65 pages • 2 hours read
Sarah, Plain and Tall
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1985
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Introduction
Sarah, Plain and Tall
- Genre: Fiction; children’s/middle grade historical classic
- Originally Published: 1985
- Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 650L; grades 1-5
- Structure/Length: 9 chapters; approx. 112 pages; approx. 1 hour on audio
- Protagonist and Central Conflict: On the midwestern prairie in the 19th century, a widower, Jacob, runs a newspaper ad seeking a new wife. His children Anna and Caleb become enamored with the woman who answers the ad: Sarah, a woman from Maine who loves the sea. Once Sarah arrives, Anna and Caleb fear she may not want to stay.
- Potential Sensitivity Issues: Death of mother; the idea of a stepmother as a “new mother”
Patricia MacLachlan, Author
- Bio: 1938-2022; born in Wyoming; lived in Minnesota and Connecticut; taught junior high English and worked in family services before becoming a writer; wrote over 60 children’s books; earned the National Humanities Medal (2022)
- Other Works: Arthur, For the Very First Time (1980); Cassie Binegar (1982); Skylark (1994); The Sick Day (2001); Cat Talk (2013); The Truth of Me (2015); Poets Dog (2018)
- Awards: Newbery Medal (1986); Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction (1986); Golden Kite Award (1986)
CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:
- The Beauty of New Beginnings
- A Child’s Need for Security and Stability
- Finding Comfort and Connection in Nature
