Harriet the Spy
Encyclopedia
Harriet the Spy is a children's novel by Louise Fitzhugh
published in 1964
. It won the Sequoyah Book Award
and the New York Times Outstanding Book Award in 1964.
of New York City. A precocious and enthusiastic girl, Harriet enjoys writing and she aspires to become a spy
. Encouraged by her nanny, Ole Golly, Harriet carefully observes others and writes her thoughts down in a notebook as practice for her future career. She follows an afternoon "spy route" during which she clandestinely observes her classmates, friends, and neighborhood. Her best friends are Sport, a serious boy who lives with his father, and Janie, an aspiring scientist.
Harriet's routine life starts to change when her parents attend a party. Ole Golly and her suitor, Mr. Waldenstein take Harriet out for dessert and a movie. When they return home, they discover that the Welsches have returned early to an empty house. When Mrs. Welsch attempts to fire Ole Golly, Mr. Waldenstein discloses to the Welsches that he proposed to Ole Golly that evening, and she has accepted. In an astonishing about-face, Mrs. Welsch exclaims, "You can't leave, what will we do without you?!" Ole Golly replies that she had planned to leave soon because she believes that Harriet is old enough to care for herself. Harriet is crushed by the loss of her nanny, whom she was very close to.
Later at school, during a game of tag, Harriet loses her notebook. Her classmates find it and are appalled at the mean and tactless things she has written about them. For instance, she compares Sport to "a little old woman" for his continual worrying about his father. The students form a "Spy Catcher Club" in which they think up ways to make Harriet's life miserable, such as stealing her lunch, passing nasty notes about her in class and spilling ink on her.
Harriet regularly spies on them through a back fence and concocts vengeful ways to punish them. She realizes the consequences of the mean things she wrote, and though she is hurt and lonely, she still thinks up special punishments for each member of the club. After getting into trouble for some of her plans, Harriet tries to resume her friendship with Sport and Janie as if nothing had ever happened, but they both reject her. Harriet spends all her time in class writing in her notebook as a part of her plan to punish the Spy Catcher Club. As a result of never doing her schoolwork, her grades suffer. This leads Harriet's parents to confiscate her notebook. Hearing of Harriet's troubles, Ole Golly writes to her, telling her that if anyone ever reads her notebook, "you have to do two things, and you don't like either one of them. 1: You have to apologize. 2: You have to lie. Otherwise you are going to lose a friend."
Meanwhile, dissent is rippling through the Spy Catcher Club. Marion, the teacher's pet, and her best friend Rachel are calling all the shots, and Sport and Janie are tired of being bossed around. When they quit the club, most of their classmates do the same.
Harriet's parents speak with her teacher and the headmistress, and Harriet is appointed editor of the class newspaper. The newspaper—featuring stories about the people on Harriet's spy route and the students' parents—becomes an instant success. Harriet also uses the paper to make amends by printing a retraction and is forgiven.
of the same name for Nickelodeon
starring Michelle Trachtenberg
. In March 2010, Disney Channel
aired a version of the story, Blog Wars
, with Wizards of Waverly Place
cast member Jennifer Stone
as Harriet, Alexander Conti
from Cheaper by the Dozen 2
as Harriet's friend Sport, and Degrassi: The Next Generation
s Melinda Shankar
as Janie.
Louise Fitzhugh
Louise Fitzhugh was an American author and illustrator of young adult and children's literature.Her work includes Harriet the Spy, its sequels The Long Secret and Sport, and Nobody's Family is Going to Change.-Early life:Born in Memphis, Tennessee, she soon experienced her parents' divorce, from...
published in 1964
1964 in literature
The year 1964 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*Jean-Paul Sartre becomes head of the Organization to Defend Iranian Political Prisoners....
. It won the Sequoyah Book Award
Sequoyah Book Award
The Sequoyah Children's Book Award is given each year to the book that is selected by Oklahoma students in 3rd-5th grades as their favorite. The Sequoyah Young Adult Award , which is voted for by Oklahoma students in 6th-8th grades, was created in 1988...
and the New York Times Outstanding Book Award in 1964.
Plot summary
Eleven-year-old Harriet M. Welsch is an aspiring writer, who lives in the Upper East SideUpper East Side
The Upper East Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, between Central Park and the East River. The Upper East Side lies within an area bounded by 59th Street to 96th Street, and the East River to Fifth Avenue-Central Park...
of New York City. A precocious and enthusiastic girl, Harriet enjoys writing and she aspires to become a spy
SPY
SPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...
. Encouraged by her nanny, Ole Golly, Harriet carefully observes others and writes her thoughts down in a notebook as practice for her future career. She follows an afternoon "spy route" during which she clandestinely observes her classmates, friends, and neighborhood. Her best friends are Sport, a serious boy who lives with his father, and Janie, an aspiring scientist.
Harriet's routine life starts to change when her parents attend a party. Ole Golly and her suitor, Mr. Waldenstein take Harriet out for dessert and a movie. When they return home, they discover that the Welsches have returned early to an empty house. When Mrs. Welsch attempts to fire Ole Golly, Mr. Waldenstein discloses to the Welsches that he proposed to Ole Golly that evening, and she has accepted. In an astonishing about-face, Mrs. Welsch exclaims, "You can't leave, what will we do without you?!" Ole Golly replies that she had planned to leave soon because she believes that Harriet is old enough to care for herself. Harriet is crushed by the loss of her nanny, whom she was very close to.
Later at school, during a game of tag, Harriet loses her notebook. Her classmates find it and are appalled at the mean and tactless things she has written about them. For instance, she compares Sport to "a little old woman" for his continual worrying about his father. The students form a "Spy Catcher Club" in which they think up ways to make Harriet's life miserable, such as stealing her lunch, passing nasty notes about her in class and spilling ink on her.
Harriet regularly spies on them through a back fence and concocts vengeful ways to punish them. She realizes the consequences of the mean things she wrote, and though she is hurt and lonely, she still thinks up special punishments for each member of the club. After getting into trouble for some of her plans, Harriet tries to resume her friendship with Sport and Janie as if nothing had ever happened, but they both reject her. Harriet spends all her time in class writing in her notebook as a part of her plan to punish the Spy Catcher Club. As a result of never doing her schoolwork, her grades suffer. This leads Harriet's parents to confiscate her notebook. Hearing of Harriet's troubles, Ole Golly writes to her, telling her that if anyone ever reads her notebook, "you have to do two things, and you don't like either one of them. 1: You have to apologize. 2: You have to lie. Otherwise you are going to lose a friend."
Meanwhile, dissent is rippling through the Spy Catcher Club. Marion, the teacher's pet, and her best friend Rachel are calling all the shots, and Sport and Janie are tired of being bossed around. When they quit the club, most of their classmates do the same.
Harriet's parents speak with her teacher and the headmistress, and Harriet is appointed editor of the class newspaper. The newspaper—featuring stories about the people on Harriet's spy route and the students' parents—becomes an instant success. Harriet also uses the paper to make amends by printing a retraction and is forgiven.
Adaptations
It was made into a 1996 film1996 in film
Major releases this year included Scream, Independence Day, Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient, Twister, Mars Attacks!, Jerry Maguire and a version of Evita starring Madonna.-Events:...
of the same name for Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
starring Michelle Trachtenberg
Michelle Trachtenberg
Michelle Christine Trachtenberg is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Dawn Summers in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and as Georgina Sparks in Gossip Girl...
. In March 2010, Disney Channel
Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American basic cable and satellite television network, owned by the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company. It is under the direction of Disney-ABC Television Group President Anne Sweeney. The channel's headquarters is located on West Alameda Ave. in...
aired a version of the story, Blog Wars
Harriet the Spy: Blog Wars
Harriet the Spy: Blog Wars is a 2010 Canadian/American television film starring Jennifer Stone which premiered on March 26, 2010, on Disney Channel. It is the second film adaptation of the book, Harriet the Spy, by Louise Fitzhugh, after the 1996 Harriet the Spy film that starred Michelle...
, with Wizards of Waverly Place
Wizards of Waverly Place
Wizards of Waverly Place is a Disney Channel Original Series that premiered on October 12, 2007. It won "Outstanding Children's Program" at the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards in 2009...
cast member Jennifer Stone
Jennifer Stone
Jennifer Lindsay Stone is an American actress best known for playing Harper Finkle on the Disney Channel series Wizards of Waverly Place and Harriet Welsh in the Disney Channel film Harriet the Spy: Blog Wars.-Life:...
as Harriet, Alexander Conti
Alexander Conti
Alexander Biagio Contini, born 1 September 1993, is a Canadian actor. Alex has worked in film and television since the age of six.-Early life:Conti was born in Brantford, Ontario, Canada of Italian and Brazilian heritage....
from Cheaper by the Dozen 2
Cheaper by the Dozen 2
Cheaper by the Dozen 2 is a 2005 film produced by 20th Century Fox. It is the sequel to the family comedy film Cheaper by the Dozen . Shawn Levy, the director of the first film, did not return as director for this sequel, which was instead directed by Adam Shankman . Levy was a producer of the film...
as Harriet's friend Sport, and Degrassi: The Next Generation
Degrassi: The Next Generation
Degrassi: The Next Generation is a Canadian teen drama television series set in the Degrassi universe, which was created by Linda Schuyler and Kit Hood in 1979. Degrassi is the fourth fictional series in the Degrassi franchise, and follows The Kids of Degrassi Street, Degrassi Junior High, and...
s Melinda Shankar
Melinda Shankar
Melinda Shankar is a Canadian actress who is best known for playing Alli Bhandari beginning in season 8 of Degrassi: The Next Generation...
as Janie.