Harriet the Spy
by Louise Fitzhugh
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Book Reviews of Harriet the Spy
Book Review: I am Ole Golly.
Summary: 5 Stars
If, like me, you find yourself on a journey to reread the beloved books of your childhood then I have a warning for you: Beware Harriet the Spy!
As a child, I loved Harriet. I identified with Harriet. Heck, sadly for me, I even looked like Harriet. I haven't picked this book up at all as an adult. I don't know what I expected to find, but it wasn't this.
I am Ole Golly. I am a childless middle aged woman who is given to reading too much and who is blessed with a limited amount of affectionate patience. Seriously. It frightened me.
And you know what? The book is quite a bit darker than I remember. Alienation, bullying, lack of opportunity, class differences, sexism-- you name it, Harriet the Spy has got it. Which isn't to say it isn't funny and true, because it is. The best books for children are often pretty dark, so I guess it shouldn't be a surprise.
Very much recommended. Certainly as a reread, at least.
Book Review: Children's book at it's best
Summary: 4 Stars
Louise Fitzbaugh's book involves an 11 year old girl with a fiercely independent streak who doesn't realize how dependent on others she actually is. Her goal is to become a world famous spy and considers herself "working" when she wanders around the city spying on others and recording all of her observations in her notebook. What she discovers through her travels is how others can be hurt by her words and also how much she needs her friends and family despite her initial opinion that she needs no one but herself.
Fitzbaugh's writing pulls the reader into the story and allows you to identify with exactly what the main character, Harriet, is experiencing and feeling. It is a perfect encapsulation of exactly how a girl that age is feeling and the range of emotions young girls deal with as they are trying desparately to join the adult world while retaining their childhood fun.
This book will be enjoyed by readers of all ages.
Book Review: A must-read for kids 9-12! Highly enjoyable.
Summary: 4 Stars
As many teachers do, I try to preview and read books before I introduce them into the classroom. This summer I read a slew of books and really enjoyed Harriet the Spy. It was written like nothing I have ever read before. Harriet is a different breed altogether. She is going through great changes in her life and is not even that likable as a person. However, she is very real. Her situations and her explorations are strange, unique and funny. I wish I had read this in the fifth grade! I really think that my students are going to love and enjoy it when I read this book out loud to them this coming school year.
You'll enjoy Harriet's spying escapades, the characters she views and writes in her journal about and her outlook on friends and family. The other characters in the book are equally off-beat, real and hilarious. Harriet the Spy is a masterpiece of children's literature and one to be enjoyed for years to come I hope.
Book Review: A cool mystery book for kids and adults
Summary: 5 Stars
I didn't know this book is old, unless I forgot it, lol, but my siblings and I went to Barnes & Noble and I wanted a mystery book but that didn't have like murders and such hard topics. Something light and fun, and I'm glad I found it. "Harriet the Spy."
This book is a fun and entertaining read. It's original and enjoyable for people of all ages. However, I do recommend parents to read this book first before giving it to a child because this book contains some negativity which could give children bad ideas to use, such as bullying, mimic Harriet's negative writing, etc. As adults, well, no problem because we all know what is right and wrong... and hopefully you do what's right, lol, but this is a good read to pass the time or if you are a book nerd like me. :D
As Levar puts it in "reading rainbow", "You don't have to take my word for it. ;)
Book Review: Good points and bad.
Summary: 2 Stars
Harriet is not a nice little girl. She seems to have some serious problems, most of them probably having to do with the fact that her parents don't seem to know how to raise a child--they seem to either ignore her or smother her.
However, the plot, although full of rather unpleasant events and attitudes, is realistic. People do behave that way, and talk that way, and to try to wrap your child up in a cocoon where they are insulated from everything negative and disagreeable is not a good idea. The child will, sooner or later, encounter people or events like this in real life, and having first done so in fiction s/he will be forearmed. I wouldn't advise feeding a child a literary diet only of this sort of story, but as a part of a balanced literary diet, it is certainly worthwhile.