Harriet the Spy has a secret notebook which she fills with utterly honest jottings about her parents, her classmates, and her neighbors. Every day on her spy route, she "observes" and notes down anything of interest to her:

I bet that lady with the cross-eye looks in the mirror and lust feels terrible.

Pinky Whitehead will never change. Does his mother hate him? If I had him I'd hate him.

If Marion Hawthorne doesn't watch out she's going to grow up into a lady Hitler.

But when Harriet's notebook is found by her schoolmates, their anger and retaliation and Harriet's unexpected responses explode in a hilarious way.

Reprinted from back cover,

Harriet the Spy

© 1964 by Louise Fitzhugh

Harper Collins