The Long Secret (1965), the mostly unknown sequel to Harriet the Spy (1964), takes place the summer after the first novel. Instead of being set in New York City, it takes place at the Welsch’s house on Long Island. Harriet’s summer bff is Beth Ellen, who only has a small role in the first book. Part of this story is from the perspective of Beth Ellen, and her running commentary on Harriet’s behavior throughout is truly amazing. It’s like Fitzhugh took all the negative reviews of Harriet as a protagonist (that she is stubborn, unlikeable, rude) and put them into the sequel disguised as Beth Ellen’s analysis of her friend. I was cracking up.

This story also includes, SHOCK, poor and minority characters (!!!), a far cry from the first novel’s Upper East Side setting. I’m glad Harriet is able to get out of her bubble of privilege and grow up a little. Overall, an excellent follow up.

I loved and read and re-read Harriet the Spy as a kid, but I never read The Long Secret or Sport. I wish I would have, then, rather than now. When I read children's books now, I read them too quickly and don't spend as much time absorbing the world they're set in, so the experience is much flatter. It also flattens the experience to know the solution to a mystery at the outset, which I did.

I found Harriet in this book to be abrasive and extremely annoying. That's the point, but it wasn't much fun to hang out with her. I see why Beth Ellen is so empty of thoughts and feelings throughout most of the book - that's her arc, to stop squashing it all and get in tune with herself - but it also makes for dull reading. Jessie Mae was a flat character to me. I liked the Preacher. I liked Harriet's mom in this book, a lot. There's an inferred arc with Mrs. Welch - that she had Ole Golly raising Harriet in the first book, and between then and this book, figured out how to show up as a parent. Someone has written additional sequels to the Harriet books after Fitzhugh's death (Harriet Spies Again, etc.). Maybe we could do with a prequel, and include in it all the adults from these books. Zeeney, Beth Ellen's mom, is a Zelda Fitzgerald type. Mrs. Welch is in my mind like Marilla from Anne of Green Gables - slow to understand deeply what motherhood means. Zeeney never figures it out at all. Ole Golly was played by Rosie O'Donnell in the film version, so her arc is clear. What are Goodreads reviews for if not sketching out fanfic?

Is it fair to give this book two stars when I'm comparing it to beloved classic Harriet the Spy? I think so, because this book leans a lot on the first for context.

The Long Secret is a follow-up book to the classic children's novel Harriet the Spy, and while Harriet is a prominent main character, the main story is essentially her friend Beth Ellen's coming of age story. This novel takes place over the summer, when Beth Ellen and Harriet live at their summer homes away from their usual friends. They tend to be little more than acquaintances during the school year, but out of necessity are closer friends during the summer. There is a main mystery plot to the book the revolves around mysterious notes that are being left for people around the town, all of them biblical-sounding quotes and usually with a specific message to the receiver calling upon a secret they have or a short-coming they possess. Harriet's main plot line is her determination to solve this mystery and know everything about everything and everyone. Beth Ellen's plot line is a little more convoluted, as she's not having her greatest summer. She gets her period, she gets pushed around by Harriet, and she gets a not so welcome surprise dumped on her in the form of meeting her self-involved socialite mother for the first time. I think this book holds some special meaning for its intended audience, which is young girls 11 to 12 years old, but also would be interesting for an adult to read as well, considering the glimpse into the time period and the weird mixed messages of the book.
tOne appealing factor of the book for young women would be there's someone here they can relate to. Harriet is loud, opinionated, sometimes obnoxious, wants to know everything, and is a little bossy. Beth Ellen, on the other hand, is shy and quiet, which often misleads people (particularly Harriet) into believing she's daft half the time, but Beth Ellen has a quiet, contemplative intelligence and an inability to make her needs and wants known in an effective manner. A young reader could identify to at least some extent with either one of these girls, but they also have Jessie Mae to identify with if neither of those work for them. Jessie Mae is kind, smart, and religious, but also speaks her mind and wants to be a preacher when she grows up. She acknowledges the difficulty she will have choosing this career and being a woman, but she's certainly up for the challenge. There is also a brief cameo by Harriet's regular school year friend Janie, who's a very opinionated young scientist and who's also a little bit mean and crazy.
tThe main story of Beth Ellen's coming of age is going to be what the intended audience takes away most from this book, though. She has to discover who she is if she wants to be a bored housewife, if she wants to be a self-involved socialite like her mother, or if she wants to be something different. She has to deal with coming to terms with speaking up for herself and making her feelings known in order to take charge of her own life and dealing with the general confusion of growing up. The book also touches upon religion to some extent. While Beth Ellen does attend church with her grandmother, and Jessie Mae is a church enthusiast, Harriet has never been and knows little about religion or the type of people who practice religion, and is interested in learning more. The book also deals with some feminist issues, such as when Harriet has a meltdown about Beth Ellen saying she just wanted to be a wife, when Harriet wants to be a writer, Janie wants to be a scientist, and Jessie Mae wants to be a preacher. Jessie Mae makes it clear to Beth Ellen that it is her choice to make, though, while Harriet's trying to tell her what a boring choice that is.
tThere is also, like in Harriet the Spy, some discussion about people's socioeconomic status. Harriet's family is pretty rich, and Beth Ellen's family is really rich. The two girls actually ride to the store in Beth Ellen's limo in the beginning of the book, and are referred to by one character as, “Little rich critters.” This is in contrast to Jessie Mae's family, who were originally poor country folk who are coming into money now that their mother has invented some weird toe medicine, and also possibly in contrast to the socioeconomic situation of the reader depending on who they are. I remember reading Harriet the Spy when I was a kid and wishing my family was as rich as Harriet's, or even Beth Ellen's. This came up a little more in Harriet the Spy, as her nanny Ole Golly took her to see how her mother lived, and Harriet routinely spied on people that were poorer or lived in a different way than she did. If Jessie Mae's family didn't come off almost like Louise Fitzhugh were making fun of them this might be a little more effective in the Long Secret, but I don't think most young readers would pick up on that.
tAdults would get value from this book as nostalgia, reading about life in the 60's and also reading about 11 to 12-year-olds and remembering when they were that age. It's also interesting because of the time it was written, the issues it tries to discuss, and some more problematic themes that come up. There is little diversity in this book, with it having one black character who is little more than a 'magical negro' trope who is wise, mysterious, and helps the white protagonists. He is The Preacher that Jessie Mae is learning from, and he is described as looking like a 'basset hound covered in chocolate.' A part of this could be attributed to the attitudes of the time period, with Fitzhugh thinking her addition of a black character to be more on the progressive side, but it wouldn't be by our modern standards. Fitzhugh also, in both Harriet the Spy and The Long Secret, almost makes fun of poorer characters. The Jenkins family in the Long Secret do possess a lot of negative stereotypes associated with poor country people, and Jessie Mae is really the only character in the family that gets any more depth. Ole Golly's mother in Harriet the Spy also is kind of a negative caricature than a fully developed character, and it could subtly influence how Fitzhugh's audience views people from poorer backgrounds.
tFrom a feminist standpoint, it was ahead of its time and providing essentially good female role models for young women. Beth Ellen is being raised traditionally to behave like a good young woman 'should,' which means she is quiet, pleasing to look at, and never loses control of her emotions. This book effectively shows how difficult that unrealistic ideal can be for a young woman to deal with, particularly when she's growing up and dealing with more adult challenges. Harriet is very forward-thinking, believes she can be a spy or a writer or whatever she wants and isn't always very concerned about behaving in a traditionally 'female' manner. Even Jessie Mae, despite her traditional values and religious extremism, is a positive role model in that she's wanting to be a preacher regardless if women traditionally don't have that career, and isn't concerned with anyone having a problem with it. The book also addresses Beth Ellen getting her period and how she deals with that, and it's discussed with Harriet and Janie. They have a rather entertaining conversation about menstruation and Harriet feels left out because unlike the other two she hasn't had her period yet. This is done in a very straightforward, non-sentimental way that contrasts from other books at the time and later that dealt with the same issue.
tUltimately, despite some problem areas, I think it is a good book. I would and do recommend it to both adults and children, and I also recommend Harriet the Spy. It is a nice look into a different era, with different ideas, and a world of privilege as well, but still from the point of view of children in that world. If there is one thing that the books do seem to encourage, whether it's done well or not, is seeing things from other people's perspectives and learning about how different people live. I also really enjoy reading Harriet's private, often snarky thoughts she writes in her notebooks, and what she observes about other people. The books are written well and hold the reader's attention, and I think anyone could enjoy them.

Love reading children's fiction, especially nice to read children's books in the summer when something light to read at the beach is just what you want. FItzhugh is amazing! I like the editions with author's original illustrations. Story of 2 rich girls from NYC who go to the same school but are not close during the school year. Their families summer in the same beach town and so in the summers the girls spend lots of time together. SOme crazy grown-ups who dont act very grown up and a mystery to solve. Harriet's favorite thing to do is solve mysteries. Just love this book!

What I liked about this one was that you absolutely could not get away with writing this book today. Some of these older books really let their 60s colors shine (mostly through descriptions of weird/gross sandwiches a la A Wrinkle in Time, Harriet the Spy) but this one really goes all out. I mean there’s a full blown pro-atheism argument that kneecaps organized religion that would make many a southern school board lick their chops at the thought of banning this book on grounds of “satanism” or whatever. There’s also a total scathing indictment of capitalism that ultimately manifests itself in Beth Ellen’s Zelda Fitzgerald-Esque mother who returns to the states from living the expat life in Europe and reluctantly entertains the daughter she abandoned 10 years ago. Harriet is still a pretty obnoxious protagonist and really, that’s sort of what makes this and it’s predecessor so interesting: because they understand that kids can be obnoxious as hell and I appreciate that.

There’s quite a lot of shouting in this book. It’s good, but it doesn’t have the spark of the first book. Harriet and Janie - and Summer friend Beth Ellen - are older. They’re dealing with puberty, and family and summer-vacation-village common issues.

First, look at this awful cover from the 1984 paperback edition of this book. It makes Harriet look like the main character (she's not) and Beth Ellen doesn't even have curly hair.

The original cover, with Louise Fitzhugh's illustration, is much better. An illustration of Beth Ellen and Harriet at the beach, it tells us many things about the story -- 1) they're at the beach! This book takes place in the beach town of Water Mill, where Beth Ellen and Harriet, mere acquaintances at school in New York City, find themselves closer friends during the summer. 2) Harriet is further away and her hair is covering her face, suggesting she is a secondary character in this story. 3) Beth Ellen, with curly hair, looks dazedly out into space, which is how most people perceive her.

The Long Secret is Beth Ellen's coming of age story, and I must admit I enjoyed it more than Harriet the Spy. This book is a lot more twisted and complex than Harriet is, dealing with themes of religion, parenting, and friendship rarely tackled so bluntly in fiction, especially fiction for this age group.

The book opens with a shocker -- a mean cashier find a note in her drawer that says JESUS HATES YOU. It's not the only note either. People all over town are receiving mean notes, notes from someone who appears to have knowledge of their lives, someone who has been watching them.

Leave it to Harriet, the loudest spy of all time, to want to get to the bottom of who is leaving the notes. Harriet spends a lot of time yelling and bumping into things and being as unsubtle as a 12-year-old often is as she tries to unravel the mystery. Who could be leaving the notes? The nouveau-riche Jessie Mae Jenkins? The one black character, a Negro preacher? Those are Harriet's two prime suspects, although neither make much sense.

That's really it for Harriet's plotline. She gets a visit from her friend Janie, and she starts to realize how annoying she is to some people, but she doesn't really care. She's the same headstrong Harriet.

Beth Ellen, though, steals the show. Called Mouse by Harriet because she is meek and exists in a permanent state of bewilderment, Beth Ellen is going through an identity crisis. Whereas Harriet wants to be a writer and Janie wants to be a scientist, Beth Ellen wants to be a wife, which to Harriet is absolutely unacceptable.

Perhaps subconsciously Beth Ellen is heading down the same route as her absentee mother, Zeeney, whom she can't even remember. A "free spirit," which is 1960s talk for deadbeat mom, Zeeney abandoned Beth Ellen years ago, only to return when Beth Ellen is thirteen. Although she hasn't been in her daughter's life ever, and doesn't even seem to want a child, Zeeney wants to change Beth Ellen's name, dress her, and dictate her life as if she's a doll. This starts Beth Ellen down a new path, that many kids with horrible parents go down, the road to Being Nothing Like Her Mother.

Beth Ellen turns out to be a surprisingly complex character. Harriet, who talks all the time, can't understand how someone quiet can be interesting, but she learns. Also, Harriet doesn't see how Beth Ellen acts when no one is watching her. I found a scene near the end where, I don't know how else to describe it, Beth Ellen flips the fuck out to be very cathartic. It reminded me of my own adolescent rage (which shamefully lasted, for me, long past adolescence ended). These harsh realistic details are most welcome in fiction for all readers, but especially young ones.

What I appreciated as an adult reading this book is how subtly well-developed the adults are. The confrontation between Harriet's mother, Mrs. Welsch, and Zeeney, who knew Harriet's dad in some capacity when they were teenagers, is delicious. And Mrs. Welsch is such a tender mom to Beth Ellen when she needs it most that it had me all misty eyed. Being twelve, Harriet has no idea what is going on in Adultworld, but as an adult reader, it's fun to read between the lines. The characters also are surprisingly frank about religion, which is refreshing.

Not all the characters are as well-written, however. Characters often use "fat" as an insult, and overweight characters are depicted as out-of-control hippos leaving wreckage in their wake. Also, despite being a progressive in the 1960s, Fitzhugh falls back on the magical Negro stereotype for her one black character. She also continues to portray poor people as idiotic spectacles, even though she seems to be trying to sympathize with them? It comes across like Harper Lee's writing -- be nice to them (poors and blacks) because they can't help it that they're poor and black and probably fat too. To Fitzhugh's characters, the worst things a person can be are fat and poor.

In the end, it turns out the person leaving the notes is Beth Ellen! I figured it out long before the ending, and I think Harriet would have too if she were actually paying attention. I find it kind of hilarious that the self-proclaimed Harriet the Spy is so unobservant that she never noticed every time Beth Ellen left to go to the bathroom a note appeared. Harriet spends most of her time being loud and brash, but Beth Ellen is quiet, watches people, and might understand them even better than Harriet does. Harriet's preconceived notions about people keep her from seeing who the note-leaver is until the book's final scenes.

Layered, funny, and thoughtful (on most subjects) The Long Secret is a great short read for readers of all ages.

What a strange kid's book. I read this to see if the sequel to Harriet the Spy is worth suggesting to 10-11 year olds and I think my answer is that it depends. First of all, it is actual literature, not nonsense teen romance garbage, so that's a plus. Fitzhugh maintains her hilarious, energetic writing style from her debut novel. Harriet is just as exasperating, unapologetic, blunt, and curious as ever, but she really takes the sidelines in this story. The main protagonist is actually Beth Ellen, the mousy and beautiful shy girl who eventually stood up for herself at the end of the previous book. Beth Ellen is Harriet's best friend over the summer because they both have summer homes in the same little beach town.

We get a lot of interior dialogue from Beth Ellen, mostly because she has a hard time expressing herself outwardly. Beth Ellen spends most of the book not saying what she really feels and acting passively. Every single illustration of her (LOVE the illustrations) depicts her staring off into nothing with a vacant expression. And small wonder!! Not only does Beth Ellen start her period for the first time, but her flighty mom whom she hadn't seen in 7 years and her current husband come to pay a visit. Zeeny and Wallace are just horrible. So self-involved and shallow. The scene in the end where Beth Ellen finally stands up for herself is really cathartic and liberating. I wanted to whoop outloud for her! I think this is an amazing read for any kid that seems timid, apathetic, or self-conscious.

Here are some things that make this read really unique: (1)the menstruation talk with Janie, Harriet and Beth Ellen. It's hilarious. Especially Janie, who is working tirelessly in her "laboratory " to find a "cure". (2)the heavy religious talks. The dark pseudo religious quotes especially. I mean the very first one is "Jesus hates you". It is rare to find a children's book where religion is presented in grayscale, not black and white. Some characters believe in God and others find religion useful but not truthful and still others, like Harriet think it is totally preposterous. I imagine that this theme is what originally got the book banned from schools and households. (3) The parents. This was true in the first book too. This was written in '65, and most of the adults fit that Mad Men vibe of "don't talk to me til I've had my first after work Martini". They are present, but ambiguously written. All the major characters have a tough time connecting with their parents, but love them. I love the scene of Harriet with her dad at the clambake when she freaks out because he talks to her like an adult. Or when Harriet drags her mom to the club but once the drama starts getting good, her mom is just as entranced as Harriet and agrees to stay for dinner so they can keep spying.

An unexpected pleasure. I wish I had discovered this book when I was younger. Deals with a lot of complicated adult issues from a younger perspective. Way ahead of its time for sure - I suspect Judy Blume drew some inspiration from this.

Spending the summer on Montauk should be a time spent on the beaches and playing with friends but not for Harriet. Carrying her notebook with her everywhere she goes Harriet tries to solve a mystery. She spies on all the people in the town dragging her friend Beth Ellen with her. Someone is leaving mysterious notes all over and Harriet is determined to find out who. The notes are personal with a religious over tone. They are specific and appropriate for each person who receives one and it has the residents up in arms. Who knows them so well? Who would harass them this way? While spying Harriet meets Jessie May, a devout religious fanatic, according to Harriet. Jessie May's family is different and that makes Harriet suspicious. Meanwhile Beth Ellen is hug up on Bunny, the piano player at the local bar causing Harriet to roll her eyes. She can't understand what Beth Ellen sees in him. Harriet has known Beth Ellen a long time and thought she didn't have parents...she lives with her grandmother.... but it turns out she's wrong. Not only does Beth Ellen have parents but her mother and step father are coming to see her after 7 years absence. Harriet is so obsessed with finding out who is leaving the notes she doesn't see that her friend is going through a very trying time.
This book deals with great growing up issues. As Beth Ellen grows up is Harriet being left behind? Harriet, who is curious about everything is missing what's right in front of her.

It took me inordinately long to read this book considering it's length, but there was just so much to unpack.

AND I was surprised by the ending.

I enjoyed The Long Secret. It's barely a sequel in the sense that Harriet was a secondary character, her spy work almost a subplot. Schoolmate Beth Ellen takes center stage here.

The story & conversations of the main characters definitely fell more into the YA category this time around (such as the proto-"Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" scene early on). Also, some really compelling scenes contemplating belief/unbelief in God from a young adult's standpoint.

I guessed the "secret" far from the end, but its unraveling was entertaining.