Rating: 
Summary: A Serious Book for Serious Children -- Of All Ages!
Review: If you want to keep your kids dumb, silly, sticky-faced, and ready to swallow everything our current corporate-media society is ready to throw down their throats for the rest of their lives, don't let them read this book -- get them Helen Ericson's soulless Harriet Spies Again instead. Would you let your children read Shakespeare? Would you let them read Dickens? Hubert Selby? Charles Bukowski? Would you let them listen to Lennon or Lou Reed or Dylan or Pink Floyd? Would you let them eat organic brussels sprouts? Would you take them to Bryce Canyon? Would you give them a camera? Would you let them close the bedroom door? Would you let them cry without giving them "something to really cry about"? Would you turn off the TV? Do I sound like a pseudointellectual yet? It's a seriously great book. I'm a cranky thirty-year-old guy who cries as I root for Beth Ellen Hansen to find herself. I find Harriet M. Welsch even funnier as a supporting character than I did in her starring role. I long for a wise Rodger Welsch to set me straight without spoiling my innocence, and I gape in awe at Mrs. Welsch's wit in the face of the appalling Zeeney. Thank you, Grandmother, for not making me go to Paris. Thank you, Janie, for dispelling my superstitions. And thank you, Harriet, for busting me! Thank you, LOUISE! Rest in peace -- since ghosts evidently do not have the power to possess living writers.
Rating:
Summary: A great read, a must read
Review: In third grade my third grade teacher decided to read us the beginning of "Harriet the Spy." While she got as far as when Janie tells Harriet about dancing school, she had the sequel, "The Long Secret", in the book corner of our classroom, and only one person knew about it: me. Since that day in third grade when I noticed the copy, I've read it a hundred times if not more. Who can't resist the rough and tumble Jenkins family or Zeeney or Wallace ("Hup!"). Or Bunny or Agatha or Harriet or Beth Ellen? Your life will be changed after reading it. Trust me.
Rating:
Summary: A great read, a must read
Review: In third grade my third grade teacher decided to read us the beginning of "Harriet the Spy." While she got as far as when Janie tells Harriet about dancing school, she had the sequel, "The Long Secret", in the book corner of our classroom, and only one person knew about it: me. Since that day in third grade when I noticed the copy, I've read it a hundred times if not more. Who can't resist the rough and tumble Jenkins family or Zeeney or Wallace ("Hup!"). Or Bunny or Agatha or Harriet or Beth Ellen? Your life will be changed after reading it. Trust me.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books I've ever read.
Review: Just as some children go to bed with a teddy bear, many times I have gone to bed hugging my old worn copy of The Long Secret. I thought the story was wonderful when I read it as a child and I still think it is wonderful when I read it as an adult. I loved the individuality that showed in all the characters. Most of all, I wanted more than anything to spend a summer at Harriet's beach house. I'm still trying to find out if a place called Water Mill actually exists. So many times, I've pictured myself riding my bike on the country roads described in this book and I've thought of sneaky visits to The Shark's Tooth Inn. This book will always be one of my fondest childhood memories.
Rating:
Summary: The most memorable book from my chilhood
Review: My father gave me this book to read when he was our church librarian. My name is Beth Ellen so he thought it would be fun for me to read about another girl with my name. I was so hooked on this book that I read it over and over again. That was about twenty-five years ago. I have told my daughter about it but didn't think I would ever be able to find it again. Thanks Amazon! I can't wait for her to experience the same joy and excitement that I did when reading this book!
Rating:
Summary: A worthy successor to the orginal
Review: Some years ago, I sought this book at the mall. The cover instantly got my attention, because my Harriet The Spy book featured the same art as this one. Once I realized it was a sequel to Harriet The Spy, I didn't even hesitate, I bought it right away. This book blew me away. I've never heard of a sequel being so extrodinary before, but it was. After I finished, I was upset, because I didn't want it to end! I've read it over and over several times. This book is well worth 5 stars! I would recommend it to Harriet fans of all ages.
Rating:
Summary: A lovely book that stands apart from "Harriet"
Review: There's no question that this is a "sequel" to Harriet the Spy, but a fan of the first book shouldn't go in expecting more of the same. The heart of this book is not Harriet but Beth Ellen, and her shyer, more introspective nature give The Long Secret a completely different vibe. The result is a touching, beautifully observed book about one of the most challenging times of life: the point where you're just emerging from childhood and start seeing adults -- and yourself -- more clearly. It's a very funny book and a compelling mystery, but it's not just fun and games. I found the emotional currents of this book quite intense as a child, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.
Rating:
Summary: This is one of the best books I have ever read.
Review: This book, and its " companion" book, Harriet the Spy, are probably my favorite books in the world. Ever since I first read them, I have gone around my town,spying on people and taking notes(top-secret ones,of course). Everyone,child or adult, should read this book,on my opinion.
Rating:
Summary: An excellent book
Review: This is truly an excellent book, and a great sequel to "Harriet the Spy." I read this in 2nd grade, almost immediatley after I finished "Harriet the Spy" and loved it. I wish Louise Fitzhugh would have written more. Louise Fitzhugh is a great author, and her books will always be classics in my library.
Rating:
Summary: Beth Ellen is very real
Review: This was my favorite Young Adult novel. I had a very battered, much-loved copy which I read over and over throughout junior high. Contrary to the synopsis above, this book was not really about Harriet (although she is present). The main character is her friend Beth Ellen who is very shy, wants to be an artist, and must deal with the arrival of her flighty, glamorous(?) mother whom she has never known. A wonderful story for anyone who has known shyness
|
