She also patrols a "spy route," secreting herself near windows, skylights and even, memorably, inside a dumbwaiter, so she can eavesdrop on her neighbors. She carries a composition notebook with her wherever she goes, recording everything she notices about the people she sees and hears, as well as her own thoughts ("I WONDER WHAT IT WOULD BE LIKE TO BE A TABLE OR A CHAIR OR A BATHTUB OR ANOTHER PERSON"). What Harriet wants to be when she grows up is, alternately, a spy or a writer, but given the long history of spies-turned-novelists and even the handful of novelists-turned-spies, she may not have to choose. If you've never read "Harriet the Spy" (poor you!), know that it's the story of an 11-year-old tomboy who lives on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. In 1964, the Horn Book, a respected review of the genre, condemned Louise Fitzhugh's debut novel for depicting characters who are "abnormal, ill-adjusted and egocentric." You can find plenty of concurring reader reviews on Amazon, by parents who complain that the book is "so outspoken negative, mean, and awful." Nevertheless, to this day "Harriet the Spy" commands a devoted multitude of fans and can usually be found near the top of lists of the greatest kids' books of all time.
A lot has changed since 1964, when "Harriet the Spy" was first published and then tiptoed its way into the canon of 20th-century children's literature.
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