out about Sarah, meeting her for the first time, and dealing with the thought of losing her. My favorite part of the story was when the four of them, Anna, Ca More...
Patricia MacLachlan wittingly tells the story of a frequent occurrence from the late 1800s to early 1900s, a man finding a mother for his children after his wife has died from an illness of one kind or another. She meaningfully writes of the emotions in which the children endure when finding out about Sarah, meeting her for the first time, and dealing with the thought of losing her. My favorite part of the story was when the four of them, Anna, Ca More...
Feb 28, 2010
Crystal
rated it:
Example #1 Jacob needs a wife/mother
Book Information Title: Sarah, Plain and Tall; Author: Patricia MacLachlan; Place of Publication: New York, New York; Date: 1985; Pages: 57
Evidence for Evaluation: In this story, there is a man and two children who have lost their wife and mother during childbirth of the second child. The problem consists of Jacob, the father, not having a wife and mother for his children. In the time setting in which the story takes place, a woman is necessary f More...
Book Information Title: Sarah, Plain and Tall; Author: Patricia MacLachlan; Place of Publication: New York, New York; Date: 1985; Pages: 57
Evidence for Evaluation: In this story, there is a man and two children who have lost their wife and mother during childbirth of the second child. The problem consists of Jacob, the father, not having a wife and mother for his children. In the time setting in which the story takes place, a woman is necessary f More...
