#115 in Middle grade
Sarah, Plain and Tall
- 70
- Pages
- about 1.5 h
- Reading time
- TV film 1991
- On screen
- Newbery Medal
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Our view
“Sarah, Plain and Tall” is an understated story that lets young readers fill in what its characters feel. Patricia MacLachlan writes about loneliness, abandonment and a family adjusting to change in just seventy pages. Some readers find it too brief to get to know the people in it. The pull between old loves and new ones gives the story its tension.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
Sarah, Plain and Tall is a children's book written by Patricia MacLachlan and the winner of the 1986 Newbery Medal, the 1986 Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction, and the 1986 Golden Kite Award. It explores themes of loneliness, abandonment, and coping with change.
Reading order · Sarah, Plain and Tall
Full order & progress →- Sarah, Plain and TallThis book
7.87.8 / 10 - Caleb's StoryCaleb's Story–Not ranked yet
- More Perfect Than the MoonMore Perfect Than the Moon–Not ranked yet
- Grandfather's DanceGrandfather's Dance–Not ranked yet
On screen
This book has been adapted for the screen once.
- TV filmSarah, Plain and TallIMDb
Adaptation data: Wikidata · On screen →
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.4 across 100 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 40% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Middle grade average of 8.0. That is how 7.8 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 7.7 | 27 | 27% |
| Hardcover | 7.3 | 73 | 73% |
Frequently asked
What age is Sarah, Plain and Tall for?
Sarah, Plain and Tall sits on the Middle grade shelf in the sources we use, which by convention means roughly ages 8–12. This is a guide from the book’s category, not a publisher’s age rating. It has 70 pages — shorter than 100% of the ranked books in Middle grade.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
The same shelf — Middle grade — and a score of 7.8, the closest to this book.
