Harriet the Spy was one of my favorite books when I was a kid, and of course I read the sequel, The Long Secret. I remember this book, which is about an African-American family, being around too, but in all honesty I can't remember if I read it as a kid or not, even after reading it now as an adult - usually my memory would have kicked in at some point if it seemed at all familiar. (I always talk about my bad memory, and it is terrible, but it works with associations really well, so I might not remember reading a book if it was a long time ago, but once I start reading things might seem familiar after a while if I have indeed read the book before.)
I bring this up because frankly I wish I had read this book a million times when I was a kid. The message in the book is one that I might have benefitted greatly from hearing at the time (and still resonates now). The story was really frank; it surprised me in that way, although it shouldn't - books for kids/young adults in the 1970s were probably much more frank and realistic than the overly sanitized and watered-down stories we started seeing more of in the 1980s. As an adult in the early 21st century I appreciated it very much. I also liked the main character, even if she wasn't the most likable person. YA fans should really enjoy this book - recommended.
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