Harriet Spies Again

Rating:
Summary: Mixed Feelings
Review: "Harriet the Spy" was one of my absolute favorite novels when I was younger, so I thought I'd give this "companion" a try. It was, well-interesting. The writing was less complex than the original (I don't know whether "dumbed down" fits or not), the characters were different, and one of the sub-plots seemed pretty obvious. But it was a nice story, and it was nice to have another little taste of Harriet's adventures, even if they were from another author's perspective. I would reccomend it only if you "want more" about Harriet, and don't really care about the writing style.

Rating:
Summary: Don't be fooled by bogus "reviews".
Review: 1. At the beginning of the book, Harriet is still eleven, where she was at the end of Fitzhugh's trilogy. She begins seventh grade, not eleventh -- and much is made of this, as her boy pal Sport must go to a different school this year. It's not trivia; it is a subplot device. Harriet turns twelve halfway through the book. Like Harriet, I was born in October, and we Librans take great umbrage at the mangling of such simple facts. Ask any child: It is a long, LONG way from eleven years of age to eleventh grade.

2. The Midwest Book Review's comments show no understanding of why Ericson's effort is substandard. Yes, it's true, Harriet is still "sleuthing", as they say, but Louise Fitzhugh's books are not mysteries. "Sleuthing" was never the point; Harriet's aspirations as a writer were more in focus (in "The Long Secret", she was attempting poetry, even). "Harriet The Spy" is about conformity and rebellion -- the conflict between personal convictions and the expectations of society. The Midwest Book Review seems to have Harriet M. Welsch confused with Encyclopedia Brown.

3. "Midwest Book Review" has contributed 8287 book reviews as of today . . . and it appears every single one is five stars. Each one of those 8287 five-star reviews must be deemed worthless, in light of their careless approach and highly-suspect rating system. I also seriously doubt 20001 actual human beings voted these reviews "helpful".

This rebuttal of mine, however, is sincerely meant as helpful . . . and there's no payola behind it, either.

Rating:
Summary: I was pleasantly surprised
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Harriet gets another life
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Harriet gets another life
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Ole Golly returns!
Review: I have been a Harriet the Spy fan for 30 years, however, I never enjoyed the sequels (The Long Secret and Sport) as they did not answer my questions surrounding Ole Golly's departure and my curiosity of her new life.

Finally, my questions have been answered. I found Helen Ericson's "companion" book to be a delightful read. Ole Golly returns and we finally get a glimpse of life "ever after" for Ole Golly and Harriet.

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 Ericson's effort to tie up the loose ends. Fans who remember Louis Fitzhugh's sequels may be a bit confused, as the story line blurs Fitzhugh's original timeline of the three Harriet books.

Rating:
Summary: Will the real Harriet please expose this imposter?
Review: 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 isn�t 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.

Rating:
Summary: An Insult to Readers of All Ages
Review: 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*

Rating:
Summary: Ole Golly returns!
Review: 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 Fitzhugh's 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 don't 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.

Rating:
Summary: Average Sequel to An Excellent Series
Review: 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 Fitzhugh's 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 don't 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.