Sarah Plain and Tall is written by Patricia MacLachlan (1938-2022). It is one of the recommended books in the Abeka Academy program. While there isn’t a specific list of recommended books for third grade through this program, they contain sections of good third-grade books within their reader sets. There is a chapter excerpt from the middle of Sarah Plain and Tall in reader 3a, From Shore to Shore. This excerpt is titled “Our Dune” and comes almost from the middle of the book Sarah Plain and Tall.
At the end of chapter excerpts, Abeka puts the title of the book in case you want to purchase and read the entire thing. In the case of Sarah, Plain and Tall we decided to check it out.
Where to Purchase Sarah Plain and Tall
I am a big fan of the Kindle Unlimited Program on Amazon; thus, I rarely ever purchase books outright. Sarah Plain and Tall is widely available through almost any book retailer as it was published back in April 1985. In fact, at the time of writing this blog post, the author of the book and subsequent series passed away two years ago. Because it is widely available in both ebook and paperback format, it is disqualified from being part of the Kindle Unlimited program. If you want to read this book, you have to check it out at a brick-and-mortar library or purchase a copy.
I purchased an ebook copy of the book via Amazon so that it would filter into our Amazon library. This way, we would not have the clutter of more paper books lying around.
Sarah Plain and Tall Review
Sara Plain and Tall is essentially a mail-order bride story from the late 1800s American Midwest. It is told from the perspective of Anna, who appears to be a little older than your average third grader, twelve or so. However, the book doesn’t go into detail about Anna’s age.
Anna has a little brother named Caleb. Their mother dies from complications of childbirth before the story itself takes place; however, it is mentioned within the text. They are left with just their father, also called their Papa, on the Midwest farm for many years after their mother’s death. One day, their father puts an ad in a paper out east for a wife and gets a response from Sarah Elizabeth Wheaton.
Neither of the children is resentful of this; in fact, both are excited about the prospect of a “new mother.” Their neighbor similarly received a wife several years prior, so there is some level of acceptance of this trend among the children.
This book does a good job of portraying life on a farm in the late 1800s, talking in detail about storms, the barn, plowing the fields, and even the advertisement for a wife in the paper. It brings in the realities of the high mortality rate that childbirth had on women back then as well. It is an emotional book with happy and sad moments.
However, it is at a third-grade reading level. The book itself makes use of simple sentences and words. It is only 58 pages long and a total of nine chapters.
Is it the perfect third-grade read for everyone?
Possibly not, it is sad in many parts, though many parts of life are sad, so it shows the realities of that. I will say, however, that Anna, the main character, maintains a very positive perspective on life throughout most of the book. Her brother, Caleb, shows signs of abandonment issues; however, he is very young in the story.
Is this book worth reading?
From a Christian perspective, it is a clean book that shows the realities of life in the late 1800s in a storybook format instead of just reading a more clinical perspective from a history book. In this way, it is worth it as it adds educational value to your homeschool program. The book is not inherently Christian, as I can’t recall many if any, references to God. They might have prayed before super together, I don’t recall. It contains a positive message of accepting unexpected blessings that come your way and overcoming parental and/or familial loss. The book isn’t all “heavy stuff, though.” There are two dogs, a cat, some sheep, and a group of chickens that inject fun and lightheartedness into the book.
You can have a look at the Abeka third grade kit below.
Conclusion
While you cannot get Sarah Plain and Tall via the Kindle Unlimited Program, it is a cheap, older book that is well worth the purchase as it touches on both heavy and light topics, such as late 1800s history and overcoming the loss of a family member or parent, to death in childbirth. The lighter topics include farm life in the late 1800s in midwest America, the concept of advertising in the paper for a wife as there were not many women in the area during this time period, and farm animals or pets. This book is recommended by the Abeka Academy, a major Christian private school/homeschool, and part of it is included in one of the third-grade readers From Shore to Shore, book 3a in the reading program. It uses simple words and sentences to get young readers involved in reading chapterbooks. The book itself is only 58 pages and is broken into nine chapters, so it goes by pretty quickly. It will take most adults about an hour to read if you choose to read it to your little ones.
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