Sarah, Plain and Tall

MacLachlan, P. (1985). Sarah, plain and tall. New York, NY: Harper and Row Publishers.

Newbery Medal Winner, 1986

Exposition (the beginning of the story, establishment of setting and characters):  It is the end of winter on the prairie, and sister and brother, Anna and Caleb Witting learn from their father Jacob that he has written an ad in the newspapers for a wife and that he has received a response from Sarah Elizabeth Wheaton, a very tall and plain woman from Maine.    

Conflict (the problem(s) faced by the characters):  Anna and Caleb long for a mother, and when Sarah comes, they grow very close to her, but they are constantly worried that she will not like them enough and want to return home to her beloved sea. 

Rising Action (events in the story leading up to the climax):  Sarah adapts to life on the prairie, learning the animals, how to garden, and drawing pictures of what she sees, and Anna and Caleb thrive with her there, but when Papa’s friends, Matthew and Maggie, come to visit, Anna overhears Sarah tell Maggie that she is lonely and misses her home in Maine, and Maggie tells her that there are always things to miss, no matter where you are (MacLachlan, 1985); later during a squall, they are all in the barn looking out the window at the storm, and Caleb tells Sarah that is what she is missing in her drawing.

Climax (the culmination of events in the story, point of highest reader interest):  After Papa teaches Sarah how to drive the wagon, she leaves one morning to go to town, and Anna and Caleb are worried she will not return; Sarah finally returns at dusk, toting a package with blue, gray, and green colored pencils.

Falling Action (events leading to the solving of the story’s problems):  Caleb tells Anna that the colors of the sea (blue, gray, and green) were what were missing from Sarah’s drawing, and they both tell Sarah that they thought she was leaving them because she missed the sea.

Resolution (how events and problems of the story are solved): Sarah echoes Maggie’s words from earlier, and tells them that she would always miss her old home, but she would miss them more; the book ends with them looking forward to the upcoming wedding and all the good things that were to come. 

Chapter books only (List two strong literary qualities displayed in the book and write one sentence about each quality): Patricia MacLachlan first uses the literary quality of point-of-view by writing in first person from Anna’s perspective; Anna is supposed to be young girl telling the story, and MacLachlan writes in shorter, choppier sentences so that it does seem like a young girl could have written them.  MacLachlan also uses tension to draw the reader into the story as the reader cannot help but share in Anna and Caleb’s concern that Sarah will decide to leave them and return to the sea and waits on the edge of his/her seat to see if Sarah will, in fact, return from her trip to town.