Harriet Spies Again

In The Long Secret (I wonder if Ms. Ericsons even read this book), Harriet solved a mystery which was a legitimate challenge. We, the readers, may have beat her to it, but we had much more information than Harriet did. In Harriet Spies Again we are unfairly imprisoned in a mind more appropriate of a nine-year-old (Harriet is supposed to be twelve).

Ill be honest: I didnt think Sport (the third -- and final! -- story of Harriet and friends) was worthy of its posthumous publication, either. But then, its been years since I read that one. I picked up Harriet Spies Again while on a mission for The Long Secret. I read this new book first, and my initial reaction was MERELY tepid. Then, I plunged into The Long Secret, the story of Beth Ellen Hansen (with Harriet as supporting character) . . . and I was stunned at how good it was. Now, Ill have to read Sport again. Its probably better than I remember. It certaintly cant be worse than Harriet Spies Again.

I have attempted to keep my trashing of this book to a minimum. Its worthy of two stars, simply because its a decent book for kids age 6 - 9. Its not worthy of Lousie Fitzhugh fans, though. Most importantly: If you loved Harriet the Spy, you must remember that the magic of that book is overflowing from its (real) sequel, The Long Secret. Its probably evident in Sport, too. Choose Helen Ericsons new book ONLY as a last resort -- you Harriet junkie, you. ;)

Harriett is a little older, a little wiser, but still the same old spying Harriet that I remember. Fans of Harriett who always wondered what became of Ole Golly will appriciate Ericsons effort to tie up the loose ends. Fans who remember Louis Fitzhughs sequels may be a bit confused, as the story line blurs Fitzhughs original timeline of the three Harriet books.

Harriet Spies Again > Customer Review #3:

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Average Sequel to An Excellent Series

There is one major problem with this book: its timeline is off. Readers may recall that Louise Fitzhugh, the original creator of "Harriet the Spy," wrote three books in this series: "Harriet the Spy," "The Long Secret," and "Sport." Following is a brief overview of the timeline of each.

"Harriet the Spy" takes place when Harriet, Sport et al. are in sixth grade. It ends at some point during the sixth grade year.

"The Long Secret" takes place the summer after sixth grade, when Harriet gets to know Beth Ellen really well during their summer vacation.

"Sport" starts just prior to their seventh grade year and continues until mid-school-year. Here is where the real problem lies. Sport has to go to a new school for seventh grade because their old school is all-girls from that point on. In the book "Sport," he is attending his new school and has a few good friends there. Also in "Sport," his divorced father finds a girlfriend, Kate. By the end of the book they are married and Kate moves into the apartment with Sport and his dad.

Then we pick up "Harriet Spies Again" which otherwise is a reasonable book to succeed to this series. This book also starts out just before seventh grade - because Harriet and Sport are discussing what his new school will be like - yet his father has already married Kate. Also, after the seventh-grade school year starts, Harriet and Sport have a conversation about his school and he complains that he has no friends there.

If the author of this book had taken care to blend this story line with the lines of Fitzhughs original works, this would have gotten probably four stars. But I spent so much time wrangling with this timeline in my head that I often found myself having to reread parts of this book because my mind had wandered.

Ericson catches the tone of Harriet rather well, and the reappearance of Ole Golly provides a very intriguing mystery for Harriet and Sport to solve. However, the subplot of the girl who lives across the street is exceedingly transparent (if you dont pick up on her scheming right away, you are probably under the recommended reading age for this book).

I recommend this as a library read or for very dedicated fans of Harriet (as I am) who would like a little more story about her.

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