Grandfather's Dance (Sarah, Plain and Tall)

From School Library Journal Grade 3-6–This conclusion of the Sarah, Plain and Tall stories gathers the whole cast of characters for a prairie wedding. Changes in the family are reflected in the changing times; Papa goes to town to buy a car to transport his guests. Fourth-grade Cassie narrates the tale of welcoming the relatives and preparing the celebration for her sister, Anna. But her focus isn't on the bride and groom. Partly, she ponders why people would want to get married; her dream companion would be one of her dogs. She closely observes Grandfather and Jack, the oldest and youngest members of the family. Their special bond shows up in the way Jack talks, walks, and behaves like Grandfather. Cassie observes how Grandfather is preparing for death. Even the sad ending highlights the story's overall theme of family ties as they weave through generations. MacLachlan maneuvers the reminders of previous plots fairly gracefully, allowing the book to stand on its own. As before, her beautifully straightforward language reflects the manner of the hardworking people of the Great Plains. Although at a reading level for early chapter-book readers, this story's themes make it appropriate as well for upper elementary readers. –Pat Leach, Lincoln City Libraries, NE Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist Gr. 4-6. A prairie wedding and then a funeral bring together extended family and friends in the fifth and final volume in the historical fiction series that started with the exquisite Newbery Medal Book Sarah Plain and Tall (1985). Once again, heartwarming is the word for the story, which is always true to a child's viewpoint. The narrator here is Sarah's daughter, Cassie, a fourth-grader in the prairie school of six pupils, and the core drama is the close, teasing bond between Cassie's little brother, Jack, and their stubborn, cranky grandfather, whose health is failing. For newcomers to the series, the large cast that gathers for the wedding may be hard to keep straight, but the plainspoken dialogue, especially between Grandfather and Jack, is elemental, and the warm, quiet story of love and grief will send readers back to the other books in the touching saga. Hazel Rochman Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Patricia MacLachlan is the celebrated author of many timeless books for young readers, including Sarah, Plain and Tall , winner of the Newbery Medal. Her novels for young readers include Arthur, For the Very First Time ; The Facts and Fictions of Minna Pratt ; Skylark ; Caleb's Story ; More Perfect than the Moon ; and Grandfather's Dance . She is also the author of many much-loved picture books, including Three Names ; All the Places to Love ; What You Know First ; Painting the Wind ; Bittle ; Who Loves Me? ; and Once I Ate a Pie , several of which she cowrote with her daughter, Emily. She lives with her husband and two border terriers in Williamsburg, Massachusetts. Read more