Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia Maclachlan

Final Exam

Kim Hatfield

The first book I will discuss is Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan. This historical fiction novel is set in the 19th century. To me this book meet all of the requirements that are discussed in the book about historical fiction. First of all the characters were very well rounded and complex. Sarah Elisabeth Wheaton is my favorite character because she is such a good role model. She always is nice to all even though she misses her home when she comes to the farm. The family that she has come to has lost their mother and she has come to fulfill an advertisement that the farmer, Jacob Witting (the father) put out for a wife. Sarah decides to go there for a month to decide if this family is right for her. She is a New England schoolteacher.

Although Sarah misses her home she cannot decide which she would miss more, her home in Maine or the Witting family. Anna is also a very well rounded character because she narrates the story. I also feel like it meets the most important requirement which is the message. This book is good for children because it talks about loss and abandonment. Which all of us will experience sometime in our lives.

I also like that the readers will learn things about what it is like in Maine and in the Midwest. The Wittings lived in Kansas. The main reason why this is a good historical fiction book is because it talks about the drought that happened in the Midwest during the nineteenth century. Sarah then takes the family to Maine to escape the drought. This drought actually happened and the reader gets to learn what it was like for the people that experienced the drought. Like the criteria in the textbook explain, this novel creates a sense of this time and place. It does not overwhelm the story and the message is still clear but during reading the book I began to see what the environment looked like and how Sarah and the other characters looked and dressed. I think that that aspect adds to the quality and keeps the reader interested in the story.

...