This is the third book in the Sarah, Plain and Tall series. It focuses on Caleb, the son of Jacob Witting, the stepson of Sarah, the younger brother of Anna and the older brother of Cassie. It starts out with his sister, Anna, giving him a journal to write down what happens on the farm and the family while she is away from them. Anna will be close but not close enough to live on the farm. She is helping the town Doctor by being his nurse. She doesn't want to miss anything so Anna asks Caleb to keep the farm journal. At first, it isn't very exciting. Winter is starting to set in so they are busy making the farm ready for the colder temperatures. While Caleb is working, his little sister Cassie runs around with him and is his shadow. She loves to play with her older brother and she loves playing hide and seek. She decides to hide in the barn but runs into an older man and his horse in the barn. They are both in a dark and quiet part of the barn so when Cassie tells him about the man, he thinks she is just making things up. Cassie even goes so far as to tell her parents about the man. Jacob decides to check it out and comes across the old man holing up in his barn. He asks him who he is and after awhile, he figures out it his father, John, who he believed abandoned he and his mother and died. Jacob is furious and tells him to leave his land but as fate would have it, Jacob breaks his leg so he allows John to stay and help with the farm. Of course, Sarah's persuasion has a lot to do with that decision. As Jacob's leg heals, so does the rift between him and his father. By the end of the book, John has been asked to stay at the Witting farm and to work it with his son and grandson. Caleb doesn't think anything exciting happens at the farm but he realizes that a lot of things happen and he needs to write them down.This is another masterpiece by Patricia MacLachlan. It is easy to read for first time chapter readers and it has a good and interesting story about family love and forgiveness. It teaches us that we have to learn to listen and to accept things that we have told are wrong. Only that way can we get to the truth. I love that Sarah focuses mostly on Caleb and Cassie so that both boys and girls can enjoy it. I also love that we get to see the characters grow and we learn more about their personality. I also like that Patricia MacLachlan made Sarah the heroine again. She is very aware of what is going on around her and she has a strong sense of what is right and what is wrong. She teachers her children by example. Again, I would suggest that all new chapter readers should read this book. I enjoyed it and I am an advanced reader!
Anna has done something terrible. She has given me her journal to fill.In Anna's journal the words walk across the page like bird prints in the mud. But it is hard for me. It is hard for me to find things to write about."It's your job now," Anna says as she hands Caleb her journals, asking him to continue writing the family story. But Sarah, Jacob, Anna, Caleb, a...moreAnna has done something terrible. She has given me her journal to fill.In Anna's journal the words walk across the page like bird prints in the mud. But it is hard for me. It is hard for me to find things to write about."It's your job now," Anna says as she hands Caleb her journals, asking him to continue writing the family story. But Sarah, Jacob, Anna, Caleb, and their new little sister, Cassie, have already formed a family, and Caleb fears there will be nothing left to write about. But that is before Cassie discovers a mysterious old man in the barn and everything changes. Everyone is excited about the arrival of a new family member -- except for Jacob, who holds a bitter grudge. Only the special love of Caleb, and the gift he offers, can help to mend the pain of the past. Caleb's Story continues the saga begun by the Newbery Medal-winning Sarah, Plain And Tall and its sequel, Skylark, spinning a tale of love, forgiveness, and the ties that bind a family together.(less)
What do You think about Caleb's Story (2004)?
What a great addition to the series. I really enjoyed being able to continue on the journey from Caleb's perspective, I found it enjoyable and it was neat to see things through his eyes. Caleb was by far my favourite character in Sarah Plain And Tall, when my teacher first read it to me and this book brought back the wonderful feelings of nostalgia and happiness, it was perfect! I highly recommend it to people who have read the first two books in the series. I just love reading the Sara Plain And Tall series, even years after I first read them. Every time I pick it up I am immediately back into the world and the feeling I got first reading them come back each time.
—Lindsay
I am constantly surprised (and pleasantly so!) just how lyrical Patricia MacLachlan's writing is. This is the third book in the 'Sarah, Plain and Tall' series, and the first two were told by Anna, Sarah's step-daughter. In this book, Anna has given the responsibility for the family's story to Caleb. Because of this, I was expecting the writing to be markedly different. While it is very clear that this is Caleb's voice (emphasis is put on things in a different way than Anna would have done), MacLachlan's gentle prose is still very evident. I'm definitely looking forward to see what happens next in the Witting family's story.
—Kate
