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The Cabin Faced West
Ann Hamilton's family has moved to the western frontier of Pennsylvania, and she misses her old home in Gettysburg. There are no girls her age on Hamilton Hill, and life is hard. But when the Hamiltons survive a terrible storm and receive a surprise visit from George Washington, Ann realizes that pioneer life is exciting and special.
128 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1958
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1953 people want to read
About the author
Jean Fritz
93 books156 followersJean Guttery Fritz was an American children's writer best known for American biography and history. She won the Children's Legacy Literature Award for her career contribution to American children's literature in 1986. She turned 100 in November 2015 and died in May 2017 at the age of 101.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 286 reviews
April 12, 2021
A quick and easy read with a nice message of looking to the future with positivity and good cheer. The pioneers had a rough time settling new areas, but their noble and courageous spirit brought a wealth of riches for not just their own generation, but all future generations of Americans as well.
I liked the author's imagery and symbolism of the road and my favorite passage shows how we never know just where a road will take us. What starts out as a dreaded way to an uncertain future may become the chosen path away from a limited past.
Roads are different from streets, Ann thought. Streets are businesslike and only expected things happen on them, but roads have moods and mysteries and secrets to tell and promises to make around every corner. Even though the road had brought Ann nothing but hardship, still it had a way of saying, “Anything can happen here … you never know.” (p 43)
I liked the author's imagery and symbolism of the road and my favorite passage shows how we never know just where a road will take us. What starts out as a dreaded way to an uncertain future may become the chosen path away from a limited past.
Roads are different from streets, Ann thought. Streets are businesslike and only expected things happen on them, but roads have moods and mysteries and secrets to tell and promises to make around every corner. Even though the road had brought Ann nothing but hardship, still it had a way of saying, “Anything can happen here … you never know.” (p 43)
June 7, 2016
A little wordy and heavy on descriptions--but the last chapter makes this book a keeper!!! Wonderful lessons about not complaining and making home where your heart is. . . Very fun that the author is writing about her great great grandmother who really met George Washington! Now I'd like to have my kids research and choose an ancestor with some notable life event and write a fiction story based on this person. Very cool creative writing!!! I can't wait to try it!!!
October 15, 2018
What a sweet story of perseverance and courage told through the eyes of a little girl. This was a favorite read aloud with my 8yo daughter. We both especially loved the historical notes of the author!
November 21, 2020
While my daughter is already reading ahead. All four children were gathered around me, as I read this one and it's first three chapters aloud as planned in the Memoria Press 3M Classical Core Curriculum. Newborn in my arms just a trio of weeks younger than Sophie's Johnny in the book and the two toddlers scrambling to lean of my leg propped on a kitchen chair. While the third grader herself sat with wrapt attention as she finished her dinner.
We've had crazy school breaks with holidays, health crisis, flu illness, vacation road trips and more. But we have finally finished reading The Cabin Faced West as recommended by Memoria Press 3M Classical Core Curriculum. We've all enjoyed this read aloud for American Studies. I also gratefully appreciate the American Studies Discussion Guide for 3rd Grade.
I'm glad we experienced this one and I will keep it on our list for future years. I even got chills and teary eyed at the end...
Bought a vintage copy via Thriftbooks. Check my blog for a link to support my reviews and our school.
We've had crazy school breaks with holidays, health crisis, flu illness, vacation road trips and more. But we have finally finished reading The Cabin Faced West as recommended by Memoria Press 3M Classical Core Curriculum. We've all enjoyed this read aloud for American Studies. I also gratefully appreciate the American Studies Discussion Guide for 3rd Grade.
I'm glad we experienced this one and I will keep it on our list for future years. I even got chills and teary eyed at the end...
Bought a vintage copy via Thriftbooks. Check my blog for a link to support my reviews and our school.
April 21, 2017
I'm catching up on the independant readers my daughter has read for school this year. This one was quite nice. It's a simple story about a family who moves West to settle. Their daughter struggles, as she has left behind her friends, school and all she knew. Although it is a pioneer story, it is much more driven by the development of Ann and her struggle to accept the changes in her life. A visit from George Washington helps her finally accept her new life.
If you are looking for a day to day description of pioneering life "Little House on the Prairie" is a better choice. If you would like to reinforce what has already been learned about the time period, with a focus on personal character development this is a lovely choice. It is not overly action packed, so for a struggling reader who needs the plot to move along at a very quick pace this may not be the best option.
If you are looking for a day to day description of pioneering life "Little House on the Prairie" is a better choice. If you would like to reinforce what has already been learned about the time period, with a focus on personal character development this is a lovely choice. It is not overly action packed, so for a struggling reader who needs the plot to move along at a very quick pace this may not be the best option.
November 7, 2014
I enjoyed this more than I expected to, which is always a treat. Though I knew what was coming in the afterword- it felt true throughout. Tears filled my eyes twice, once about a man on a horse, and once at the very end. The pure joy of being a child in the woods is captured with grace herein, as well as the longing for nice plates once in a while. There's a beautiful passage about shoes that is really about what happens when you wait for some other day to do something you love today. I dug it.
March 16, 2017
The boys and I read this as a history read-aloud. The descriptions of the setting are beautifully written but other than that, there's not much else to it. I found it kind of boring and after reading it, I remember thinking the same thing when I read it alone in elementary school.
July 21, 2013
A sweet little story about a girl living on the Western Frontier. Of course, it's 1784, so "Western Frontier" really means western Pennsylvania. I love reading stories like this: based on true events but fleshed out to be a great way to introduce history to kids. Definitely reminded me of the "Little House" books, but that's not a bad thing. I loved the character of Ann and her determination to find a way to be brave. She doesn't realize that it's the little things that add up to bravery - which makes a great message for any kid trying to find themselves.
September 4, 2021
I wish I had read this as a girl. I would have absolutely loved it. I still absolutely loved reading it as a 38 year old! This was also a read-aloud to my 5 and 7 year olds and they really enjoyed it too, especially the last chapter!
January 12, 2024
Autumn and I took turns reading this together as reading practice for her. It was a fun read.
November 20, 2024
I read this with my 4th grader and it was very enjoyable. Loved the author’s note at the end explaining that the story is loosely based on her grandmother’s life.
March 6, 2022
Great story! Too short! We loved the little surprise at the end 😉
September 13, 2017
Personal Response
Overall I think that this was a good book. I liked how the author thoroughly described scenes such as the view from the top of the mountain, the personality of the neighbor boy, Andy McPhale, and Ann Hamilton's ride with George Washington's personal doctor whom rode with him to the west, Dr. Craik. The pictures in this book are good and thoroughly describe the scenes in my opinion. Overall I rate the book "The Cabin Faced West," 4 stars.
Plot Summary
Ann Hamilton has packed up and gone out west with her busy family. Her older brothers Daniel & David can act as her annoying brothers at times but at others there like another dad to her. She also has a younger sibling who was just born not too long ago and must say in the cradle in the cabin during the day & needs constant care. Her father and brothers are always on a almost daily routine doing chores and farm work while her mother is always doing housework or visiting with the seldom neighbors. One day when Ann has ran away from the house down to the road shortly after they moved into the cabin, she sat down to write in her diary soon being annoyed by the neighbor Andy McPhale. After numerous short talks, Andy agrees that he wants to be taught how to spell-ecspecially his name. They soon began a "schooling lesson" on a daily basis. On another day when Ann walked down the road to pick black berries, some young men came across her. They asked if they could come for dinner and introduced themselves as thee George Washington, and his traveling crew. When the Hamilton's first moved to Hamilton Hill in the Western Country to meet their relatives, all Ann wanted to do was move back and found herself hating her new life. Now she loves it and wouldn't want to change it!
Recommendation
I recommend for people in the elementary grades to read this book considering that it is an easier book to read and that they would have more things to compare with to the story. I also recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about this time era, when people traveled west in their covered wagons to explore the new land for the country. This is a good book to read to children as well, even though it is a bit longer.
Overall I think that this was a good book. I liked how the author thoroughly described scenes such as the view from the top of the mountain, the personality of the neighbor boy, Andy McPhale, and Ann Hamilton's ride with George Washington's personal doctor whom rode with him to the west, Dr. Craik. The pictures in this book are good and thoroughly describe the scenes in my opinion. Overall I rate the book "The Cabin Faced West," 4 stars.
Plot Summary
Ann Hamilton has packed up and gone out west with her busy family. Her older brothers Daniel & David can act as her annoying brothers at times but at others there like another dad to her. She also has a younger sibling who was just born not too long ago and must say in the cradle in the cabin during the day & needs constant care. Her father and brothers are always on a almost daily routine doing chores and farm work while her mother is always doing housework or visiting with the seldom neighbors. One day when Ann has ran away from the house down to the road shortly after they moved into the cabin, she sat down to write in her diary soon being annoyed by the neighbor Andy McPhale. After numerous short talks, Andy agrees that he wants to be taught how to spell-ecspecially his name. They soon began a "schooling lesson" on a daily basis. On another day when Ann walked down the road to pick black berries, some young men came across her. They asked if they could come for dinner and introduced themselves as thee George Washington, and his traveling crew. When the Hamilton's first moved to Hamilton Hill in the Western Country to meet their relatives, all Ann wanted to do was move back and found herself hating her new life. Now she loves it and wouldn't want to change it!
Recommendation
I recommend for people in the elementary grades to read this book considering that it is an easier book to read and that they would have more things to compare with to the story. I also recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading about this time era, when people traveled west in their covered wagons to explore the new land for the country. This is a good book to read to children as well, even though it is a bit longer.
June 16, 2020
This looked to be in the same vein as Little House on the Prairie. It ended up being a cute, simple story.
I loved the scene when Arther Scott stays for supper, tells them about Valley Forge and George Washington, and how Ann interrupted a few times, and her brother Daniel gets mad. David, the fun-loving one, catches him complaining about Western manners. Their long-standing rule was that anyone complaining about the West would get cold spring water dumped on them. David realizes Daniel's complaining and innocently says "I haven't noticed anything wrong with Western ladies" to get him going, while he sneaks behind him with the water, which he then dumps on him. It was a funny scene.
I thought Andy McPhale was a character Ann might end up liking. It was cute how he'd spy on her and surprise her, and how he spied on her and Arthur and wouldn't come around while he was there.
I liked Arthur and didn't like how he moved so far away. I wanted him to live nearby. When Arthur leaves he tells her "Don't let that fire go out before I come back next spring" which was sweet.
When Arthur left for a while, Ann's dad has Andy and his dad help them with clearing land for farming.
Andy didn't want to have Ann teaching him his letters while Arthur was there, and didn't think she'd want him around while she had someone educated to talk to. He was glad when he left, cause he didn't like him. He was clearly jealous.
Ann teaches Andy the alphabet, and he scratches words in the dirt as he goes to work for her to correct, which he checks after work. With his lessons, he stood straighter and didn't hang his head, and didn't go around looking for a fight. Clearly learning gave him pride.
Another funny scene was her writing about Arthur and how he's seen George Washington and that she would be brave like Rachel Peck, who brought gingerbread cookies to the soldiers in the snow. She feels someone at her back, and turns to see her brother David staring innocently at the sky. He says "I declare it looks like snow. I believe you better bake a batch of gingerbread, Sister Ann."
After Arthur leaves, Andy writes Good Ridence in the dirt, and was watching from the bushes.
Andy's dad said he could go to school over the winter,& he said he'd be as eddicated as her Arthur Scott.
Ann saving the peas from the storm was her Rachel Peck moment. Her mother said she was brave, and that she couldn't get along without another female around.
The McPhales left to go east with Ann's Uncle John Hamilton. He tells her to look under the porch where he left her diary, saying he took it when he was mad. When he was hiding in the bushes and saw her angrily wipe his words away saying good riddance that Arthur was gone. It was pretty obvious it was Andy who took it.
He made a deerskin cover for her diary, which was really sweet. She said it looked like a frontier diary now.
I wondered just what the big event at the end would be, that makes them finally able to set out the good tablecloth and china for. Because it never was the right time for a party. I couldn't have been more shocked when there's riders coming up the road and it turns out to be General George Washington and his men. I thought oh boy, this is pretty unrealistic, and it turns out to be true!
Apparently Washington bought land out west, in Washington County, because he saw the value in the west. Land would be worth a lot there eventually. He couldn't move there, it didn't explain why, but he believed in the west and wanted to develop that side of the mountain.
Washington said if he was a young man, just starting out in the world, he'd want to live nowhere else but the west. He wanted to join the waters of the west and east, so that the two countries could be close together.
He said the future was traveling west with people like Ann, that it was the rising world to be kept or lost as a battlefield is kept or lost. That it's built "through the courage of young girls as much as anyone's." He said she'd live to see the whole country turn into farmland, with houses, barns and churches, someday. And that he envied her.
He used the phrase some day, what everyone always said that Ann hated. She ended up saying it too.
I liked the part where George Washington and Ann both wrote in their diaries of that day, although the author doesn't know if her great-great-grandma kept a diary. He wrote that he bated, took supper, with the Hamiltons. It's amazing they were mentioned in his diary, and that it's really true.
Then she gets a letter from her cousin Margaret saying she's gonna spend with spring and summer with their aunt and uncle on the hill, a short distance from Ann. Ann realizes what the phrase "my cup runneth over" means, and how pretty Hamilton Hill is and how she's happy there. So there was a good transformation for the MC, and character growth.
I can't believe Washington really stopped at their house. It's amazing Ann passed the story on to her children and grandkids. That Arthur Scott was real, and Ann grew to marry him. I did think she probably liked him. But then I feel bad for Andy, cause I think he liked her. But apparently Andy wasn't real.
David married their cousin Margaret. Daniel moved to Kentucky. The church was still there, where David said it would be built. That's incredible.
I want to know how everyone ended up, if Andy and his family will come back. I wish this was a series! It feels like there could still be stories to tell.
I liked learning how in the west, putting someone's name in a pot meant they were staying for dinner.
I thought it was odd her doll was spelled Samanthie instead of Samantha.
This ended up pretty cute. I loved the two funny scenes, I was smiling and laughing through them. It's amazing that not only was some of this true, but that it was the author's own great-great-grandmother's tale. I wish I had stories like this in my family!
I loved the scene when Arther Scott stays for supper, tells them about Valley Forge and George Washington, and how Ann interrupted a few times, and her brother Daniel gets mad. David, the fun-loving one, catches him complaining about Western manners. Their long-standing rule was that anyone complaining about the West would get cold spring water dumped on them. David realizes Daniel's complaining and innocently says "I haven't noticed anything wrong with Western ladies" to get him going, while he sneaks behind him with the water, which he then dumps on him. It was a funny scene.
I thought Andy McPhale was a character Ann might end up liking. It was cute how he'd spy on her and surprise her, and how he spied on her and Arthur and wouldn't come around while he was there.
I liked Arthur and didn't like how he moved so far away. I wanted him to live nearby. When Arthur leaves he tells her "Don't let that fire go out before I come back next spring" which was sweet.
When Arthur left for a while, Ann's dad has Andy and his dad help them with clearing land for farming.
Andy didn't want to have Ann teaching him his letters while Arthur was there, and didn't think she'd want him around while she had someone educated to talk to. He was glad when he left, cause he didn't like him. He was clearly jealous.
Ann teaches Andy the alphabet, and he scratches words in the dirt as he goes to work for her to correct, which he checks after work. With his lessons, he stood straighter and didn't hang his head, and didn't go around looking for a fight. Clearly learning gave him pride.
Another funny scene was her writing about Arthur and how he's seen George Washington and that she would be brave like Rachel Peck, who brought gingerbread cookies to the soldiers in the snow. She feels someone at her back, and turns to see her brother David staring innocently at the sky. He says "I declare it looks like snow. I believe you better bake a batch of gingerbread, Sister Ann."
After Arthur leaves, Andy writes Good Ridence in the dirt, and was watching from the bushes.
Andy's dad said he could go to school over the winter,& he said he'd be as eddicated as her Arthur Scott.
Ann saving the peas from the storm was her Rachel Peck moment. Her mother said she was brave, and that she couldn't get along without another female around.
The McPhales left to go east with Ann's Uncle John Hamilton. He tells her to look under the porch where he left her diary, saying he took it when he was mad. When he was hiding in the bushes and saw her angrily wipe his words away saying good riddance that Arthur was gone. It was pretty obvious it was Andy who took it.
He made a deerskin cover for her diary, which was really sweet. She said it looked like a frontier diary now.
I wondered just what the big event at the end would be, that makes them finally able to set out the good tablecloth and china for. Because it never was the right time for a party. I couldn't have been more shocked when there's riders coming up the road and it turns out to be General George Washington and his men. I thought oh boy, this is pretty unrealistic, and it turns out to be true!
Apparently Washington bought land out west, in Washington County, because he saw the value in the west. Land would be worth a lot there eventually. He couldn't move there, it didn't explain why, but he believed in the west and wanted to develop that side of the mountain.
Washington said if he was a young man, just starting out in the world, he'd want to live nowhere else but the west. He wanted to join the waters of the west and east, so that the two countries could be close together.
He said the future was traveling west with people like Ann, that it was the rising world to be kept or lost as a battlefield is kept or lost. That it's built "through the courage of young girls as much as anyone's." He said she'd live to see the whole country turn into farmland, with houses, barns and churches, someday. And that he envied her.
He used the phrase some day, what everyone always said that Ann hated. She ended up saying it too.
I liked the part where George Washington and Ann both wrote in their diaries of that day, although the author doesn't know if her great-great-grandma kept a diary. He wrote that he bated, took supper, with the Hamiltons. It's amazing they were mentioned in his diary, and that it's really true.
Then she gets a letter from her cousin Margaret saying she's gonna spend with spring and summer with their aunt and uncle on the hill, a short distance from Ann. Ann realizes what the phrase "my cup runneth over" means, and how pretty Hamilton Hill is and how she's happy there. So there was a good transformation for the MC, and character growth.
I can't believe Washington really stopped at their house. It's amazing Ann passed the story on to her children and grandkids. That Arthur Scott was real, and Ann grew to marry him. I did think she probably liked him. But then I feel bad for Andy, cause I think he liked her. But apparently Andy wasn't real.
David married their cousin Margaret. Daniel moved to Kentucky. The church was still there, where David said it would be built. That's incredible.
I want to know how everyone ended up, if Andy and his family will come back. I wish this was a series! It feels like there could still be stories to tell.
I liked learning how in the west, putting someone's name in a pot meant they were staying for dinner.
I thought it was odd her doll was spelled Samanthie instead of Samantha.
This ended up pretty cute. I loved the two funny scenes, I was smiling and laughing through them. It's amazing that not only was some of this true, but that it was the author's own great-great-grandmother's tale. I wish I had stories like this in my family!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 26, 2011
The Cabin Faced West is a nice little book about learning to endure hard things cheerfully, about the wonderful way a little thoughtful gesture of love can change a little girl’s despairing attitude, and the hope and vision of pioneering spirits.
I think it's a great book for K-4 readers. It is easy to grasp, well characterized, and full of short episodes that create the larger plot. And it’s the true story of the author’s great-grandmother. It would be a wonderful springboard for searching out similarly memorable stories from our own heritage.
I think it's a great book for K-4 readers. It is easy to grasp, well characterized, and full of short episodes that create the larger plot. And it’s the true story of the author’s great-grandmother. It would be a wonderful springboard for searching out similarly memorable stories from our own heritage.
January 20, 2014
Probably appropriate for 8 year olds and older. Story of a pioneer family who moves out West. Anne Hamilton, the daughter, has a hard time adjusting and misses her friends and the comforts of her old home. I love the description of the storm approaching, and the description of Ann's feelings of anger, loneliness, and how she slowly adjusts to the area. Some great adventures happen in this simple book telling a captivating story. I loved reading it. Jean Fritz also wrote Homesick: My Own Story, about her childhood in China.
July 28, 2013
Jaj de kedves történet ez! Nagyon jól döntöttem, hogy elolvastam, mivel nagyon tetszett az egész! Az ilyen történetek mindig boldogsággal töltenek el; Anne kedves, odaadó kislány, aki ahol tud megpróbál segíteni. A tájleírások nagyon tetszettek, és a "régi" Amerika megírását tökéletesen véghezvitte az írónő! Még egy kis történelem is van benne; főleg a vége volt nagyon aranyos, és az a legjobb az egészben, hogy ez egy igaz történet :)
January 12, 2018
A nice story of a young girl and her daily life after moving west with her family.
This story based on true events and soft words is quite a nice read. The feel of the book is soft and lightly breezy. I liked the way the auther entwined the adventures of daily life in a new p!ace with longing for past comforts. Ann misses school her female cousins kinship and yet is learning to love her new home so much .
This story based on true events and soft words is quite a nice read. The feel of the book is soft and lightly breezy. I liked the way the auther entwined the adventures of daily life in a new p!ace with longing for past comforts. Ann misses school her female cousins kinship and yet is learning to love her new home so much .
April 11, 2010
I loved this book as a kid and I read it often. I don't know why I loved it so much, but I still remember all the details and such. It was one of the only books I read over and over at that age. I suppose it was because I wanted to be that little girl who met George Washington. Anyhow, this book brings back fond memories.
May 27, 2013
I thought for a book where not much really happens, this was pretty good. The girl learns to find good in a situation that she didn't choose or want, and she sees that although life is not ideal, it is worthwhile and satisfying nonetheless.
All this in a younger reader's book, historical, based on read people, and interesting in its small details.
All this in a younger reader's book, historical, based on read people, and interesting in its small details.
February 9, 2016
This was based on real people and events in history. I love the lessons it teaches of having a good attitude and finding joy and fulfillment in hard work. My favorite part was when the mother realized that once in awhile its ok to stop and take a moment to just be with your child and help make their dream a reality, even if only for a moment.
June 9, 2017
This is a quick read for a child looking for an historical fiction, with characters from the author's family history, that offers a simple look at life on the western frontier, insights into some of the hardships as well as good times, and a real surprise ending if you don't read the jacket cover! A good choice for a children's book club.
March 4, 2018
Young Ann learns to love her new Pennsylvania home and meets George Washington.
This is a simple, old-fashioned book. Ann misses her friends and her former home and has trouble making the new place, with its struggle to thrive and violent storms, fit into her heart. This was published in 1958 but still holds up as a solid read.
This is a simple, old-fashioned book. Ann misses her friends and her former home and has trouble making the new place, with its struggle to thrive and violent storms, fit into her heart. This was published in 1958 but still holds up as a solid read.
July 12, 2018
Just finished reading this aloud to my kids (ages 7 & 5). They loved it and both gave it 5 stars, I suspect mainly because of the special guest appearance of General George Washington. What a treat to know that the author wrote this story based on her great-great-grandmother’s real-life experience! We enjoyed learning about Ann Hamilton and her family.
July 1, 2009
The one thing I thought was cool about this book was that I totally thought that the girl should marry a guy in the book (she was only ten at the time and he was 19) and at the end it said she did end up marrying him. (It's a true story.)
December 12, 2016
Another literary gem from Jean Fritz. Once again, she brings history to life in a interesting way. I loved this coming-of-age-in-the-new-frontier story reminiscent of Laura Ingalls. Especially neat is the "visitor" that Ann meets...what a cool ancestral history!!! Good read!
February 11, 2018
A colorful ride in the early days of the wild west. The pioneers laying down the path to a better life, planting vegetable patches and picking wild grapes. All from the eyes of Ann Hamilton, a young girl who misses her home in Gettysburg. Great and light read!
January 10, 2018
Provided us with the perfect bridge to travel westward in our American history journey-from the Revolutionary War to the time of pioneers. Simple and beautiful, I liked it far more than I expected. A quick read, but deeper than the plain words. Brought me to tears a few times!
October 3, 2011
Borrowed. It reminded me of the Little House books.
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