Sarah, Plain and Tall
by Patricia MacLachlan
- Lexile
- 660L
- Grade range
- Grades 3–5
- Age range
- Ages 8–11
- Pages
- 58
- First published
- 1985
- Genre
- Historical Fiction (Middle Grade)
- ISBN-13
- 9780064402057
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.
Themes
- family
- loss
- new beginnings
- prairie life
Content notes
- references to a parent's death
Common Sense Media recommends age 7+.
Where this book is assigned
Common Core State Standards (ELA)
- required· 3rd gradesource: CCSS ELA Appendix B, grades 2-3 Newbery exemplar
- required· 4th gradesource: CCSS ELA Appendix B, grades 4-5 exemplar
- required· 4th grade · Kansassource: Kansas DOE — prairie-state canon requirement
Similar grade-level books
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.
- 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.
- Is Sarah, Plain and Tall banned in schools?
- Sarah, Plain and Tall does not appear in PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. No documented multi-district removals on record, but individual districts may challenge titles locally.
- What themes does Sarah, Plain and Tall explore?
- Central themes in Sarah, Plain and Tall include family, loss, new beginnings, prairie life. These themes match how the book is discussed in most curriculum guides and AP Literature prompts.