Harriet Spies!
Welcome to the fifth and final stop on the Harriet Spies Blog Tour!
It's an honor to wrap-up a blog tour for this special book launch. I simply love this budding series by Elana K. Arnold. Not only did Harriet Spies come out this month, but the paperback of Just Harriet also came out! If you haven't picked up a copy, now is the time to do so. Perfect for grades 1-4!
When we last saw Harriet she was being sent to Marble Island against her will, while her father worked and her mother was on bedrest. Harriet was certainly not looking forward to spending the summer at her grandmother's B&B, and her attitude showed it. She was lying up a storm, thinking first of herself, and being rather rude and sneaky. It's true to say that at times I found Harriet unlikeable. But, like all strong characters, Harriet was in store for a lot of growth. That growth began in book 1, and truly blossomed in book 2.
What I love about Harriet Spies is how open and honest Harriet is with herself. She stops lying to herself first, and then it begins to trickle outward, and the lies to those around her begin to dwindle. Harriet is able to notice what she likes about other people, and in turn wants to nurture and protect those relationships. New character Clarence is gentle and clever and steady. He's an excellent counterpart to a sometimes loud and reactive Harriet. I have a feeling Clarence will be in the series to stay, and I'm glad of that!
The relationship between The Captain, the gruff naturalist that is staying at the B&B, and Harriet deepens. The Captain has so much to teach Harriet, but it turns out that The Captain also has a thing or two to learn from young Harriet.
Young readers will enjoy following Harriet as she sets out to solve the case of The Captain's missing binoculars. Determined to prove her own innocence, Harriet must get to the bottom of this case. There are many suspects, and like all good mysteries, the path is long and twisted. I think kids will appreciate the resolution.
Check out both books!
ABOUT JUST HARRIET
There are a few things you should know about Harriet Wermer:
- She just finished third grade.
- She has a perfect cat named Matzo Ball.
- She doesn’t always tell the truth.
- She is very happy to be spending summer vacation away from home and her mom and dad and all the wonderful things she had been planning all year.
Okay, maybe that last one isn’t entirely the truth.
Of course, there’s nothing Harriet doesn’t like about Marble Island, the small island off the coast of California where her nanu runs a cozy little bed and breakfast. And nobody doesn’t love Moneypenny, Nanu’s old basset hound. But Harriet doesn’t like the fact that Dad made this decision without even asking her.
When Harriet arrives on Marble Island, however, she discovers that it’s full of surprises, and even a mystery. One that seems to involve her dad, back when he was a young boy living on Marble Island. One that Harriet is absolutely going to solve. And that’s the truth.
ABOUT HARRIET SPIES
There are a few more things you should know about Harriet Wermer:
- She always tells the truth.
- She’s loving spending her summer on Marble Island, where she is an A+ mystery-solver.
- Okay, maybe she doesn’t always tell the truth.
- Actually...she has a tendency to lie quite a bit.
Which is why, when one of the guests at her grandmother’s bed-and- breakfast finds that their treasured pair of binoculars has gone missing, no one believes Harriet when she said she had nothing to do with it.
But this is one time Harriet isn’t lying—and she knows that if she can find the binoculars and figure out who really took them, she can prove it.
With her cat, Matzo Ball, her grandmother’s basset hound, Moneypenny, and Harriet’s new friend, Clarence, helping her out, Harriet knows she can crack the case. But when the culprit isn’t who Harriet expects, it’s up to her to decide how important the truth really is.
JUST HARRIET and HARRIET SPIES are published by Walden Pond Press, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
Snag the Educator's Guide Here
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Elana K. Arnold is the award-winning author of many books for children and teens, including Just Harriet, Harriet Spies, The House that Wasn’t There,
the Printz Honor winner Damsel, the National Book Award finalist What Girls are Made Of, and the Global Read Aloud selection A Boy Called Bat. She is a member of the faculty at Hamline University’s MFA in writing for children and young adults program, and lives
in Huntington Beach, CA, with her husband, two children, and a menagerie of animals. You can find her online at www.elanakarnold.com
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR
Dung (pronounced Dzung) Ho was born and raised in Hue citadel, Vietnam, where she studied graphic design at the Arts University. She is the New York Times–bestselling illustrator of many books for children, including Joanna Ho’s Eyes That Kiss in the Corners and Laura Ruby’s Me and Ms. Too. She finds inspiration in nature: the beauty of plants, flowers, and leaves. She also loves to draw interesting characters with unique personalities. She now lives in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. When she’s not drawing, she loves spending time cooking (eating), watching movies,
and tending her plants. Visit her at www.behance.net/hanhdung
or follow her on Instagram @dunghanhho.
Blog Tour Schedule:
February 6 | @nerdybookclub | |
February 10 | @mariaselke | |
February 8 | @grgenius | |
February 9 | @teachers_read | |
February 15 | @bluesockgirl |
Thanks for stopping by!
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