Tag Archives: Nordstrom

The Editor as Midwife

It was Charlotte Zolotow, then senior editor, in the dept., who wrote me a report on the first sample pages of Harriet and said, “You have to get this writer to come in and talk. This isn’t a book, but … Continue reading

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Suzuki Beane and Bang Bang You’re Dead

Fitzhugh got her first taste of publishing three years before Harriet the Spy, when she drew the black and white illustrations for Sandra Scoppettone’s Suzuki Beane (1961). This little story is a parody of Eloise in which the main character … Continue reading

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Sport

Sport tells the story of Harriet’s friend Simon Rocque (Sport to his friends). When we last saw Sport, in Harriet the Spy, he was living with his impoverished, impractical, writer father and his mother was nowhere to be seen. Sport … Continue reading

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The Long Secret

The Long Secret follows Harriet and Beth Ellen during a summer they spend in Water Mill, a resort town on Long Island. Though not close friends in the city, during summers the two girls are thrown together, as both families … Continue reading

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Sequel and Sequelae

Fitzhugh appears to have considered the story of Harriet essentially complete with Harriet the Spy. Nonetheless, she immediately turned to a sequel, possibly as a result of urging from Nordstrom. She managed this by making Harriet a secondary character and … Continue reading

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Harriet is Born

Harriet the Spy was published in the fall of 1964, following several months of meetings and mentoring with Nordstrom and Zolotow. Nordstrom’s correspondence reveals a variety of marketing strategies. They sent the manuscript or advance copies to reviewers as well … Continue reading

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