Book Title: Skylark
Author: Patricia MacLachlan
Genre: Fiction, Children's Literature
Age Group: Everyone!
Part of a Series? Yes.
Place In Series: Book 3
Other Books In Series: Sarah, Plain and Tall (#1), Caleb's Story (#2), More Perfect Than the Moon (#4), Grandfather's Dance (#5)
“It will rain,” Papa repeated softly.
“Will you worry if it doesn’t rain?” Caleb asked.
“Yes, but we’ll get along,” said Papa, “We always get along.”
“Imagine having to leave,” said Sarah.
Papa took off his jacket.
“We’d never leave, Sarah,” he said. “We were born here. Our names are written in this land.”
When Papa and Sarah went inside, Caleb looked at me. I knew what he was going to say, and I didn’t want to hear it.
“Sarah wasn’t born here,” he said.
(Quote from Skylark by Patricia MacLachlan, pages 5 and 6.)
*****
The prairies are dry. Very, very dry. The water is all disappearing, and it cannot be replenished without rain.
When a thunder and lightning storm strikes the dry as bone prairie, the Witting family lose their barn to fire.
Papa sends his family back to Maine, where Sarah is from. They stay with the Aunts. Papa stays back at the farm to take care of their animals.
Will the rain ever come?
Will the drought ever end?
Will Papa ever come to fetch his family?
Will the Witting family ever be reunited?
Skylark is written in a simple, appealing style, easy to understand, but capable of drawing in people of different ages and reading levels. This book has a bit of a sadder tone than Sarah, Plain and Tall, the first book in this series, but still there are funny parts. Skylark is a pretty short book, perfect for reading curled up with a cup of tea and a plate of cookies. It would also make a wonderful family read aloud.
If you would like to read Skylark, check with your local library system and see if they have a copy. If not, you may wish to purchase a copy on Amazon, Thriftbooks, or from your favourite bookstore. Happy reading!
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