This historical fiction series is about a farm family on the Great Plains during the early 1900s. When the series starts, Anna and her younger brother Caleb are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Sarah, a woman from Maine that their father met through a newspaper advertisement.  Their mother died shortly after giving birth to Caleb, and their father, Jacob, has been lonely and could use help to run the family farm and raise the children.  They don’t know at first whether Sarah will like living in on their farm or whether she will like being part of their family and want to stay, but the children are hopeful that she will remain and marry their father.

Fortunately, things work for for the family, and Sarah decides to stay.  She marries the children’s father, and they have two more children together, Cassie and John.  The first two books are told from the point of view of Anna.  Then, Caleb tells the third story, in which his her grandfather rejoined their family after being gone for many years.  From there, Cassie takes over the series, talking about the birth of her little brother and how her grandfather passed away.

There are three movies based on the books in this series.  The first two, Sarah, Plain and Tall and Skylark follow the books pretty closely.  The third one is based on Caleb’s Story and is called Winter’s End. The books are a little vague about exactly where the family’s farm is, except that it is somewhere on the prairie, but in the movies, the farm is in Kansas.

Books in the Series:

Sarah, Plain and Tall (1985)

A widower with two children on a farm advertises for a mail-order bride.  A woman named Sarah answers, coming from Maine to visit the family and decide if she wants to stay.

Skylark (1994)

There is a severe drought, and with their farm suffering, Sarah takes Anna and Caleb to visit her family in Maine.

Caleb’s Story (2000)

Caleb describes the changes that take place when his grandfather suddenly rejoins the family. By this time, his younger half-sister, Cassie, is a young child.

More Perfect than the Moon (2004)

Young Cassie is worried about her mother because she is going to have a baby.  She resents the baby’s arrival until he actually comes.

Grandfather’s Dance (2006)

Cassie’s grandfather passes away, and her older half-sister Anna gets married.