Harriet the Spy, Week 3

Welcome to Week 3 of the Online Book club discussion of Harriet, the Spy.

The tide really turns for Harriet in this section, doesn't it? Now we definitely know that the people she write about in her notebook do not like being written about in such an unflattering way! 

What did you think was harder to read about--Ole Golly leaving or all of Harriet's friends turning on her and treating her harshly? I thought the Ole Golly section was the hardest to read about. I was really upset that Harriet's mother got so emotional and fired Ole Golly. I understood why the mom was so upset, but I thought that Ole Golly's years of service would have made the family trust her and her judgement a bit more. I was glad that Ole Golly was actually able to leave on her own terms, but it was sad to see how she was treated initially. It was really hard to read about how hard it was for Harriet to say goodbye to Ole Golly. I think Ole Golly was more of a maternal figure than Harriet's mother, so I can't imagine how heartbreaking it would be to lose her. In her notebook, Harriet writes that Ole Golly leaving has left a little hole in Harriet's life--I thought that was sad to read. Do you think Ole Golly is going to have a happy life? Mr. Waldenstein is a real character. I hope he and Ole Golly are able to have a good time together. 

All of the people that Harriet spies on are so unusual. The Robinsons are so different. They spend their money on the weirdest things. Would you like a 6 foot tall statue of a baby like they had? The Dei Santis are so dramatic, and Harrison Withers is so pathetic. Could you imagine living in an apartment with so many cats? But, the cats seemed to be his family, so it was upsetting when they were taken away. I hope Harriet doesn't try to get in the dumbwaiter again. I think she deserved to be caught because I don't think it was right that she was breaking and entering to spy. 

The kids immediately turned on Harriet after they read her notebook. I don't really blame them. She really did say horrible things about them. What did you think about the ways that they tried to get back at Harriet? She really didn't like the notes they passed about her, but she was really bothered by the fact that they stole her tomato sandwich. It seemed that the missing tomato sandwich was what really sent her over the edge. Do you think she was justified in wanting to stay home for days after everyone treated her so unkindly? Do you think Harriet would have been able to handle her classmates better if Ole Golly were still in the house? At the end of this section, Harriet learns that her classmates have some sort of plan to get back at her for all of the things she said about them. What do you think they could have planned? Do you think they are going to do something mean to her? I hope they don't do anything that causes anyone to get injured!

What do you think is going to happen to Harriet? I don't think she's learned anything or is planning to change her actions. She's still writing things in her notebook, and I don't think she's going to stop spying. I think she thinks that she has been wronged--she doesn't realize that she has wronged anyone. Do you think Ole Golly is going to come back into the story? Do you have any hopes for the end of the story? Do you have anything that you're really hoping to see in the last section? 

Before you go, check out the link below to see how the notebook reading scene played out in the movie version. I can't imagine how violated Harriet felt when everyone was reading her private thoughts. 

Thanks for reading along this week! I hope you let me know what you thought of the section by leaving a comment. Make sure to finish the book for next week!