With its cheery tone and fast-paced blend of fact and fiction, THE CABIN FACED WEST is the quintessential Jean Fritz book. It has all the earmarks of the award-winning author's other historical fiction books: a light, sprightly style, a dash of humor, and a dose of history.

The wild frontier of early pioneer life forms the backdrop for this story. Early on, Fritz illuminates the mind-set that permeated the new west: The back of Hamilton's cabin was "turned squarely against the East just as her father had turned his back." If there is one quibble, it is that no date is given to ground the story.

The artwork is wistful, especially when Ann Hamilton is shown in relation to the adults around her. Fritz paints her ancestor as a sympathetic character who uses pluck and intelligence as she struggles to surmount both homesickness and sibling conflict.

After reading about Ann's struggles and triumphs, one nine-year-old reader was hooked on the pint-sized heroine and asked for more "Ann stories." Instead, she settled on more Fritz stories: Why Don't You Get a Horse, Sam Adams? and Where Do You Think You're Going, Christopher Columbus?