Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh I’m not sure what to say about this book since I haven’t figured out whether I really liked it or whether I just thought it was strange. The book is about Harriet, a little girl with a lot of character who keeps a notebook with a running dialogue of her thoughts about people and things that happen to her. One of Harriet’s favorite things to do is to spy on other people and take notes about them in her little notebook. Anyone and everyone is fair game and hilarity occasionally ensues. Harriet is definitely a spunky and intelligent main character, but at the same time she also comes across as quite bratty and mean. The plot is unique and not easily predictable, but because of the author’s stark writing style, it somehow becomes a little boring to read. Sometimes it is impossible to gauge how Harriet is feeling when the writing feels so distant and almost uncaring, though one could argue that this is because Harriet herself doesn’t always know how she feels about things. However, once the book ended, I realized that I missed Harriet and her notebook, and I guess that in itself is high praise for the book.

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