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3.67 AVERAGE
3.67 AVERAGE
Anna and Caleb live on a farm in the Midwest with their father. Their mother has been dead a few years, and their father decides to put out an ad for a wife. Sarah responds from Maine and decides to visit for a month to try it out. This is more a short story than a book, and there isn't anything really extraordinary about it except the fact that you can send away for a wife.
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
My main reaction to this book was - where's all the conflict? In other words, I thought that Caleb - and especially Anna - should have shown a lot more resistance to getting a new mother. I just don't think your average person would welcome a replacement mother so warmly. I mean, a child's relationship with his or her first known mother (she could be biological or not) is, like, super-strong and often complicated. I could understand Caleb's attitude a little better, since he didn't remember his biological mother at all; but Anna was a girl when their mother died, and still seemed fine with accepting a stand-in.[return:][return:]Then again, maybe my feelings on the matter are clouded by the fact that I could never accept a replacement mother. Other people may come from different circumstances and feel otherwise. Furthermore, maybe this book is less about the plausibility of children accepting a new mother, and more about the creation of a family. Maybe this book is about how people - blood related or not - can come together in all different kinds of ways to form a family. This is an idea that I feel very strongly about - that you can't choose your blood relations, but that you can choose whom you call your family.[return:][return:]And who wouldn't want Sarah to be a part of his or her family? She was a great character - sassy, honest, strong, artistic, spontaneous, giving. I had some misgivings about the fact that she was essentially a mail-order bride, but I admired the fact that she wouldn't let Jacob boss her around. The definitely made an unconventional pair, in that Sarah wouldn't be bossed around, and Jacob didn't really try to do so. I doubt that many 19th century male-female relationships followed that model. I think that, besides the implausibility of Caleb and Anna accepting Sarah so readily, the equity of Sarah and Jacob's relationship made the story less believable. Don't get me wrong - I loved the fact that Sarah was such a strong character - I just don't think that, in reality, she would have been allowed so much freedom.[return:][return:]On MacLachlan s writing: her style was definitely simple easy enough for a beginning reader but every now and then she would slip in a really well-crafted phrase or way of describing something. I loved when she described one of the sleeping dogs as a soft circle this is a simple enough description, but it s really evocative. There are similar examples throughout the book, and they really contributed to my overall enjoyment of it.[return:][return:]Overall, while I had some gripes with the plausibility of some aspects of the story, I really appreciated MacLachlan s message that families don t have to be blood-related strong bonds can exist between all kinds of people.
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A very short and simple book, but a pleasure to read.
I can't remember if this was read to me in class when I was little or not. I have a vague memory that it was, but I had no memory of it. So I was surprised when the book featured the title character and not her two contemporaries, Plain and Tall. I'm half kidding about that, but it was such a nice, simple and short read about what love is. It's each and every little decision and action you make and not always just a feeling. This books was very sweet and encouraging!
I don't know how I missed this one when I was a kid. This short novel was so tender and heartfelt--it nearly had me in tears several times. MacLachlan tells the sweet story of Anna and Caleb, who live on the prairie during the pioneer days. Their mother died after giving birth to Caleb. Now Papa is lonely and writes an ad in the paper requesting a wife. Soon the family receives a letter in response...enter Sarah, plain and tall. I have always loved stories about family and relationships, and this one certainly did not disappoint. I think many children ages 8/9 and up would enjoy this story since it is humorous, sweet, and very relatable in many ways (think sibling relationship and forming bonds with new step-parents). And of course anyone who loves good historical fiction will like it too--it is full of rich imagery that puts a clear image of the prairie in your mind. Highly recommend this one.
Looking at this title from a librarian perspective, this is a good example of a historical fiction first chapter book. It uses simple language and storyline to be an approachable read to burgeoning chapter book readers. In that way, it is not the most exciting and in-depth, and the real tension of the story lives within the emotional life of the child protagonist/narrator and in her conflicting hope/doubt that title namesake Sarah will stay on their farm and became their new stepmother. Not sure if it would be the first book I'd hand to a modern child reader as it doesn't have a strong hook, but I can see why it would have been a significant publication at its time.
The audiobook production I listened to was overly saccharine in its narration, character voices (esp. the brother), and with the piano music intro and outros that sound like they were stolen from an old PBS special... but that is alas the case with many older audiobook productions. If those things get on your audiobook listening nerves (like they do mine), probably do not listen and go for reading the hardcopy instead.
The audiobook production I listened to was overly saccharine in its narration, character voices (esp. the brother), and with the piano music intro and outros that sound like they were stolen from an old PBS special... but that is alas the case with many older audiobook productions. If those things get on your audiobook listening nerves (like they do mine), probably do not listen and go for reading the hardcopy instead.