Harriet the Spy

By Louise Fitzhugh

First published by HarperCollinsUS in 1964, this classic children’s novel has sold over 4 million copies and was awarded the New York Times Outstanding Book Award.

Sixth-grader Harriet attends school on the New York's Upper East Side along with her two best pals, Sport and Janie. After school every day, she takes her notebook and proceeds through her spy route. Harriet observes the rich lady who never gets out of bed; the man with twenty-five cats and the Italian family who runs a grocery store. She writes brutally honest notes on them all. Harriet's downfall is that she also writes notes about people she actually knows…

After a game in the park when her notebook is knocked out of her hands and read by her classmates, Harriet's innermost thoughts are revealed and she is shunned by all her classmates, who form the Spycatcher's Club. After her parents find out what's happened, Harriet receives a final, crushing blow. She is no longer allowed to take notes – her parents, her teacher and even the cook search her every day for a contraband notebook. Harriet's only consolation is the love and the wise advice of her nanny who manages to get her through this difficult period in her life.

A classic in the US where it was first published and a major motion film from Paramount, Harriet the Spy is a beloved book throughout the world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK
• Release date: May 5, 2016
• ISBN: 9780007393121

Book preview

The Borough PressThe Borough Press

Chapter One

HARRIET WAS TRYING to explain to Sport how to play Town. See, first you make up the name of the town. Then you write down the names of all the people who live in it. You can’t have too many or it gets too hard. I usually have twenty-five.

Ummmm. Sport was tossing a football in the air. They were in the courtyard of Harriet’s house on East Eighty-seventh Street in Manhattan.

Then when you know who lives there, you make up what they do. For instance, Mr Charles Hanley runs the filling station on the corner. Harriet spoke thoughtfully as she squatted next to the big tree, bending so low over her notebook that her long straight hair touched the edges.

Don’tcha wanta play football? Sport asked.

Now, listen, Sport, you never did this and it’s fun. Now over here next to this curve in the mountain we’ll put the filling station. So if anything happens there, you remember where it is.

Sport tucked the football under his arm and walked over to her. That’s nothing but an old tree root. Whaddya mean, a mountain?

That’s a mountain. From now on that’s a mountain. Got it? Harriet looked up into his face.

Sport moved back a pace. Looks like an old tree root, he muttered.

Harriet pushed her hair back and looked at him seriously. Sport, what are you going to be when you grow up?

You know what. You know I’m going to be a ball player.

Well, I’m going to be a writer. And when I say that’s a mountain, that’s a mountain. Satisfied, she turned back to her town.

Sport put the football gently on the ground and knelt beside her, looking over her shoulder at the notebook in which she scribbled furiously.

Now, as soon as you’ve got all the men’s names down, and their wives’ names and their children’s names, then you figure out all their professions. You’ve got to have a doctor, a lawyer—

And an Indian chief, Sport interrupted.

No. Someone who works in television.

What makes you think they have television?

I say they do. And, anyway, my father has to be in it, doesn’t he?

Well, then put mine in too. Put a writer in it.

OK, we can make Mr Jonathan Fishbein a writer.

And let him have a son like me who cooks for him. Sport rocked back and forth on his heels, chanting in singsong, And let him be eleven years old like me, and let him have a mother who went away and has all the money, and let him grow up to be a ball player.

Nooo, Harriet said in disgust. Then you’re not making it up. Don’t you understand?

Sport paused. No, he said.

Just listen, Sport. See, now that we have all this written down, I’ll show you where the fun is. Harriet got very businesslike. She stood up, then got on her knees in the soft September mud so she could lean over the little valley made between the two big roots of the tree. She referred to her notebook every now and then, but for the most part she stared intently at the mossy lowlands which made her town. Now, one night, late at night, Mr Charles Hanley is in his filling station. He is just about to turn out the lights and go home because it is nine o’clock and time for him to get ready for bed.

But he’s a grown-up! Sport looked intently at the spot occupied by the gas station.

In this town everybody goes to bed at nine-thirty, Harriet said definitely.

Oh – Sport rocked a little on his heels – my father goes to bed at nine in the morning. Sometimes I meet him getting up.

And also, Dr Jones is delivering a baby to Mrs Harrison right over here in the hospital. Here is the hospital, the Carterville General Hospital. She pointed to the other side of town. Sport looked at the left root.

What is Mr Fishbein, the writer, doing?

Harriet pointed to the centre of town. He is in the town bar, which is right here. Harriet looked down at the town as though hypnotised. Here’s what happens. Now, this night, as Mr Hanley is just about to close up, a long, big old black car drives up and in it there are all these men with guns. They drive in real fast and Mr Hanley gets scared. They jump out of the car and run over and rob Mr Hanley, who is petrified. They steal all the money in the gas station, then they fill up with gas free and then they zoom off in the night. Mr Hanley is all bound and gagged on the floor.

Sport’s mouth hung open. Then what?

At this same minute Mrs Harrison’s baby is born and Dr Jones says, ‘You have a fine baby girl, Mrs Harrison, a fine baby girl, ho, ho, ho.’

Make it a boy.

No, it’s a girl. She already has a boy.

What does the baby look like?

She’s ugly. Now, also at this very minute, on the other side of town, over here past the gas station, almost to the mountain, the robbers have stopped at a farmhouse which belongs to Ole Farmer Dodge. They go in and find him eating oatmeal because he doesn’t have any teeth. They throw the oatmeal on the floor and demand some other food. He doesn’t have anything but oatmeal, so they beat him up. Then they settle down to spend the night. Now, at this very minute, the police chief of Carterville, who is called Chief Herbert, takes a stroll down the main street. He senses something is not right and he wonders what it is …

"Harriet. Get up out of that mud." A harsh voice rang out from the third floor of the brownstone behind them.

Harriet looked up. There was a hint of anxiety in her face. Oh, Ole Golly, I’m not in the mud.

The face of the nurse looking out of the window was not the best-looking face in the world, but for all its frowning, its sharp, dark lines, there was kindness there. Harriet M. Welsch, you are to rise to your feet.

Harriet rose without hesitation. But, listen, we’ll have to play Town standing up, she said plaintively. That’s the best way came back sharply, and the head disappeared.

Sport stood up too. Why don’t we play football, then?

No, look, if I just sit like this I won’t be in the mud. So saying, she squatted on her heels next to the town. Now, he senses that there is something wrong—

How can he? He hasn’t seen anything and it’s all on the other side of town.

"He just feels it. He’s a very good police chief."

Well, Sport said dubiously.

So, since he’s the only policeman in town, he goes around and deputises everybody and he says to them, ‘Something is fishy in this here town. I feel it in my bones,’ and everybody follows him and they get on their horses—

"Horses!" Sport shrieked.

They get in the squad car and they drive around town until—

"Harriet." The back door slammed and Ole Golly marched squarely towards them across the yard. Her long black shoes made a slap-slap noise on the brick.

Hey, where are you going? asked Harriet, jumping up. Because Ole Golly had on her outdoor things. Ole Golly just had indoor things and outdoor things. She never wore anything as recognisable as a skirt, a jacket, or a sweater. She just had yards and yards of tweed which enveloped her like a lot of discarded blankets, which ballooned out when she walked, and which she referred to as her Things.

I’m going to take you somewhere. It’s time you began to see the world. You’re eleven years old and it’s time you saw something. She stood there above them, so tall that when they looked up they saw the blue sky behind her head.

Harriet felt a twinge of guilt because she had seen a lot more than Ole Golly thought she had. But all she said was, Oh, boy, and jumped up and down.

Get your coat and hurry. We’re leaving right now. Ole Golly always did everything right now. Come on, Sport, it won’t hurt you to look around too.

I have to be back at seven to cook dinner. Sport jumped up as he said this.

We’ll be back long before that. Harriet and I eat at six. Why do you eat so late?

He has cocktails first. I have olives and peanuts.

That’s nice. Now go get your coats.

Sport and Harriet ran through the back door, slamming it behind them.

What’s all the noise? spluttered the cook, who whirled around just in time to see them fly through the kitchen door and up the back stairs. Harriet’s room was at the top of the house, so they had three flights to run up and they were breathless by the time they got there.

Where’re we going? Sport shouted after Harriet’s flying feet.

I don’t know, Harriet panted as they entered her room, but Ole Golly always has good places.

Sport grabbed his coat and was out the door and halfway down the steps when Harriet said, Wait, wait, I can’t find my notebook.

Oh, whadya need that for? Sport yelled from the steps.

I never go anywhere without it, came the muffled answer.

Aw, come on, Harriet. There were great cracking noises coming from the bedroom. Harriet? Did you fall down?

A muffled but very relieved voice came out. I found it. It must have slipped behind the bed. And Harriet emerged clutching a green composition book.

You must have a hundred of them now, Sport said as they went down the steps.

No, I have fourteen. This is number fifteen. How could I have a hundred? I’ve only been working since I was eight, and I’m only eleven now. I wouldn’t even have this many except at first I wrote so big my regular route took almost the whole book.

You see the same people every day?

Yes. This year I have the Dei Santi family, Little Joe Curry, the Robinsons, Harrison Withers and a new one, Mrs Plumber. Mrs Plumber is the hardest because I have to get in the dumbwaiter.

Can I go with you sometime?

No, silly. Spies don’t go with friends. Anyway, we’d get caught if there were two of us. Why don’t you get your own route?

Sometimes I watch out my window a window across the way.

What happens there?

Nothing. A man comes home and pulls the shade down.

That’s not very exciting.

It sure isn’t.

They met Ole Golly waiting for them, tapping her foot, outside the front door. They walked to Eighty-sixth Street, took the cross-town bus, and soon were whizzing along in the subway, sitting in a line – Ole Golly, then Harriet, then Sport. Ole Golly stared straight ahead. Harriet was scribbling furiously in her notebook.

What are you writing? Sport asked.

I’m taking notes on all those people who are sitting over there.

Why?

Aw, Sport – Harriet was exasperated – "because I’ve seen them and I want to remember them." She turned back to her book and continued her notes:

MAN WITH ROLLED WHITE SOCKS, FAT LEGS. WOMAN WITH ONE CROSS-EYE AND A LONG NOSE. HORRIBLE LOOKING LITTLE BOY AND A FAT BLONDE MOTHER WHO KEEPS WIPING HIS NOSE OFF. FUNNY LADY LOOKS LIKE A TEACHER AND IS READING. I DON’T THINK I’D LIKE TO LIVE WHERE ANY OF THESE PEOPLE LIVE OR DO THE THINGS THEY DO. I BET THAT LITTLE BOY IS SAD AND CRIES A LOT. I BET THAT LADY WITH THE CROSS-EYE LOOKS IN THE MIRROR AND JUST FEELS TERRIBLE.

Ole Golly leaned over and spoke to them. "We’re going to Far Rockaway. It’s about three stops from here. I want you to see how this person lives, Harriet. This is my family."

Harriet almost gasped. She looked up at Ole Golly in astonishment, but Ole Golly just stared out the window again. Harriet continued to write:

THIS IS INCREDIBLE. COULD OLE GOLLY HAVE A FAMILY? I NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT IT. HOW COULD OLE GOLLY HAVE A MOTHER AND FATHER? SHE’S TOO OLD FOR ONE THING AND SHE’S NEVER SAID ONE WORD ABOUT THEM AND I’VE KNOWN HER SINCE I WAS BORN. ALSO SHE DOESN’T GET ANY LETTERS. THINK ABOUT THIS. THIS MIGHT BE IMPORTANT.

They came to their stop and Ole Golly led them off the subway.

Gee, said Sport as they came up on to the sidewalk, we’re near the ocean. And they could smell it, the salt, and even a wild soft spray which blew gently across their faces, then was gone.

Yes, said Ole Golly briskly. Harriet could see a change in her. She walked faster and held her head higher.

They were walking down a street that led to the water. The houses, set back from the sidewalk with a patch of green in front, were built of yellow brick interspersed with red. It wasn’t very pretty, Harriet thought, but maybe they liked their houses this way, better than those plain red brick ones in New York.

Ole Golly was walking faster and looking sterner. She looked as though she wished she hadn’t come. Abruptly she turned in at a sidewalk leading to a house. She strode relentlessly up the steps, never looking back, never saying a word. Sport and Harriet followed, wide-eyed, up the steps to the front door, through the front hall, and out the back door.

She’s lost her mind, Harriet thought. She and Sport looked at each other with raised eyebrows. Then they saw that Ole Golly was heading for a small private house which sat in its own garden behind the apartment house. Harriet and Sport stood still, not knowing what to do. This little house was like a house in the country, the kind Harriet saw when she went to Water Mill in the summer. The unpainted front had the same soft grey of driftwood, the roof a darker grey.

Come on, chickens, let’s get us a hot cup of tea. Ole Golly, suddenly gay, waved from the funny little rotting porch.

Harriet and Sport ran towards the house, but stopped cold when the front door opened with a loud swish. There, suddenly, was the largest woman Harriet had ever seen.

Why, lookahere what’s coming, she bellowed, looka them lil rascals, and her great fat face crinkled into large cheerful lumps as her mouth split to show a toothless grin. She let forth a high burbling laugh.

Sport and Harriet stood staring, their mouths open. The fat lady stood like a mountain, her hands on her hips, in a flowered cotton print dress and enormous hanging coat sweater. Probably the biggest sweater in the world, thought Harriet; probably the biggest pair of shoes too. And her shoes were a wonder. Long, long, black, bumpy things with high, laced sides up to the middle of the shin, bulging with the effort of holding in those ankles, their laces splitting them into grins against the white of the socks below. Harriet fairly itched to take notes on her.

Wherecha get these lil things? Her cheer rang out all over the neighbourhood. This the lil Welsch baby? That her brother?

Sport giggled.

No, it’s my husband, Harriet shouted.

Ole Golly turned a grim face. Don’t be snarky, Harriet, and don’t think you’re such a wit either.

The fat lady laughed, making her face fall in lumps again. She looks like dough, Harriet thought, about to be made into a big round Italian loaf. She wanted to tell Sport this, but Ole Golly was leading them in, all of them squeezing past that mountain of a stomach because the fat lady stood, rather stupidly, in the doorway.

Ole Golly marched to the teakettle and put a fire under it. Then she turned in a businesslike way and introduced them. Children, this is my mother, Mrs Golly. Mother – you can close the door now, Mother. This is Harriet Welsch.

Harriet M. Welsch, Harriet corrected.

You know perfectly well you have no middle name, but if you insist, Harriet M. Welsch. And this is Sport. What’s your last name, Sport?

Rocque. Simon Rocque. He pronounced it Rock.

Simon, Simon, hee, hee, hee. Harriet felt very ugly all of a sudden.

You are not to make fun of anyone’s name. Ole Golly loomed over Harriet and it was one of those times when Harriet knew she meant it.

I take it back, Harriet said quickly.

That’s better. Ole Golly turned away cheerfully. Now let’s all sit down and have some tea.

Waal, ain’t she a cute lil thing. Harriet could see that Mrs Golly was still hung up on the introductions. She stood like a mountain, her big ham hands dangling helplessly at her sides.

Sit down, Mother, Ole Golly said gently, and Mrs Golly sat.

Harriet and Sport looked at each other. The same thought was occurring to both of them. This fat lady wasn’t very bright.

Mrs Golly sat to the left of Harriet. She leaned over Harriet, in fact, and looked directly into her eyes. Harriet felt like something in a zoo.

Now, Harriet, look around you, Ole Golly said sternly as she poured the tea. I brought you here because you’ve never seen the inside of a house like this. Have you ever seen a house that has one bed, one table, four chairs, and a bathtub in the kitchen?

Harriet had to move her chair back to see around Mrs Golly, who leaned towards her, motionless,

Reviews for Harriet the Spy

[jfoster_sf · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Mystery about a girl who wants to be a spy and decides to practice by spying on all her friends and neighbors, but things turn nasty when someone finds one of the notebooks that has all of her spy-secrets in it.

[zoes_human · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a childhood favorite and will always hold a special place in my heart.

[valerieandbooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved Harriet the Spy as a kid -- I'm pretty sure it was one that I read several times back then.Recently, after 40 years or so (!), I revisited this book and I can definitely say that it is a very different experience reading as an adult. Then: I thought Harriet was so cool because she got to spy on her classmates, friends, and neighbors and record her observations in a notebook. The meanness amongst the kids (especially after they turn onto Harriet after discovering her notebook with nasty observations) were just a part of life back then -- not right, but cruelty was something we were somewhat resigned to in the days before "zero tolerance policies" were implemented in some schools. Now: Notice that Harriet lives in a tony part of Manhattan, and that her parents are socialites who often goes out to parties. Her dad has some kind of high-powered job and her mother is a housewife who frequently goes out to play bridge. Harriet frequently overhears them gossiping and making catty remarks about their friends -- possibly where she gets her mean streak. As a result, Harriet (an only child) is deeply attached to Ole Golly (who frequently quotes from Shakespeare and the classics), who is called a nurse in this book but actually a nanny. Harriet also interacts a lot with the live-in cook, whose name we never learn.As an adult, I "got" a lot of what was going on with the adults in this book that went completely over my head as a kid. I found that very interesting. But,definitely, the final message which is that one must be careful of sharing negative thoughts that might be hurtful to others, is an important one to both kids and adults. Especially in today's internet culture where there are trolls everywhere.

[suso711_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A childhood favorite

[emilyesears · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Harriet is my idol.

[karinlib-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A re-read. This book reminds me of summer reading. Watched the movie on Netflix, which I thought was pretty good.

[jadedog13 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

SOMETIMES I CAN'T STAND SPORT, WITH HIS WORRYING ALL THE TIME AND FUSSING OVER HIS FATHER, SOMETIMES HE'S LIKE A LITTLE OLD WOMAN. -Chapter 10, from Harriet's Spy Notebook Harriet wrote that about one of her best friends. Granted, she never expected him, or anyone else to read it, but still. I can forgive Harriet for what she writes in her notebook, but I can't forgive her bratty behavior. I remember loving this book as a kid and I was excited to read it again. I am doing a paper for graduate school about children's books (ages 9-12) with strong female protagonists. This book comes up often in lists on that subject. I have to say I was disappointed. I don't mind that Harriett doesn't follow all the rules, and I don't expect her to be a perfect little child. But I found her tantrums and acting out very annoying. I did some research on the internet and discovered that this book was often challenged and/or banned back in the 1960's, since "Harriet was a poor role model for children because she exhibited delinquent tendencies" (Harriet the Spy - (childrensbooks.about.com)). I also found her parents cold, distant, and completely oblivious throughout most of the book. When Ole Golly (Harriet's nurse/nanny) got married and left, they were at a loss as to how to raise their own child. If my experience (and those of my friends around my age) is any indication, this book appealed to children everywhere. The librarian I volunteer with even dressed up as Harriet the Spy and carried a notebook around when she was a kid. And she wasn't alone. Kids loved Harriet as a rebel character. They weren't bothered by her bratty behavior; they were inspired by her rebellious streak. In the end, I guess that's what is unique about this book. In a time when female characters in books were pretty, decorous, and obedient, Harriet went against the grain. She was herself, warts and all and she was unapologetic about it. She didn't want to go to dance school; she wanted to be a spy. Recommended to:Grades 3 - 5, kids who are rebellious or different and want to find a character they can relate to. Then again, in my opinion, there are books with more likable rebel girls out there.

[satyridae · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I vaguely remember reading this as a kid and not liking it much. I picked it up again last night and feel much the same. I don't find the characters engaging, in fact I think Harriet is an over-privileged little bucket of smarm stirred with entitlement & attitude. The ending is both improbable and unsatisfying.

[kscarlett01 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Harriet the Spy is about a typical young girl, except for the fact that she spies on everyone and writes everything down in a notebook that she carries around with her all the time. One day, Harriet's book ends up in the hands of her friends and they discover all of the things that she has been writing about them. Harriet must find a way to put her friendships back together. This book is great for teaching children about the consequences of gossiping.

[shookrl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Harriet is just a normal 6th grader who hates having to sit in school, does not like it when things don’t go her way and enjoys spending time with her friends except that she spies on everybody. Not even her friends or family, are safe from Harriet and her notebook. Harriet writes everything down - like why the new kid always wears purple socks and why the neighbor lady never gets out of bed. She carries the journal with her wherever she goes until one day it lands in the hands of the wrong people - her friends. The very friends she wrote mean things about. “Harriet the Spy” does a great job of discussing the consequences of gossip and the realities of middle school. It may be set in the 1960’s so where Harriet writes notes, modern day teens would text, but the lessons are the same - what happens when your friends find out you gossip about them? Are you writing for a purpose and if so, what is it? Recommended for ages 9 -14 and any aspiring writer out there, “Harriet the Spy” is a story like no other about growing up, being a good friend and consequences life hands you.

[casabooks · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

How did I miss this in 1964 ?
Can't believe I didn't read it and are there others in the series.
Longer than I thought it would be.
Great book - kids are awful, aren't they ? And then they grow to adults and here we all are with all our foibles and quirks.
HUGE reminder to never write down your snarky, mean thoughts and then get caught at it !

[ajbraithwaite_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Found this on one of those 'books every child should read' lists and then immediately downloaded it as an ebook from the library. I enjoyed it, although I'm sure I would have enjoyed it more when I was a child. The same list had 'Peter Pan' and 'Wind in the Willows' on it, neither of which I've enjoyed as an adult, so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised at being underwhelmed by this one.

[purlewe · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I never fell in love with Harriet the way other people do. Maybe it is just me, but I felt she was too mean. I felt it was authentic and a good idea of how kids act and react.. but it wasn't for me.

[anna.nash · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I am sad I didn't read this as a child. Harriet is exactly the kind of precocious character I loved to read about. Harriet is interested in everything. She is going to be a writer and is practicing by keeping a spy journal. When she loses it one day and the people she's been writing about see the cruel things she writes about them, including her best friends Sport and Janie, they start a Spy Catchers Club to make Harriet's life miserable. Harriet is a bit of a jerk and can be very unkind and retaliates out of anger and embarrassment, but what kid isn't a jerk sometimes? This is a great book for any kid who has ever done something they are sorry for and any kid who has felt rejected or like an outcast. This is a great classic that stands the test of time.

[breksarah · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the story of a young girl named Harriet and how she wishes to be a spy. She observes the things that go on in her neighborhood and takes notes. Eventually, she tries to solve a mystery, which may or may not land her in trouble.This is a fun book for 3-5 graders to read. It is captivating for young readers because you never know what Harriet will get into next.

[eidzior_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'm not even sure when exactly I first read this amazing book but it defined my childhood for sure. It was one of those books I read and dreamt of being like Harriet. I even went as Harriet the Spy for Halloween BEFORE, I might add, the stupid movie came out. Which, of course, I loved the movie because I mean, it was awesome. This book and Matilda = books I read over and over and over again.

[jenspirko · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Truly a classic -- one of the rare books that holds up well, decades after first reading. I highly recommend it for boys AND girls. Harriet is a wonderful protagonist, curious and independent, but also flawed. In other words: Real.

[danajean_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is one of my all-time favorites. As a child, I wanted to be just like Harriet, so I walked my neighborhood and observed. Although I never had the balls to actually hide in someone's dumbwaiter. Of course, I knew no one who even had a dumbwaiter, so I guess that's a mute point. Anyway, I then went home and wrote down my findings on index cards for my trusty card catalog. It was important that I be able to find, at a moments notice, exactly what I thought of the strange woman at the end of the street who was afraid of children and would come unglued if we touched her yard. It also inspired me to write my own How-to pamphlet titled: How to be a Spy. Yeah. That's right. I'm soooo original. Really a very lonely story that taught me to look outside myself and really see other people in a more compassionate way. Just a great book for children and adults alike.

[francescadefreitas · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I barely remember reading this book when I was little, but on rereading it, I realised how large an impact it must have made. Several ideas I hold dearly come almost directly from the main character.As well as going to school and hanging out with her friends, Harriet practices being a spy, writing down all of her observations. This leads to a conflict as she struggles with being completely honest, but still keeping her friends. Harriet is a wonderfully real eleven year old girl, with sweetness and a mean streak, with the need to slam doors and yell.The thing that made the book wonderful to me now is how easily it transported me back those days of my childhood, when afternoon lasted for ever, and there was always something interesting happening.

[alice443 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I positively loved this book as a child. I recently reread it and it still makes me laugh.

[mrsarey · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A classic young adult novel- this is the story of Harriet, who spies on friends and neighbors in order to make sense of the world around her. Trouble begins when she gets caught!

[harrietthespy_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I first read this book when I was eight years old. I read it again many years later for a class-"Library materials for children". Reading the book a second time really gave me more insight into the people that Harriet was spying on and how she viewed their lives. If you look at her friend, Sport, you realize that he may live with his father, but in fact, Sport is the father. Because his father drinks, or it is eluded to that he does, he must do the shopping, pay the bills, keep up the house. I didn't realize this at eight and that is why I recommend it so much. There are a lot of kids in the world like Sport and I think they can identify with him.

[jeriannthacker · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Harriet is a privileged 11 year old growing up in New york City. She keeps a journal, where she records observations that help her practice for her future career in spying. When Harriet's notebook is found by her friends, she realizes that even secret thoughts can get her into trouble.Note: Sequoyah Book Award Winner, made into a movie by Nick Films.

[eheleneb3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This young-adult book is the book that made me want to be a writer. Harriet is a eccentric, notebook-toting little girl in New York City. She has an obsessive habit of jotting down her impressions of friends, family, teachers, innocent-bystanders and neighbors, among others, in this notebook. She also manages to maintain a regular spy route, on which she observes people whose lives she finds interesting, taking meticulous and insightful notes the entire time. The true test of Harriet's character comes when her notebook gets stolen and her friends and classmates read what she has writen about them. It forces her to grow and mature in a way she did not believe she was prepared for, but she is all the better for it in the end. I would recommend this book to anyone, whether an adult or child, or somewhere in between.

[amzzz_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book when I read it as a kid, unfortunately I can barely remember it now :( I'll have to give it a reread!

[nikkles_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Harriet the Spy is one of the best children's books out there. The story is both humors and touching. Harriet is a very engaging and endearing young heroine. While this book is probably more for a female audience, I don't see why boys wouldn't also enjoy the story since it is so well written.

[kates_568896 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of the best books of all time. From its pages comes one of my mottos: Harriet saying, "I want to know everything, everything!"

[t1bclasslibrary · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Harriet writes everything down in her notebook, but, as a sixth grader she has plenty of insight into the faults of others, but little common sense socially. She writes down everyone’s faults in great length, and then they finally read the notebook and she what she’s written and attack her until Harriet lashes out at them. Her teacher finally gives a chance for her to use her writing for good (sort of), and she finally gets her friends back.

[emilyhill_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved all these books as a kid. I was harriet the spy for a little bit, kept a notebook and all.

[jlharmon · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I thought by picking this children’s book, it would be fun/funny and quick. I have to say it was more serious and went a little deeper than I expected. I remember liking the movie when it came out, but I don’t remember if I ever read the book. The book follows Harriet, who wants to be a spy when she grows up. So she gets a notebook and writes down observations about the people she spies on. And she spies on people by following them and looking in windows and even climbing into dumbwaiters.

When I started reading I expected kids pretending to be spies and learning life lessons about being kind. I guess those things happened. But there were tons of other life lessons there. About doing what you love, and having to do things like dancing lessons even if you think they are dumb because they will be good for you in the future. I love how Harriet struggles with questions of privilege and affluence even if she doesn’t quite figure everything out. At least by paying attention to details she at least thinks about other people.

But I also have to say that even as Harriet learns that not everyone has the same life goals as she does, even as she learns that not everyone goes to private lessons and has a nanny, I don’t think she ever really gets out of the upper-class mentality. Harriet being spoiled never really changed. I also thought the drama and reactions of Harriet and her friends were childish, but I remember what it was like in middle school, so I’d say this is pretty realistic. I like to judge books based on who they are meant for, and this book is not meant for a jaded 20-something. It’s meant for a kid just now trying to figure out how to behave in society without parental supervision. I think it does a good job of showing the consequences of letting your unfiltered thoughts into the world. Harriet still has a lot of growing up to do, but I think this book really shows her learning how to behave more like an adult and learning to think complexly about the world and the people in it.