Customer Reviews

Harriet Spies Again

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Louise Fitzhugh wrote serious books for serious children. Anybody who has ventured past Harriet The Spy to read The Long Secret (the real sequel) or the unrelated Nobody's Family Is Going To Change knows this. Ericson's work (fairly labeled a "companion" piece rather than a sequel) contains none of the seriousness of the original Harriet novels. We are given a predictable plot (gee, I wonder why Ole Golly is cranky and going to the doctor so much), a formulaically "kooky" new character (Rosarita Sauvage -- is Ericson planning a spinoff from this desecration?), zero social commentary (Fitzhugh's work was loaded with it) and, worst of all, a DUMBED-DOWN Harriet for a protagonist. It's true, Ericson has a decent grasp of Harriet's personality, but this is betrayed by how long Harriet remains clueless about Ole Golly's "condition".

In The Long Secret (I wonder if Ms. Ericson's 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).

I'll be honest: I didn't think Sport (the third -- and final! -- story of Harriet and friends) was worthy of it's posthumous publication, either. But then, it's 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, I'll have to read Sport again. It's probably better than I remember. It certaintly can't be worse than Harriet Spies Again.

I have attempted to keep my trashing of this book to a minimum. It's worthy of two stars, simply because it's a decent book for kids age 6 - 9. It's 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. It's probably evident in Sport, too. Choose Helen Ericson's new book ONLY as a last resort -- you Harriet junkie, you. ;)

What were Fitzhugh's survivors thinking??? First Rosie O'Donnell, then this. *sigh*

In a concept fraught with peril, this sequel to Harriet the Spy (authorized by the estate of the late Louise Fitzhugh, but why??), has some redeeming details, such as the increased role of the prickly Cook. Unfortunately, the plot has turned Harriet into an obtuse narcissist. Instead of writing and observing, now she makes wild ridiculous speculations and spends her time, not on her notebook, but on a timeline of her life. Janie has disappeared in order to introduce a mysterious new girl across the street, though this intriguing character isnt developed. Newer readers are likely to be more entertained than die-hard Harriet fans, who are apt to be appalled at this caricature of our beloved heroine.

The classic "Harriet the Spy" is a book I find eminently re-readable. It functions simultaneously on a child's level, and an adult's level -- at 25, I find social commentary I missed at age ten. In this companion piece, it's disturbing how much Louise Fitzhugh's character has been "dumbed down". The mystery Ms. Ericson creates is appropriate for an eight-year-old, yet the twelve-year-old Harriet is supposedly absorbed by it.

Worse, there's no *real* story to accompany the mystery. "Harriet the Spy" (and its sequel, "The Long Secret") had deeper things going on while Harriet scurried around spying and scribbling. There is no social commentary here, unlike the original, and those who were entranced by Beth Ellen's angst in "Secret" will find nothing nearly as compelling this new book.

"Harriet Spies Again" compares most aptly with "Sport", the simplest and shallowest of Fitzhugh's trilogy. But then, there's no character as disturbing as Charlotte Vane here, either -- just the predictably "kooky" Rosarita. The new Harriet lives, ironically, in a much safer world than her classic incarnation.

Don't get me wrong: Helen Ericson has talent, and Harriet's basic personality is evident here. She could have done a decent Harriet PREQUEL, albeit with a different plot. This piece is age-inappropriate, one-dimensional, and after reading it you (or your child) will be entirely unchanged . . . unchallenged . . . and possibly insulted.

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.

I think this is a total fake to the original Harriet the Spy- not even by the same author. I have even heard on a website to 'avoid it like the plague.' I think that nothing could possibelly replace Louise Fitzhugh's wonderful book Harriet the Spy, especially not a fake sequal called 'Harriet Spies Again.' I am sorry to say this, but to be truthful I must.

I admire Ericson as a very ambitious writer of fanfiction. Nothing more, nothing less. The book is fine non-canon fiction, the characters bear similarities to the originals. Mostly, they have the same names and basic mannerisms. Ericson carries on for chapter after chapter of what I can imagine must have been a very fun little diversion for her. It was miserable for me.

This is not Harriet. This is not the fierce, wonderfully real girl whose voice was true and whose spirit was sometimes painfully strong. I realize that the real Harriet scares a lot of people, namely people who fail to understand what estrangement and alienation feel like, who fail to understand what the world has in store for girls--real girls, mind you--who are denied by our culture the right to be true to themselves. Louise Fitzhugh understood it, and the antidote dripped from every word of the original. If you don't believe me, you're one of those people. And so is the woman who wrote "Harriet Spies Again." She doesn't get it. It's a shame.

I had no idea that Harriet the Spy had a sequel in this book written by keen fan Helen Ericson. She has Fitzhugh's style down pretty well, but alas, there is no substitue for character and plot development. There are simply too many unlikely events to make this story very believable, unlike all the original Fitzhugh books featuring Harriet, Janie, Sport and the rest. These characters come alive, as written by Fitzhugh, through ordinary actions made special through great characterisation. If Helen Ericson continues to write about Harriet, I hope she spends more time around kids to hear what they are saying rather than thinking up odd plot devices.

And I *may* shudder, but I don't specifically know what to make of this Harriet sequel.
Sure, I was excited to hear of it. As a "Harriet" fan, this looked exciting and new and interesting, but as I read it, only one of my thoughts stayed the same: it was, well, new.
Ms. Ericson has the general idea of Harriet and her friends in mind, but I was surprised at the somewhat lack of details that Louise Fitzhugh incorporated into her Harriet trilogy. Harriet's life is detailed and textured, but in this, Harriet's life is only so much of that. Ms. Ericson also tries to bring Harriet into 2002 -- using slang like "sucks" and so on, Harriet and her pals are not the same they were back in 1965 when Harriet made her debut with a bang. I'm sure Ms. Ericson wanted to make Harriet come back with a bang, but it didn't completely work the way it was supposed to.
Give this to your kids to read. But if you're familiar with Harriet yourself, you might think to stay away, or just consider it different from the Harriet M. Welsch you know and love.

I guess if you like books about caricatured "feisty" children, you may like this.

If you have already read _Harriet_, read this ONLY if

1. You believe Harriet learned nothing from her whole year of 6th grade.

2. You believe Ole Golly was a sham from the beginning, and didn't know what she wanted from life or how to achieve it, and was really a sniveling, inept harridan.

If you have read __Harriet__, __The Long Secret__, and __Sport__, read this alleged sequel only if, in addition to the above, you believe Sport's father is actually a self-indulgent, neglectful man, no matter what the several hundred pages of __Sport__ indicated.

If you have not read __Harriet__, and you like rapidly produced kids' novels with token spitfires, you will get through this quickly, and probably find it satisfying the same way vending machine desserts can be, on occasion, enjoyable.

Ericson did not get inside Fitzhugh's characters, and no one should have expected her to--why the estate gave her permission to use the characters is beyond me. (Hey!! That's a MUCH better mystery than the one in the book...Fitzhugh never had any children, who IS the estate, anyway?)

I give it one star for being better than watching television, and one star for the cover art.

I really don't know what to say about this book. I mean, it having one of my favorite characters of all time in it gives it one star on it's own. But, as the past 2 people mentioned Harriet's whole "spy personality" isn't completely there. I don't know, she's just different.

Helen Ericson is a talented writer, but this book doesn't have the Harriet-esque features that "Harriet The Spy" and "The Long Secret" had. I hope to read more by Helen Ericson, but also hope that her newer writing is better than this.