Patricia MacLachlan was a children’s author whose dozens of books included the award-winning “Sarah, Plain and Tall.”
- Died: March 31, 2022 (Who else died on March 31?)
- Details of death: Died at her home in Williamsburg, Massachusetts at the age of 84.
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Literary career
MacLachlan began writing children’s books after working for a time at a family services agency. When her children began school, she turned to writing. Her first book was published in 1979, the picture book “The Sick Day.” The following year, she published her first middle grade novel, “Arthur, for the Very First Time.” Her 1985 novel “Sarah, Plain and Tall” was her greatest success, winning the prestigious Newbery Medal as well as a Golden Kite Award and the Scott O’Dell Award for Historical Fiction. The story of a woman who travels from Maine to the Midwestern prairie as a mail-order bride, “Sarah, Plain and Tall” has been read by millions and was adapted into a 1991 TV movie starring Glenn Close, with the screenplay written by MacLachlan. “Sarah, Plain and Tall” became a series of five books, in addition to many others MacLachlan wrote alone and in collaboration with other authors and illustrators. Her other books include “Baby,” “The Poet’s Dog,” and “Dream Within a Dream.”
Notable quote
“My advice to children who want to be writers is to read, read, read! That is the very best way to find out what kinds of stories they love and how they might want to write themselves. Sometimes I meet a writer who never did read as a child, but that doesn’t happen very often.” —from a 2013 interview for Two Writing Teachers
Tributes to Patricia MacLachlan
Full obituary: The Washington Post
