The Courage of Sarah Noble [Hardcover]

Alice Dalgliesh (Author), Leonard Weisgard (Illustrator)

Book Description

When Sarah Noble was eight years old she had her great adventure -- going with her father into the wilds of Connecticut to cook for him while he built a house.

There were Indians -- would they be friendly There were many times when Sarah had to say to herself, as her mother had said when she left home, Keep up your courage, Sarah Noble. Keep up your courage.

This charming story is true. Tales of faith and courage and friendship are told over and over again and so kept alive. Here Sarah's adventure is told simply, with feeling and without unnecessary detail.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The New York Times Book Review "This one is to be long remembered for its beautifully written beauty and simplicity."

From the Publisher

In 1707, young Sarah Noble and her father traveled through the wilderness to build a new for their family. "Keep up your courage, sarah Noble," her mother had said, but Sarah found that it was not always easy to feel brave inside. The dark woods were full of animals and Indians, too, and Sarah was only eight!

The true story of Sarah's journey is inspiring. And as she cares for her father and befriends her Indian neighbors, she learns that to be afraid and to be brave is the greatest courage of all. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (May 30, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684188309
• ISBN-13: 978-0684188300
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (337 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #988,197 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Story About Courage and Friendship, February 15, 2002

By 

Christine "loves to read" (Setauket, NY, United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Courage of Sarah Noble (Paperback)

A heartwarming (and true) story about 8-year old Sarah Noble who travels with her father from Massachusetts to New Milford, Connecticut where he is to build the first home in that area for their family. When the house is finished, John Noble must leave his daughter with an Indian family while he goes back to Mass. to get his wife and other children.

The storyline flows beautifully, and the writing is rich but won't overload the emerging chapter-reader. If your child is making the transition into chapter books and loves historical fiction, then this is a great book for you.

Even older readers will enjoy the simplicity and adventure of this beautiful story. Although my daughter has read many chapter books, this is still one of her favorites!

Enjoy.

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent introduction to chapter books., January 5, 2002

By 

slomamma (San Luis Obispo, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Courage of Sarah Noble (Paperback)

This was one of my favorite books when I was a little girl. It's about an eight year old girl in 1707 who goes into the wilderness with her father to help build a new home for her family. Before she leaves, some children frighten her with stories about Indians who will capture her and eat her or chop off her head. As she travels with her father, Sarah Noble must conquer all her fears. Finally, in her new home, Sarah meets Indian children who frighten her at first, but turn out to be nice kids who become her friends.

I bought this book for my 6-year-old daughter recently, fearing it wouldn't hold up after all these decades. After all, I grew up with cowboy movie images of "savage" Indians, and felt Sarah's fear. But my daughter, like most children today, hasn't grown up with that racist garbage. She wouldn't understand why anyone would be afraid of Native Americans. That's a good thing, of course, but I suspected changed attitudes would take away a lot of the book's suspense.

But the book holds up better than I expected. My daughter recognized immediately that the children who teased Sarah at the beginning were just being mean and didn't know anything about Indians. That the Indian children turn out to be just like her didn't come as a surprise. But Sarah's journey to a new place, being in the woods with scary animal sounds, all living temporarily in a cave all seemed like real dangers to her. And so, even though some of the "message" of the book has become a little dated, the plot holds up well. My daughter and I both enjoyed the book.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is great for children reading about their past., August 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Courage of Sarah Noble (Hardcover)

My name is Sarah Frances Noble and I am realted to the Sarah Noble in this book. I think this book gives young readers a view of what life was like a long time ago. Our way of life has totally changed and I feel that it is important that children learn about their ancestors past. This book is perfect for a first or second grader learning about a childs life back then

Sarah F. Noble