Module 2: Harriet the Spy

SLIS 5420 / Module 2 / January 21-28

Books for this module
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhough

Bibliography
Fitzhough, L. (2000). Harriet the Spy. New York: Delacorte Books for Young Readers.

Harriet the Spy
by Louise Fitzhough

Summary:
Harriet M. Welsch wants to be a writer. In order to achieve this goal she sets about writing down everything she sees everyday, both the good and the bad, in her green notebook. Unfortunately, Harriet's green notebook is found by her friends one day and Harriet's life is turned upside down as her painfully blunt comments are read aloud. This sets into motion a series of events that any child who has ever gone to school recognizes as Harrit stumbles about trying to stay true to herself as well as make amends.

Impressions:
I never read Harriet the spy as a child and was pleasantly surprised by how touched I was reading it as a 23 year old. I was almost brought to tears when Harriet lost Ole Golly, the only adult that truly understood her. I think that Harriet the Spy is such an enduring children's book because Louise Fitzhough has managed to capture universal aspects of childhood and growing up. From the sting of a friend's betrayal, that almost any reader can empathize with, to learning that making amends can sometimes mean humbling yourself, Harriet has many life lessons to impart. I would recommend this book to both children and adults in a flash.

Review:
School Library Journal
"Gr 3-6-Louise Fitzhugh's novel (HarperCollins, 1964), comes to life in this superbly narrated recording. Harriet M. Welsch, an intensely curious and intelligent 11-year-old, aspires to be a writer when she grows up. Encouraged by her nurse, Ole Golly, she practices for this future vocation by spying on people on her after-school route and writing about them in her secret notebook. She is a keen observer of all that goes on around her as she tries to make sense out of life. When her classmates find her notebook and read her painfully blunt comments about them, Harriet finds herself an outcast. Even her best friends, Sport and Janie, desert her. Harriet has to find a way to win back her friends without giving up her own individuality." (School Library Journal, July 1, 1999)

Library Setting:
Harriet the Spy would be a welcome addition to any middle school or elementary library since she is such a realistic protagonist that children can identify with. It might also be fun to include Harriet in a Public or School Library display about detectives, spys, and/or writers.

Reference Review: Elizabeth, B. (2012, June 1). School library journal. Retrieved from http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production/2012/06/12/top-100-childrens-novels-17-harriet-the-spy-by-louise-fitzhugh/
Image:
http://ca.pbsstatic.com/l/20/0120/9781557360120.jpg