The Long Secret (Harriet the Spy Adventures)
"Oh great, a first menstruation book."
That is about what I thought, rolling my eyes, when I was fairly into the book, but really that kind of exasperation is not only unfair, it does little justice to the substance of 'The Long Secret'. I'll pause to allow indignant people to remind me that it's a great part of the substance of the book, a milestone towards the end of childhood and underlying Beth Ellen's uncertainty about herself, the future, the world, and God. The girl has a lot on her plate. Fitzhugh is more subtle in this book, which takes some of the fun away, perhaps, but it was fun to explore just how awful it would be to have Harriet the Spy for a friend in a turbulent time. And how wonderful.
Janie makes an important appearance as well, coming off exactly the way a scientifically-minded friend should instead of as a mad scientist caricature. The swan was a lovely touch.
But I had started about the substance of the book, Beth Ellen is outwardly secretive, but much more open inside her head (on most things anyway) so I felt I "knew" her much better than I did Harriet, and Fitzhugh doesn't overwrite the passages where she confronts her fears or muses while riding her bicycle. For key scenes Harriet is at the center of the action to commentate as only she can. She is as inquisitive and bossy as ever by the way, and meets her temporary match in the form of an over-mannered Southern girl.
In no way does it disappoint, I only didn't get as much gleeful fun out of it.
Harriet the Spy
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