Fitzhugh, Louise - Books - Magic Bean Dip

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Harriet the Spy

Louise Fitzhugh

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Subjects -> Children's Books -> Authors & Illustrators, A-Z -> ( F ) -> Fitzhugh, Louise

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 146 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A Story of a Brat with Very Little Action 2 out of 5 stars.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.

Here's another book from four decades ago that doesn't hold up well compared to today's superior children's books. I was yearning for way more action. And definitely more wackiness. There are a few wacky and clever happenstances yet I wanted more of that and less of Harriet sitting around thinking, complaining and writing, thinking, writing and complaining. The first half of the book was okay, but after that I lost interest. Harriet was not interesting enough, for me anyway, to care about what happened to her. The pages got harder and harder to turn as the book went on.

This is a work of the early 1960s when many people felt suppressed and angry. That anger, for some, turned into selfishness. This attitude found its way into Harriet. She is a selfish and angry brat. (Whether the author was angry or just commenting on society at the time, I don't know.)

I can only guess that the book's comment on society at the time is what won it the acclaim that it has gotten over the years. For children and adults of 1964, perhaps it was a groundbreaking, gutsy read. But today, it's just a story of an angry, self-centered child that is not very interesting nor exciting to read.

Editorial Review:

Harriet M. Welsch is a spy. In her notebook, she writes down everything she knows about everyone, even her classmates and her best friends. Then Harriet loses track of her notebook, and it ends up in the wrong hands. Before she can stop them, her friends have read the always truthful, sometimes awful things she’s written about each of them. Will Harriet find a way to put her life and her friendships back together?

The Long Secret (Harriet the Spy)

Louise Fitzhugh

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Horribly Disappointed! 1 out of 5 stars.
3 of 5 people found this review helpful.

Don't get me wrong, "Harriet the Spy," was one of my all time favorite books (and movies), growing up. I'm almost 26 now and had always wanted to read "The Long Secret," So after re-reading Harriet, I went to the bookstore and ordered myself a copy. Well, at first it wasn't so bad, but there really wasn't any real point to the story. Harriet hadn't matured much at all, and to make matters worse, really offensive and hostile notes were left all over the place. I am also a Christian and find it offensive that the phrase "Jesus Hates You," should be allowed to be published in a Children's book. This is especially true in this day and age, when almost any threat has the potential to turn violent.

Skip this one.

Editorial Review:

Harriet the Spy refuses to become ruffled when an unidentified person starts leaving disturbing notes all over the quiet little beach town of Water Mill. She’s determined to discover the author of the notes. And she drags her best friend, mousy Beth Ellen, into all kinds of odd and embarrassing situations in her efforts to reveal the culprit. Observing in her own special, caustic way with her ever-present notebook, Harriet the Spy is on the case. But will she be ready to face the truth when she finds it?

Harriet the Spy, Double Agent (Harriet the Spy Adventures (Dell Yearling Book))

Maya Gold

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

An irresistible tale that stays true to the original 5 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Spying is a solitary activity. No one knows that better than twelve-year-old Harriet M. Welsch. Harriet has been spying on people and taking notes since she could write. Egged on by her old caretaker, Ole Golly, she has filled dozens and dozens of notebooks over the years; and has no plans to stop her spy route anytime soon. In fact, lately she has begun to add new people to her spy route; one of those people being Annie Smith. New to the neighborhood, Annie is living with her aunt and uncle, the Drs. Feigenbaum, and she has more secrets than Harriet can even believe. For one, Annie Smith is not just Annie Smith. She is also Yolanda Montezuma, Rosarita Sauvage, Zoe Carpaccio, and, as of late, Cassandra D'Amore. And two, Sport, one of Harriet's best friends since forever, has fallen head over heels in love with Yolanda Montezuma, the victim of seeing her wearing a particularly dashing pair of green shoes the first day they met. Harriet quickly becomes obsessed with Annie, and the fact that she was booted out of Sport's school, and enrolled in the Gregory School, alongside Harriet. She also can't get Annie's penchant for creating various characters and names for herself, and decides that learning all of Annie's secrets is her new mission. Unfortunately, Annie isn't very interested in revealing secrets about herself. So Harriet decides to go where no spy has ever gone before. She takes Annie on as a partner, and together they begin spying on various people throughout the neighborhood. It is Harriet's hope that with all of this spying, Annie will begin revealing some secrets of her own. So is not the case. While Harriet loves the fact that she has a new friend, she can't help but wonder why Annie is so determined to keep so many secrets from her. While Harriet is stewing over this new predicament, she begins to realize that Annie has been untruthful regarding where she goes on weekends, and who, exactly, she has been meeting up with. Harriet knows that it's wrong to spy on friends, but she can't deny her curiosity. So, she begins to follow Annie when she leaves the house for secret outings and trysts with two older men. Unfortunately, Sport's crush; Janie's obsession with a pop star who is way out of her league; the constant kissing between Fabio and Naima - two people on her spy route; Annie's reports of being in love with an older man; and Ole Golly's sudden departure after meeting and marrying George Waldenstein; Harriet finds herself obsessed with love and crushes. She can't seem to figure out why they happen. And why, suddenly, every girl in her grade has become possessed with finding a boyfriend, and proclaiming their love to one another. Of course, she also can't quite put her finger on why, exactly, she hasn't been bitten by the crush bug. In a way, Harriet feels left out of the loop. But, at the same time, she's glad to still have her sanity. Too bad she can't say the same for Annie.

I fell in love with Louise Fitzhugh's HARRIET THE SPY over a decade ago, and I still haven't forgotten the wonderful character she created, who managed to lead me on a wild goose chase of years on my own spy route. THE LONG SECRET brought Harriet back in full-force with a new, and completely unexpected sidekick. However, after that, Harriet seemed to have disappeared from sight. Now, however, she has been revived by Maya Gold in the form of HARRIET THE SPY, DOUBLE AGENT. I never thought that someone could pick up where Fitzhugh had left off, but I was wrong. Gold manages to breathe life into Harriet M. Welsch once more, giving readers the opportunity to re-embrace the illustrious spy one more. While characters such as Beth Ellen Hansen, Janie Gibbs, and even the wonder-chef, Sport, are not nearly as prevalent as they were in Fitzhugh's additions to the series; Gold has introduced a new character in the form of Annie Smith - aka Rosarita Sauvage, Yolanda Montezuma, Cassandra D'Amore, and Zoe Carpaccio. Annie is an interesting, and extremely dimensional character, who brings quirkiness to a new level. While she is full of secrets, it's quite obvious that Annie creates different personalities to help her cope with the turmoil in her life, and her family. Each of these characters seems to embody a whole new person who garners their own likes and dislikes. Luckily, the one we see most with Harriet is just plain Annie Smith. Annie is kind, quirky, defensive, quiet, loud, and all-around interesting. It's hard to resist her personality; and the turmoil that results between her and Harriet on a fairly frequent basis brings quite a bit to the story. Harriet, of course, is her usual curious self, who poses many questions to the various adults in her life, that even make the reader think. Her interactions with Cook, and a handful of people on her spy route are humorous and thought-provoking; while the sparsely placed letters from Ole Golly that appear throughout the story give die-hard HARRIET THE SPY fans the chance to see what, exactly, Ole Golly has been up to as of late. An irresistible tale that stays true to the original.

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

Editorial Review:

Harriet is impressed to learn that the girl she has befriended, now called Annie Smith, is the person who not only created three names–Rosarita Sauvage, Yolanda Montezuma, and Zoe Carpaccio–but also three distinct personalities to match. This girl has potential. Being a spy has always been rather solitary, so Harriet is glad to have a new friend and spy partner. But then Harriet realizes that Annie reveals very little about herself, and indeed, is not telling the truth about where she goes and who she meets on the weekend. Sport says he’s in love with the girl, but Annie lets drop she’s in love with an older man. Harriet can’t understand anything at all about this thing called love–even when she asks Ole Golly for advice, she still wonders. But as Harriet unravels Annie’s mystery, she comes to appreciate the many different kinds of love there are.

From the Hardcover edition.

Harriet Spies Again (Edgar Allen Poe Award. Best Juvenile (Awards))

Helen Ericson, Louise Fitzhugh

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By: Delacorte Books for Young Readers
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 18 Average rating: 2.5 of 5

I Won't Let My Kids Read this Book 1 out of 5 stars.
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.

This book might be OK if you weren't capitvated by the original Harriet. If you're a true Harriet fan, however, you'll find yourself wondering about this imposter.

It's not that it's a terrible book. The characters are funny and interesting, there is a nice plot, there is some resolution to the characters' stories from the earlier book.

But it also isn't quite right. Harriet seems a bit whinier, meeker. She was always so funny and astute. She doesn't seem to have it here. Instead of finding her and her foibles delightful, I found them verging on annoying. The little touches, like her crashing weddings, seemed unnatural and forced.

I plan to encourage my children to read Harriet the Spy. But this book, I'm afraid, might ruin the magic for them. I was curious as to what another writer might dream up for this childhood heroine of mine. I think I would have been better off wondering and coming up with my own ideas.

Editorial Review:

Harriet M. Welsch has just received the best news of her eleventh year—Ole Golly is coming back! Harriet can still remember how sad she was when her beloved nanny married George Waldenstein and moved away. But the circumstances of Ole Golly’s return remain unclear. Where is George Waldenstein?

With Mr. and Mrs. Welsch living in France for three months, Sport confiding that he has a crush on a girl at school, and the arrival of a mysterious new neighbor, who’s going to require a whole lot of spying, Harriet already has her hands full. Then she overhears Ole Golly saying she’s innocent—but innocent of what? Harriet the Spy is on the case and ready to help Ole Golly in any way she can.

Sport

Louise Fitzhugh

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

A terrible disappointment. 1 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

"Harriet The Spy" is one of the best children's novels I've read, and the sequel, "The Long Secret," is as good if not better. "Sport," though, is not in the same league.
The biggest problem with "Sport" is that Ms. Fitzhugh doesn't understand what makes boys tick. She understands girls, and that's why "Harriett" and "Secret," both of which have female protagonists, work so well. "Sport" is not credible because the protagonist does not think or act like a 12-year-old boy.
What's especially exasperating is the way the author shows him gladly giving up his role as housekeeper when his father decides to remarry. I can believe his welcoming a stepmother, but not his willingly--indeed blissfully--subordinating himself to her, when for all his life he'd pretty much taken care of his kindly but bumbling father. No, there'd have been some TERRIBLE territorial struggles.
Sport's estranged mother, and her whole family, are excruciating stereotypes, so clumsily drawn that one has to cringe with embarrassment whenever they appear. The plot is trite and ridiculous. Sport's friends are superficially drawn and the boys are particularly unbelievable.
...

Editorial Review:

Eleven-year-old Sport Rocque is living a happy life, keeping his father’s absentmindedness under control, and managing the family budget. When Kate, Sport’s new— and nice—stepmother enters the picture, things couldn’t be better. Then comes the news: Sport’s wealthy grandfather has just died and Sport is a multimillionaire.

But millions of dollars equals millions of problems, as Sport soon discovers when his mother returns and kidnaps him to double her share of the inheritance! Life at the Plaza Hotel is no fun when you’re a prisoner. Will Sport manage to escape and return his life
to normal?

I Am Five

Louise Fitzhugh

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By: Delacorte Pr
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Subjects -> Children's Books -> Authors & Illustrators, A-Z -> ( F ) -> Fitzhugh, Louise

Editorial Review:

A little girl describes her activities and her likes and dislikes the day after her fifth birthday.

Bang Bang You're Dead

Louise Fitzhugh, Sandra Scoppettone

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By: Trophy Pr
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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 3.0 of 5

Boys Book with a hidden proverb 4 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

All time favorite book as a child. Made my parents read it so many times the pages are worn thin, especially the big rock fight page. Excellent story behind playing with rocks, sticks and make beleive war games....NOBODY WINS!
If you have a 4 year old who just loves to chuck rocks at everything this book is a must find and buy!

Bang Bang You're Dead 3 out of 5 stars.
3 of 14 people found this review helpful.

This play has only one prop a large box in the middle of thestage that acts as a bed, coffin and judge's podium. Josh the maincharicter had just shot and killed 5 people at his school his friend Micheal, Katie, Matt, Jesse and Emily. The rest of the play he talkes to their gostes about why he killed them, what they are missing and how the rest of his life he will have to live with the memorie of their death. It also has flash backs to events in Joshes life that led him to kill. One such flash back was when he went on a hunting trip with his Grandfather and shot a dear. This play is very powerfull. It goes into the head of someone that had killed and must go on with his life after always knowing that he can never bring them back to life. END