First published 1988
Anna and Caleb live with their father on the vast prairie after their mother died. Their father places an advertisement for a wife, and Sarah Wheaton responds from Maine. She agrees to come for a month to see if she wants to marry him and become a mother to the children. Sarah arrives with her own memories of the sea and dunes she left behind. Anna and Caleb watch her every move, searching for signs that she plans to stay or leave. Sarah teaches them about her coastal home while learning prairie ways. She helps with farm work and begins to care for the family. The children worry constantly that Sarah will return to Maine because she misses the ocean. Anna notices when Sarah goes to town alone, fearing she might buy a train ticket home. The family grows closer as Sarah adapts to prairie life, but the question remains whether she will choose to stay permanently. The children's deepest wish is for Sarah to become their mother and make their family complete again.
Genres: family, historical-fiction, 20th-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Maine, Prairie
Period: 20th-century
90 pages · Hardcover · Cornerstone Books