Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh, then an unknown author, burst on the scene as an instant classic when it was published in 1964.

The children’s novel, set in Manhattan’s upper east side, stars 11-year-old Harriet M. Welsch, who wants to be a famous writer when she grows up. To prepare, she keeps a notebook in which she records details of the world around her in minute detail.

Her observations of the people in her life are funny, poignant, and occasionally downright mean. When her sixth-grade classmates find her notebook and read its contents, Harriet’s world turns upside down. Read More→