Gr 4-6-In this third book in the series begun in Sarah, Plain and Tall (HarperCollins, 1985), Caleb is given the responsibility of writing down everything that happens on the farm now that his older sister Anna has gone to live in town to finish school. At first, he thinks there will be nothing to write about, but when an old man appears in the middle of winter, the family's quiet life is suddenly disrupted. The stranger turns out to be Caleb's grandfather, who left when the boy's father, Jacob, was young. While Jacob allows him to stay, he refuses to forgive or even speak to the man. Caleb slowly realizes that his grandfather is illiterate, and he teaches him how to read and write. It takes his efforts and a near-tragedy to reconcile the differences between the men. Readers who are new to the Witting family will quickly become acquainted with the events of the past through the excerpts of Anna's journals that Caleb shares with his grandfather. Despite some heavy elements, MacLachlan manages to provide some lighter moments and humor through Cassie, the baby who was about to be born at the end of Skylark (HarperCollins, 1994), and who is now a lively and inquisitive child. This is an excellent work of historical fiction, a satisfying sequel, and an inspiring tale about love and forgiveness.-Ashley Larsen, Woodside Library, CA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(Primary, Intermediate) ""Not much happens here,"" Caleb protests, but Anna insists: while she finishes school, works in town, and waits for her dear friend Justin to come home from the war in Europe, Caleb is to continue the journals Anna began in Sarah, Plain and Tall. ""Everyone's not a writer. But everyone can write,"" she tells him. And things do happen. The mysterious stranger who stables his horse in the barn proves to be Papa's father, presumed dead since he left when Papa was a boy. Ironically, Grandfather's gradually unfolding revelations suggest that Anna's supposition doesn't always hold true: not everyone can write. Papa is still bitterly angry because Grandfather never sent him a letter; he never knew his father was illiterate. It's Caleb (and the reader, too-there are plenty of clues here) who discerns the truth and then teaches Grandfather to read, using Anna's journals plus his own continuation. Meanwhile, Papa's irreconcilable anger nearly causes a rift with fair-minded Sarah (""Your unforgiving nature is something I don't love about you, Jacob""). Heartstrings are tugged a bit too predictably, and the drama is spun out with an overabundance of events: Papa clings to his rancor even after he breaks his leg and Grandfather helps keep the farm running-and even after the old man risks his own life to save Sarah's in a blizzard. Still, the relationships are believable, the emotions ring true, and MacLachlan has an unabated gift for clean, well-honed dialogue that carries its resonant meanings with unusual grace. All in all, a welcome continuation of a well-loved story. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

Newbery Medalist MacLachlan continues the story of the Witting family, with the believable characters readers have come to know and love from Sarah, Plain and Tall (1985) and its sequel, Skylark (1994). The family has changed, as Sarah and her husband Jacob now have a daughter named Cassie, a feisty, outspoken little girl of four or five, and older daughter Anna is living in town to attend school and work for the local doctor. Another major change in family dynamics occurs when Jacob's long-lost father suddenly appears. He is a worn-out, cantankerous old man with nowhere to go but his old farm, which he abandoned, along with his family, when Jacob was a boy. The bitter conflict between father and son is the heart of the narrative, this time told in first-person (and recorded in his own journal) by Caleb, who also copies passages from his sister Anna's journals from the previous two stories to help him understand his family. Sarah remains the rock, urging her husband to forgive his father and caring for all of them in her wise, understated way. MacLachlan's appreciative readers will savor this new addition to the chronicle of a delightful family, and many will be hoping for another volume in the series so we can learn precocious Cassie's story as she grows older. (Fiction. 8-10)

Gr. 3-5. This third installment in the Sarah Plain and Tall (1985) series is a novelization of MacLachlan's 1999 television screenplay, "Winter's End." The time is 1918, and Anna has moved to town to finish high school, leaving Caleb to record the family saga. When a stranger appears at the farm, Sarah invites him inside and learns that he is John Witting, Jacob's father, who abandoned his family many years before. As Caleb and Cassie get to know their grandfather, Sarah tries unsuccessfully to broker reconciliation between the two men. Finally, Caleb discovers the reason behind some of the friction (Grandfather, who is illiterate, wasn't able to write to Jacob after he left), paving the way for forgiveness and new understanding. MacLachlan's spare yet elegant prose conveys the deep feelings of the characters as they work through a difficult time. Four-year-old Cassie, Sarah and Jacob's daughter, brings a certain innocence to the story and helps the drama stay focused on the child's point of view. Series fans will welcome this, but it's also a solid offering that can stand on its own. --Kay Weisman

Taking over the reins from his sister Anna, who narrated Sarah, Plain and Tall and Skylark, Caleb describes the event in this heartwarming third installment, in which Jacob is reunited with his father. As the novel opens, readers meet Cassie, the baby whom Sarah carries in Skylark; the country is at war in Europe; and Anna leaves home to work for a doctor in town and gives Caleb the responsibility of recording the family events. While Jacob drives his older daughter to town, Cassie spots a man on the property. Thinking it's one of Cassie's imaginary friends, Caleb ignores her until he sees the man for himself. When Jacob returns, the mystery of the man's identity is revealed, and wounds from the past begin to slowly heal. In an uplifting subplot, Caleb discovers why Jacob's father did not correspond with his son all the years he was away and begins to set things right. The narrative cribs liberally from Anna's entries in Skylark, but fans of the first two books will enjoy learning more about this resourceful and loving family. Ages 8-10. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved