Harriet, the Spy

by Louise Fitzhugh

Book Overview

Harriet, would-be writer and avid observer of life, records everything she sees and hears . . . until her notebooks fall into the wrong hands. Bursts with life . . . a tour de force.--School Library Journal. ALA Notable Children's Book; New York Times Outstanding Children's Book.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060219106
• ISBN13: 9780060219109
• Release Date: January 1985
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Length: 300 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.7" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

There's a girl who leads a life of danger

I have a theory about "Harriet the Spy". I suspect that no adult that read this book once (and only once) as a child remembers it correctly. For example, if you had asked me, prior to rereading it, what the plot of "Harriet the Spy" was, I could have summed it up like so: Harriet the Spy is about a girl who wants to be a spy. She spies on lots of different people and writes in a notebook, but one day all her friends read the notebook and none of them like her anymore. That is the plot of "Harriet the Spy". And I would be half right. Surprising to me, I found I was forgetting much much more.In truth, "Harriet the Spy" is about class, loss, and being true to one's own self. Harriet M. Welch (the M. was her own invention) is the daughter of rather well-to-do socialites. Raised by her nurse Ole Golly until the ripe old age of eleven, Harriet must come to terms with Ole Golly's eventual abandonment. Ole Golly marries and leaves Harriet to her own devices just as the aforementioned tragedy involving her friends and the notebook occurs. The combination of the nurse's disappearance from Harriet's life (leaving behind such oh-so helpful pieces of advice as, "Don't cry", and the like) and the subsequent hatred directed at Harriet by her former friends makes Harriet into a veritable she-devil. A willful child from the start (punishments are few and far between in the Welch family) Harriet slowly spirals downward until a helpful note from Ole Golly gives her the advice she needs to carry on.So many things about this book appeal to kids. The realistic nature of peer interactions is one. Harriet randomly despises various kids, even before her notebook is read. After making their lives terrible, she eventually has to experience what they themselves have had to deal with. Author Louise Fitzhugh is such a good writer, though, that even as you disapprove of Harriet's more nasty tendencies you sympathize with her. Honestly, who would want ink dumped down their back? As Harriet observes various people on her spy route, she writes her observations about them as well as about life itself. She hasn't quite figured out the differences between her life and the life of her best friend Sport (the son of an impoverished irresponsible writer) though she does briefly ponder if she herself is rich (the fact that she has her own private bath, nurse, and family cook never quite occurs to her). On the whole, the book contains a multitude of wonderful characters. Harriet's parents are both amusing and annoying, completely dedicated to their daughter and completely clueless about her needs. I was especially shocked by a section of the book in which Harriet asks her mother if she'll be allowed to eat dinner with her parents that night. Gaah!Accompanying the text are Fitzhugh's own meticulous line drawings. They're fantastic and eerie. Combined with this timeless story (timeless in all the good ways) the book deserves its status as one of the best books for ch

Harriet and the Night-Time Sky

When I was ten years old, my teacher was Mrs Stanley. Mrs Stanley (like all great teachers) refused to teach us what she was told to teach us. Instead she taught us what she felt we ought to know. One of the things she felt we ought to know was "Harriet the Spy." Harriet the Spy is Harriet M. Welsh, a little girl who keeps a notebook in which she writes thoughts and observations about her friends and the people around her. She also has a spy route made up of six or seven houses she passes on the way to and from school each day. She writes about the houses on her spy route in the notebook each day also.As a kid, you can understand the desire to peer in windows and you can share Harriet's frustration with grown-ups, what they say, what they don't say, all that. As a kid, you share the sense of isolation visited upon Harriet when her notebook falls out of her bag and is read by all the people in her class. You also share the good times and the laughs, of which there are many, with her. When you are a kid, you read "Harriet the Spy" and it's the story of a little girl whose world falls apart for a little while and then appears to be on the mend. Years later, I read the book again (sort of glimpsed through half-closed eyes, thinking: this will not be as good as I remembered). You know what? It is every bit as good reading the book as a (so-called) adult as it was reading the book as a kid. Since then I get through "Harriet the Spy" at least once a year. It has become a kind of tradition with me. My little girl is even named after her. "Harriet the Spy" is a golden classic. There are not many books like this. The five star rule goes out of the window. Other books you can measure with stars. Harriet the Spy is like the night-time sky. There are too many stars to count.

Various Things

When I was in the the 3rd grade, my teacher read a variety of books to us in class, one of which being Harriet The Spy. I can honestly say it changed my life. I was new in this class (I arrived in March of that year, 1990) and felt very lonely. Harriet's alienation from her classmates was something I could relate to. I loved the book then and I love it now. It was first read to me ten years ago (almost to the day) and I decided to become a writer after experiencing the book (way back in 3rd grade). I love this book and The Long Secret. Harriet The Spy deals almost exclusively with Harriet and her emotions while The Long Secret focuses a bit more on Beth Ellen and her perceptions of the world (including those of Harriet, which are certainly interesting). I love these books. I used to spy on my neighbors all the time when I was a kid and keep spy notebooks. I'd recommend Harriet The Spy and The Long Secret to anyone since they're kids books that literally any age group can enjoy.

Harriet - Delightful at 12, Still a Riot at 30-something

I first read this book when I was about 12 - and found it funny, clever, and wonderful. I still read it every few years - to the same result. It never ceases to make me laugh and to contemplate the lessons Harriet learned on her "spy route" and in her other adventures. Harriets own notes are included, with hilarious observations and an occasional honest emotion - growing pains. The characters are smashing, with great names like Pinky Whitehead (a boy). I've since met people I'd swear were the prototypes for the characters. Every now and then I see myself in one, and it gives me reason to pause and say "Oh no! I remind myself of(insert character here)! I need to clean up my act!" One of my all-time favorite books - so refreshing. (Do, however, avoid the sequel, "The Long Secret." Atrocious.)