Harriet the Spy and Completed Books 7/10

The children and I began reading Harriet the Spy (320 pages), Louise Fitzhugh.  I have seen this book on many reading lists and after reading a review that said, "Happily, it has neither dated nor become obsolete and remains one of the best children's novels ever written," I thought we would give it a try.

Unfortunately, at Chapter 5 of the book, we had to stop.  The icing was this sentence: "I'll be damned if I am going to dance class!" 

Harriet, the protagonist, is a very observant little girl who writes observations down in a notebook.  I felt like some of her observations were unkind.  The word "fat" was used a lot and she tended to see the negative in everything she wrote.  With so many wonderful children's books available, skip this one.  It's just not worth it.

Books Completed Marcus: 
The Time Machine (GIC - 238 pages), H.G. Wells, The Camp Knock Knock Mystery (47 pages), Betsy Duffey, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, Rudyard Kipling.

Books Completed Lella:
Frankenstein (GIC - 238 pages), Mary Shelley, A Little Princess (129 pages), Frances Burnett, Lunch Lady, Jarrett Krosoczka, Roxaboxen, Barbara Cooney, A House Is a House for Me, Mary Ann Hoberman.

Both:
The Fantastic Undersea Lif of Jackques Cousteau, Dan Yaccarino, The Velveteen Rabbit (again), Margery Williams, The Seven Silly Eaters, Mary Ann Hoberman.