Module 2: Harriet the Spy

Image retrieved from Amazon.com

Book Summary: From the beginning, we learn that Harriet is a precocious, observant child who likes to know people's stories and who has many questions about the world. She has two best friends, Sport and Janie, and she is very attached to her nurse, Ole Golly, who has lived with Harriet since she was born. Harriet has a spy route that she travels everyday after school where she spies neighbors she finds interesting undetected and takes notes on them, as well as her classmates and family members, in her notebook. Ole Golly leaves to get married and moves away, and Harriet is devastated. Not too much later, Harriet's classmates find her notebook and discover some mean things she has written about them, thinking no one would ever see them. The classmates band together against Harriet, and Harriet finds herself at war with literally everyone else in the sixth grade. Meanwhile, her parents and teachers try to keep her from writing in light of all that is happening. After a letter from Ole Golly and a trip to see a psychiatrist, Harriet's parents and teachers find a way for her to channel her talent by writing for the school paper, and Harriet's real friends come back to her after a carefully drafted and sincere apology.

APA Reference: 

Fitzhugh, L. (2000). Harriet the spy. New York: Delacorte Press. 

(original copyright date 1964)

Impressions: I thought this was a wonderfully original, complex story about a girl growing up and entering adolescence without being overtly a coming of age story. It dealt with loss, finding one's way, finding one's true friends, and how to deal with difficult situations and how to relate to others all through a refreshingly true-to-life story. I particularly enjoyed how the message of the book was not what I thought it was going to be. I thought, somewhere in the middle of the story, that Harriet was going to learn not to write her every candid thought for fear of hurting someone's feelings, but the lesson was much more about navigating the complexities of relationships. The real moral of the story, in my opinion, was about finding one's place in the world and learning to say goodbye. The spy element of it also really added to Harriet (and by extension, the reader) learning about how people move through their everyday lives and deal with their feelings and the things that happen to them. I was overwhelmed by the genius of this book.

Professional Review:  

"The character of Harriet M. Welsch, aspiring writer and neighborhood spy, remains as original as she was when this novel was first published, helping to usher in a new age of modern realistic fiction. Though never out of print, the novel now has a different publisher, still containing Fitzhugh's own black-and-white illustrations, and stands as a testament to the author's unique creative vision."

Fitzhugh, Louise: Harriet the spy [Review of the book Harriet the spy, by L. Fitzhugh].                 (2001). The Horn Book Guide, 12(2), 305. 

Library Uses: This book could be used for a library challenge in which, after reading the book, students keep notebooks or journals where they take notes and write down observations about people and things they see in their everyday lives. These notes could be turned into stories, like Harriet does in the book, and the stories could be published at school, displayed in the library, or used as part of a contest (write so many and receive a reward, etc.).