Sarah Plain and Tall
written by, Patricia MacLachlan was 1985’s Newbery award-winning junior novel
and is this month’s chosen Centennial Book Club Read. It is a short story, so if you think you
don’t have time to read it before the book club meets next Tuesday, you still
do! It is also a novel young readers
will love since it is written from the perspective of Anna, a girl growing up during
the late nineteenth century in western United States.
Anna’s mother died from complications following the birth of
her little brother Caleb. The children are
worried about their father after noticing he doesn’t sing anymore. Thinking about life in the late 1800s there
definitely weren’t entertainment choices for kids then that there are now, and
Papa’s singing was an enjoyment they missed.
It was also nice to note that these children were sensitive to their
father’s lonely feelings and wanted him to be happy again. In fact when he tells the children they will
soon have a visit from a woman named Sarah, and that he was thinking she might
like to stay as his new wife … their new mother … they are excited and
supportive of his decision to solicit a mail-order bride. Back then it was not uncommon for settlers of
the Western frontier to “order” brides from more populated Eastern states.
MacLachlan’s “family of choice” story is simple, yet at the
same time beautifully described in almost a lyrical way. Sarah’s leap of faith, to answer Papa’s ad,
comes in part because the brother who she is living with will soon marry, and
she doesn’t want her governance of the household interfering with ideas his new
bride might have. Sarah refers to
herself as plain and tall and points out that she will bring her cat
along. The children write her with
curious questions of their own, things that Papa most likely wouldn’t think to
ask. When Sarah arrives it is understood that she is here on a trial basis and
of course the children are cautious to not do anything that might run her
off. They learn all about the seacoast
that Sarah misses and she learns to plow and raise chickens. The story was touching to me in that it
showed how the new family bonded and love grew with daily tasks. I also enjoyed the historical setting and how
life seemed simpler and easier, even without the conveniences of today.
The Centennial Book Club is open to all, and with this novel
especially to younger readers. It would
be great to hear a child’s perspective on a story told from a child’s
perspective. Join the discussion at 6:00
p.m. in Hotel Tavern on September 22, and save the date for a library matinee
showing of the movie based off the book at 2:00 p.m. on September 26.
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