Eleven-year-old Harriet M. Welsch is an aspiring writer who lives with her family in New York City's ritzy Upper East Side. She loves to write, and her goal is to one day become a novelist. She is encouraged by her nanny, Ole Golly, to keep a journal about her everyday life, and Harriet fills her journal with observations about her classmates, friends, and the people she sees in her neighborhood every day.

Much of what she writes focuses on her two best friends, Sport and Janie. Sport is a serious young man who wants to be a ball player or an accountant; Janie is very academic and aspires to be a scientist.

Harriet was very close to Ole Golly and is devastated when she leaves for good (got married). Her parents, who have been largely absent in her life due to both work and social commitments, find it difficult to understand Harriet's feelings of loss, and Harriet finds little solace from them.

Later at school, Harriet loses her notebook during a game of tag. Her classmates find it and read it, and are absolutely appalled by her brutally honest observations about them. For example, she states that Sport is like a little old woman because he is in charge of cleaning and cooking at home—this is because his mother left and his father is preoccupied with getting his novel published, so his best friend's observations deeply hurt Sport's feelings. Harriet's classmates, Sport and Janie included, form a Spycatcher Club whose chief purpose is to think of ways to make Harriet's life miserable. They steal her lunch, spill ink on her and pass notes about her to each other.

Harriet decides to try to resume her friendship with Sport and Janie as if nothing ever happened. Both reject her overtures of friendship so Harriet devotes all of her time to writing in her notebook, even writing during class as part of her plan to punish the Spycatcher Club. Harriet skips school and spends days in bed at home, growing depressed, and because she is not paying attention to her schoolwork, her grades suffer. This leads her parents to confiscate her notebook, but this only serves to make Harriet even more depressed. Harriet's mother takes her to see a psychiatrist who advises them to contact Ole Golly and ask her to write Harriet a letter.

Harriet's parents speak with her teachers and the school principal, and it is decided that Harriet will replace Marion as Editor of the class newspaper. The newspaper features stories about her fellow students' parents, and the people she sees daily on her spy route. It is an overwhelming success. Harriet also prints an apology in the form of a retraction, which placates Marion, and repairs her friendship with Sport and Janie, who both forgive her. ( )

Harriet the Spy Written by Louise Fitzhugh

Harriet the Spy has a secret notebook that she fills with utterly honest jottings about her parents, her classmates, and her neighbors. Every day on her spy route she "observes" and notes down anything of interest to her:

I BET THAT LADY WITH THE CROSS-EYE LOOKS IN THE MIRROR AND JUST FEELS TERRIBLE.

PINKY WHITEHEAD WILL NEVER CHANGE. DOES HIS MOTHER HATE HIM? IF I HAD HIM I'D HATE HIM.

IF MARION HAWTHORNE DOESN'T WATCH OUT SHE'S GOING TO GROW UP INTO A LADY HITLER.

But when Harriet's notebook is found by her schoolmates, their anger and retaliation and Harriet's unexpected responses explode in a hilarious way.

A counterculture children's novel that may be an acquired taste for some, like, for example, the Catcher in the Rye, but nonetheless unique and potentially avant-garde for its time. Its rebellious kookiness fits in perfectly with the estranged youth of the 60s, paving the way for kaleidoscopic Beatlemania, and Harriet's cocky stride on the iconic cover is the perfect bookend to Abbey Road. I didn't enjoy this novel much at first and thought its humour tasteless and crude, but when everything started to unravel about halfway through, after Harriet loses her notebook, I was forced to reassess my initial opinion. You don't really know the real Harriet till she hits rock bottom, and then you get to see just how emotionally blunted she has become as a result of her buried intelligence. Without a facet through which to express herself, Harriet becomes nothing but a vegetable (literally, an onion), and it takes Ole Golly's alternative methods to bring her back to herself. ( )

A re-read after many years. Good characterisation - the children are realistically flawed and the protagonist has difficulties relating to others and understanding why they are offended by the comments made about them in her notebook. In some respects, it is the portrayal of a privileged child who is neglected by her parents and has received her rather amoral values from her nurse/nanny. Crisis occurs when said nurse leaves and Harriet's notebook is read by her classmates. I did find the resolution a bit glib where she is rehabilitated by being given the class news page to edit. I'm sure parents wouldn't be pleased by the suggestion in her ex-nurse's letter that she should either apologise or lie - which Harriet does by placing a formal statement on the class paper that anything people read that upset them was a lie and is apologised for, when this apology is of course a lie in itself. ( )

Harriet the Spy es una novela infantil escrita e ilustrada por Louise Fitzhugh que se publicó en 1964 . Se le ha llamado "un hito en la literatura infantil" y un "clásico". [3] [4] En los EE. UU., ocupó el puesto número 12 en los 50 mejores libros para niños y el número 17 en las 100 mejores novelas para niños en dos listas generadas en 2012. ( )

Eleven-year-old Harriet M. Welsch knows exactly what she wants to be when she grows up. A spy. She’s already practicing, wearing spy clothes and carrying a notebook on her spy route. The adult she listens to is Ole Golly, her nurse. Ole Golly told Harriet that she needs to get out in the world and see lots of people, because there are as many ways to live as there are people, and Harriet needs to decide how she wants to live. I don’t think Ole Golly meant for Harriet to break into people’s homes and businesses, but that’s what Harriet does. Harriet’s world falls apart when Ole Golly leaves and, shortly afterward, Harriet’s lost notebook is found and read by her classmates.

I didn’t read this book as a child, and I don’t think it would have appealed to me then. I was not a snooper as a child, and I avoided the children who were. Harriet’s breaking and entering bothered me. The bullying Harriet experienced after her classmates read her lost notebook was even more troubling, as were Harriet’s payback fantasies. It’s obvious to the reader that Harriet is a budding writer. It takes a child psychiatrist to point out the obvious to Harriet’s parents, who then enlighten Harriet’s teachers and Ole Golly. ( )

If I’d read this as a kid I would have struggled with the incessant meanness and how this bully of a main character never really changes her behavior or shows any sort of remorse, and in fact, she’s rewarded for being horrible. I doubt my child self would have been cool with any of that, especially since I could totally have seen myself as a Harriet target.

Reading this an adult however, I guess I was able to take this less seriously or personally than I likely would have as a sensitive kid, and while plenty of Harriet’s actions had me cringing and I did wish to see more of a comeuppance for her than she received, admittedly, I found Harriet entertaining.

Harriet’s obsession with tomato sandwiches was so odd that it couldn’t help feeling funny. Equally odd is reading something that’s considered a children’s classic constantly thinking okay here’s the moment when Harriet’s going to understand how hurtful she is and become apologetic, only this girl continuously doubles-down with her awfulness, her answer to everything seems to be I’ll do worse, that’ll teach them. It’s so unexpected to read a children’s book where basically no lessons are learned, combine that with Harriet’s brazen persistence in being horrible and you get something a little amusing and a bit dark, with an entirely unique feel to it. If you can get on board with the villain winning then this is a twisted sort of enjoyable, just, you know, don’t dwell on how miserable it would be to tangle with someone like Harriet in real life. ( )

Harriet the Spy is an interesting read. The idea of a child who spends her time spying on people is strange. Harriet has some friends but not many, probably due to her standoffish nature. Her parents are there but hardly around so this might contribute to her behaviors. Harriet keeps a journal where she talks about many people, including her friends. I was somewhat happy that it was found and read by her friends, however, she didn't receive any punishment and did not feel sorry for hurting her friend's feelings. This was a point in the book that I definitely disagreed with. ( )

Stopped about half way. I think that's enough to feel comfortable giving it a one star. If it doesn't suck me in by then... ( )

Two stars. I read this so often as a kid that the pages warped and for some reason, quickly yellowed. Inspired and eager to be cool, I too began keeping a crudely-stapled notebook and mispronounced 'dossier.' I got into quite a bit of trouble when my teacher, too, found the notebook. Remembering this, I was interested in reading the book as an adult.
Harriet is a rude, obnoxious, judgmental brat, and I spent 95% of the book wondering what was wrong with this kid. 'Unreliable narrator' doesn't begin to cover it--no child talks like that, even private school ones! No teacher responds that way to a child unless--I just--(shakes head). I have to see the movie now to find out what really happened through a POV that's not from such an odd child. And I -was- an odd child, but not like this. She does break and enter, and she does engage in voyeuristic activity. It's not espionage; that is something altogether different and giving a boundary-breaking child too much credit. And yet, I couldn't put the book down.
I have rarely read anything as an adult so hypnotizingly strange, especially because the writing style was so simplistic and bare. It's--odd. I laughed a lot in places that weren't meant to be funny because it was just weird. When I picked up the book from the library, I expected to like it as much as I did upon first read (I was ten). Upon reading the inside flap, I guffawed and swore at the protagonist, understanding this might be a wild ride. I wasn't looking forward to being inside her head. I was really glad when the book ended. ( )

As an adult not particularly enjoy mystery books but as a child I loved them and Harriet the Spy was one that I read over and over. Harriet is a very relatable character and and so clever I loved her as a child. The movie version of this book is quite god also. ( )

(see copy 2; re-read 2019-08-18) ( )

I know I loved this book when I was around 8-10, but now 20-something years later, I find myself disappointed and confused. I found the book to be less about Harriet's discoveries while spying and more about the mean thoughts she wrote in her notebooks. Once her friends and classmates take her notebook and see the terrible things she's written about them, they're understandably pissed and isolate Harriet. I know there's a lesson here - obviously, Harriet has to face the consequences for her actions. But I didn't get the impression that Harriet learned much. She's a bit of a jerk and rather than admitting to herself that some of what she wrote was unnecessarily mean, she considers everything to be facts. I also think she could have used more than one therapy session and parents who were more involved in her life. I know that Harriet's situation is a reality for some kids, but I just didn't get what the point of this book was. It think I remember more from the movie than from this book, because my expectations were different. It all felt a little pointless. Maybe I'm missing something, but usually middle-grade that deals with tough lessons really appeals to me. It's not one I'll be picking up again, sadly. ( )

I have taken up the habit of periodically of reading children's books or something aimed at a pre-teen audience. Sometimes it is something I read growing up, or that I might have read, but don't remember reading. I focus on the classics to see what I might have missed as a kid whose reputations have survived the years. I rarely find I dislike anything of this type that I read, and some of them I love. Harriet the Spy falls into the latter category. I had never heard of Harriet the Spy until reading Julie's, a GR friend, review.

Harriet is quite intelligent. Like many intelligent people, she struggles to interact socially with others not so gifted. She sees a lot in the world around her that she considers "dumb" and meets a lot of people in that world that she views as "dumb". While this perspective can come across as very negative and hurtful, this is not Harriet's intention, but she has to deal with the consequences. I wish I had read this at eleven years of age. The insights provided by the story would have been very valuable for me at that age, but even today are not wasted on me.

I always enjoy learning about any new author I come across. Louise Fitzhugh died at 46. I am sad that her years were so short, but I am happy she left us such a gift.



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Harriet likes to pretend that she is a spy. She watches people after school and writes down what she sees them doing. She does this with strangers and friends. After her notebook is taken by her classmates one day, they discover that she has been writing about them. They become hurt and turn their backs on her. I believe this would be a good book for children because they can relate to Harriet and how she likes to play pretend. They can also learn how this can feel invading to some people, and they shouldn't be doing something they know can make other people uncomfortable.

Harriet M. Welsch is an eleven year old kid who ultimately wants to be a famous writer. She has been told in order to be an accomplished author, she needs to write a lot; she needs to write about anything and everything she sees. As a result, she is a spying, nosy, snotty, opinionated little brat with harsh criticisms about everyone she stalks. Maybe this is the adult in me being annoyed, but I found Harriet to be mean spirited to the point of shocking, and she gets worse before she gets better! I almost drew the line when she would spy on people from inside their own home. She comes from money (she has a cook and a nanny; cake and milk everyday) while her friend Sport, of the same age, has to be the one to manage the family finances and make his own lunch, among other things. We cannot forget creepy mad scientist friend June who wants to blow up things.
And. Speaking of blowing up things. All hell breaks loose when Harriet's classmates get ahold of her beloved "work," a notebook where she has been keeping very detailed notes on everyone she spies upon. The only problem is she never writes anything nice or complimentary. Like I said, it's all super mean. ( )

I'm not sure what I think of this book. It's readable, but I don't think it will leave a lasting impression on me. ( )

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Its about a girl, Harriet, who is a spy. A great read for kids over 2nd grade.

This chapter book is a classic but it is one that may be one that is not as relevant in the 21st century. The chapters in the book follow the story of Harriet and her spy route. She writes down her observations of the people who she sees regularly and of all new people that she meets. She takes it too far though as she will hide and invade people's privacy. This book may not make sense to younger students in today's society as kids are so use to the internet and privacy on the internet. This would most definitely lead to discussions about privacy and the line between observing and invading privacy. This book would be suited to upper elementary aged students but it is not one I think I would choose first to use in my future classroom. ( )

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 I got used to Harriet and her little notebook, I did miss her a little when the book was finished, and I guess that in itself is high praise for the book.
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From a comment I left elsewhere:

I generally agree that the book is a failure, but I think you might be too harsh - her mistakes could be forgiven by her friend if, and only if, she had a heart to heart talk to them, and she should probably stop spying on them - the premise in itself is great - I expected her to write down serious problems with other people (instead of mean superficial things like "she has a big nose") and then has to have some meaningful character building talks (not just building her character, but supporting characters too) or even do something about it, like, for instance, making presents or something. That's what I got from the synopsis, but not from the book.

And I am thinking about giving this to my kids, if I have them. I think there's lots to learn from reading this book - if I give them my commentary on why was Harriet wrong along the way. Negative examples are as important as positive ones sometimes. I'd ask my child "what did you learn?" and "how could have Harriet acted better?"

On a side note, Pamela mentioned how Harriet and her flaws are human - so is Pug from Magician by Raymond E. Feist, but he at least has some redeeming qualities. (P.S. I don't actually think Harriet doesn't have any potential, especially as a book - she does mention how it sucks to just be rich and do nothing, and kinda promotes the idea you should do what you love. And is genuinely hurt she's left by her friends. Too bad she doesn't do anything about except some pretty feeble attempts at reconciliation. In the end it's all pretty weak compared to other coming-of-age books)

Edit: The stark contrast between her parents and Ole Golly is well done - her parents are mostly like "do it Harriet", "you *will* do it, or you won't be able to sit for a month", while Ole Golly is like "*why* don't you want to do it Harriet?

I remember liking this very much from reading it in grade school in the sixties. However, I really only remembered one episode, and very little of that. I didn't remember that Harriet "learned" the wrong lesson about being a spy, which was to lie to her friends.
The adults are not quite idiots, but close (possibly realistic IF you are an only child with working parents, a nanny, and a cook in the 1950s). ( )

This book can be very engaging for students. It is a relateable story. It’s an older book so some vocabulary words may not be known by students because it’s not a societal norm anymore. The story has a slow start but towards the middle of the book, everything starts happening at once and it gets exciting. Students can possibly create their own introductions to the book instead of the slow start this book has. Other than that, this would be a great book for students. ( )

The book follows the journey of a young girl named Harriet and her life as a pretend spy. In the story she goes around meticulous journaling things that she notices about people and then she also has a spy route where she consistently watches certain people each day and follows their lives. At some point she loses one of her journals and people find out the very honest and detailed things she writes about them and they become upset and offended and so she has to try and figure out how to make amends to them. It is a good book to teach kids about details and how important they are when writing because the book is full of descriptive attributes and very detailed setting builds. It is also a good book to teach kids about being careful and watching what they say/write and how they say/write it.