Sarah, Plain and Tall
by Patricia MacLachlan
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan is assigned in US schools at grades 3–5, with a Lexile measure of 660L. It appears across 1 curriculum reference and 1 state, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.
This page shows where Sarah, Plain and Tall is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.
- Lexile
- 660L
- Grade range
- Grades 3–5
- Difficulty for grade
- Within the grade 2–3 band (420–820L)
- Age range
- Ages 8–11
- Pages
- 58
- Reading time
- about 1h 5m (est.)
- First published
- 1985
- Genre
- Historical Fiction (Middle Grade)
- ISBN-13
- 9780064402057
Reading difficulty: At 660L, Sarah, Plain and Tall falls within the typical 420–820L text-complexity range for 3rd grade (Common Core Appendix A) — a grade-appropriate reading challenge.
Where to find this book
Other formats on Amazon: Kindle · Audiobook
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About this book
Two children on a prairie farm in the 1890s anxiously wait to meet Sarah, the woman who has answered their widowed father's newspaper ad for a wife. MacLachlan's Newbery Medal novella is a near-universal 3rd-5th grade assignment and Common Core Appendix B exemplar.
Why widely assigned
This Historical Fiction (Middle Grade) title, reads at middle-grade prose complexity, typically at grades 3–5. Written in the 1980s; pairs with curriculum units on family and loss; cited across 1 curriculum framework.
Content notes
references to a parent's death
Common Sense Media recommends age 7+.
Where this book is assigned
Common Core State Standards (ELA)
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Common questions
- What grade level is Sarah, Plain and Tall?
- Sarah, Plain and Tall is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 3–5, with a Lexile measure of 660L. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.
- What is the Lexile level of Sarah, Plain and Tall?
- Sarah, Plain and Tall has a Lexile measure of 660L according to MetaMetrics. Lexile measures text complexity, not content maturity — check the grade range and content notes separately for age-appropriateness.
- How long does it take to read Sarah, Plain and Tall?
- It takes about 1h 5m to read Sarah, Plain and Tall (58 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 65 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- Is Sarah, Plain and Tall hard to read for 3rd grade?
- At 660L, Sarah, Plain and Tall falls within the typical 420–820L text-complexity range for 3rd grade (Common Core Appendix A) — a grade-appropriate reading challenge. Lexile measures text complexity, not thematic maturity — check the content notes for age-appropriateness separately.
- What curricula assign Sarah, Plain and Tall?
- Sarah, Plain and Tall appears on reading lists for Common Core State Standards (ELA). Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Why this book is on this list
Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.
- Lexile measure
- 660L — sourced from MetaMetrics’ Lexile Hub.
- Grade band
- Grades 3–5 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Cited in 1 curriculum on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
- State-level evidence
- Cited in 1 state ELA framework or DOE list (see citations above).
- Removal / banning records
- No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- No seasonal or program-specific tags on this book.