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Louise Fitzhugh (1928–1974)

Author of Harriet the Spy

15+ Works 8,806 Members 147 Reviews 6 Favorited

About the Author

Series

Works by Louise Fitzhugh

Harriet the Spy (1964) — Author — 6,937 copies
The Long Secret (1965) 904 copies
Sport (1979) — Author; Cover artist, some editions — 368 copies
Harriet Spies Again (2002) 220 copies
Bang Bang You're Dead (1968) 28 copies
I Am Four (1982) 9 copies
I Am Three (1982) 9 copies
I Am Five (1852) 6 copies

Associated Works

Tagged

1960s (26) American (26) chapter book (79) childhood (23) childhood favorite (33) children (166) children's (370) children's book (25) children's books (45) children's fiction (82) children's literature (169) classic (68) classics (37) espionage (59) family (26) fiction (719) friends (34) friendship (128) girls (32) Harriet the Spy (50) humor (36) juvenile (72) juvenile fiction (62) kids (54) middle grade (38) mystery (203) New York (61) New York City (37) novel (75) own (38) read (112) realistic fiction (96) school (35) spy (128) T (26) to-read (139) writing (44) YA (80) young adult (121) youth (24)

Common Knowledge

Birthdate
1928-10-05
Date of death
1974-11-19
Gender
female
Nationality
USA
Country (for map)
USA
Birthplace
Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Place of death
New Milford, Connecticut, USA (Hospital)
Cause of death
brain aneurysm
Places of residence
Memphis, Tennessee, USA (Birth)
New York, New York, USA
Long Island, New York, USA
Bridgewater, Connecticut, USA
New Milford, Connecticut, USA (Death)
Education
Bard College
Art Students League
Cooper Union
Occupations
writer
illustrator
painter
children's book author
Awards and honors
New York Times Outstanding Books of the year (1964)
Sequoyah award (1967)
Short biography
Louise Fitzhugh was born to a wealthy and prominent family in Memphis, Tennessee. She began writing and drawing as a child. She attended Miss Hutchison's School and three different universities in the U.S., as well as a couple in Italy and France. She lived most of her adult life in New York City, where she studied at the Art Students League and Cooper Union. Louise was a successful visual artist and illustrator before becoming a children's book author, the work for which she is best remembered.
Her book Harriet the Spy, published in 1964, was a groundbreaking novel featuring a rude, inquisitive young heroine who was also extremely funny. The book was an instant hit and paved the way for other writers like Judy Blume to show contemporary children grappling with previously unmentionable problems. Harriet the Spy is a classic that is never out of print and continues to be loved by and entertain young readers.

Awards for her work included a New York Times Outstanding Books of the Year Award, an American Library Association Notable Book citation, and a New York Times Choice of Best Illustrated Books of the Year.
Louise died in 1974 at the age of 46. Her novel Nobody's Family Is Going to Change (1974) was adapted into a Tony-nominated musical called The Tap Dance Kid in 1983.

Members

Reviews

 
Flagged
BooksInMirror | Feb 19, 2024 |
 
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PatsyMurray | 1 other review | Nov 29, 2023 |
This sequel to Harriet the Spy is, in my opinion, a better and more enjoyable book than the original. The frame of the novel is the mystery of who is sending pointed notes anonymously to residents of a summer holiday resort. Harriet is a main character and is determined to find out who is doing it, but she is no longer the focus, as a lot of the book is from the POV of her timid friend Beth Ellen.

A major part of the book deals with the return from abroad of Beth Ellen's ghastly mother who has abandoned her for years to be raised by her grandmother, but now waltzes in, with her latest boyfriend in tow, and proceeds to treat her daughter like a possession while continuing to neglect her and dismiss her wishes. The book also has some vividly realised minor characters such as the members of the Jenkins family, and these provide the humour in the story. The final resolution is satisfying also as the clues have been there, but deftly sidestepped.… (more)
 
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kitsune_reader | 10 other reviews | Nov 23, 2023 |
A re-read after many years. Good characterisation - the children are realistically flawed and the protagonist has difficulties relating to others and understanding why they are offended by the comments made about them in her notebook. In some respects, it is the portrayal of a privileged child who is neglected by her parents and has received her rather amoral values from her nurse/nanny. Crisis occurs when said nurse leaves and Harriet's notebook is read by her classmates. I did find the resolution a bit glib where she is rehabilitated by being given the class news page to edit. I'm sure parents wouldn't be pleased by the suggestion in her ex-nurse's letter that she should either apologise or lie - which Harriet does by placing a formal statement on the class paper that anything people read that upset them was a lie and is apologised for, when this apology is of course a lie in itself.… (more)
 
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kitsune_reader | 120 other reviews | Nov 23, 2023 |

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Statistics

Works
15
Also by
3
Members
8,806
Popularity
#2,719
Rating
4.0
Reviews
147
ISBNs
149
Languages
9
Favorited
6

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