– reviewed by Olivia, age 9

Harriet M. Welsh doesn’t go to play and have fun after school. She goes to work. She has a spy route all planned out, and she writes her secret thoughts about everyone in her special notebook.
But when Harriet and her classmates play their own new and improved game of tag, Harriet’s notebook gets bumped out of her hands and she loses track of it. Then she realizes that her precious secret notebook has fallen into the wrong hands.
Her friends look through the notebook, finding out the sometimes awful truth about what Harriet thinks of them, and Harriet’s friendships are torn apart.
Harriet finds out that her friends have formed a club that is against her. She wants to fix the tattered friendships, but will she succeed?

I am like Harriet in a lot of ways. Sometimes I say things that offend people, and it takes a long time for me to fix it by saying sorry. I am sometimes secretive, and I did try to have a notebook like Harriet, but there was nothing very interesting to write about.

One of my favorite parts was when Harriet thought that her nanny Ole Golly was going out with “the boyfriend,” and she spied on them. I liked it because it was kind of funny how Harriet was so horrified by how Ole Golly changed her tone of voice and her opinions when she was with the boyfriend.

Harriet the Spy will keep you wanting to turn the page, and Harriet’s adventures will get wilder and wilder throughout the story. Harriet and her troubles will keep you hanging on to every word. When you meet Harriet and her best friends, Sport and Janie, you’ll realize how odd people can be.

You’ll be feeling along with all of them, scowling when Harriet’s enemy Marion Hawthorne gets nominated as class officer, and wanting to get home for Harriet’s daily cake and milk.

Harriet the Spy will keep you on the edge of your seat, and that is why I recommend this book to you.

Kids! Send your book reviews or list of favorite titles to kids@maplewoodlibrary.org

Oh please don’t go – we’ll eat you up – we love you so!

If you do a keyword search in our catalog for Maurice Sendak, you get a list of 74 entries. If you are like me, looking at this list will produce a flood of memories of Little Bear, In the Night Kitchen, Pierre, and, of course, Where the Wild Things Are. Many great author-illustrators have followed in Sendak’s footsteps, but most will agree that they will be nearly impossible to fill.

Sendak died on Tuesday, May 8, 2012, following a stroke. He was 83. Following are links to rememberances of his life and legacy:

NY Times: Author of Splendid Nightmares Dies at 83

The Rosenbach Museum Remembers Sendak

NPR: Fresh Air Remembers Maurice Sendak

Washington Post: Maurice Sendak’s Menagerie

Joani Ascher 

Joani works in the Children’s Room at Main Library, and is herself an author of some great mysteries (available at the library). 

World without End by Ken Follett

 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (series) by Steig Larsson

 The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

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Joanne Beckerich

Joanne is in charge of the library’s publicity and programs for adults.  She created this month’s display of Staff Picks at the Main Library.

The Upside of Irrationality by Dan Ariely

The Invisible Gorilla by Christopher F. Chabris

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

She Walks in Beauty: A Woman’s Journey through Poems

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Donita Brown

Donita is in charge of organizing the magazines and newspapers, and is a friendly face at the Main Library’s Main Desk.

Every Day a Friday by Joel Osteen

Cross by James Patterson

206 Bones by Kathy Reichs

Bones are Forever by Kathy Reichs