Just Harriet

What worked:
The author successfully describes Harriet’s conflicted feelings about a new baby joining the family. She has nightmares and sometimes wets the bed. These strong emotions are common for young readers and should help them connect with the story. Harriet feels anger toward her parents for the changes she’s experiencing but then feels guilt and love for them. She's conflicted with sharing her true feelings because then they might not notice the pain she’s going through. Harriet also has a bad habit of lying to hide her embarrassment and frustrations. The lies add some confusion early in the book since readers are learning about the characters, setting, and plot from Harriet. Her words can’t immediately be trusted, so readers need to think twice about what she’s saying.
The surface-level problem is Harriet’s attempt to make her life interesting while spending the summer on an island with her grandmother. She’s convinced there might be something valuable to be found, as her father said the real treasure was in the Gingerbread House. Of course, she must discover clues to the treasure with the first one being an old key she found in a shed behind the house. However, where is the lock that fits the key? The true problem is Harriet’s struggle with adapting to the changes occurring within her family.
The setting takes place where Harriet’s father grew up, so she imagines what his life must have been like as a young boy. She finds his name on a library card and checks out the book herself. She visits the local ice cream shop and sees his name on the wall for the record of most consecutive days of eating ice cream. Her shared experiences with her father help her understand and appreciate him. She’s upset that he doesn’t her, but she starts to realize that she hasn’t taken the time to understand him.
What didn’t work as well:
The conflict wasn’t overly dramatic, so there was never a sense of high tension or suspense. There wasn’t even a deadline that might create some artificial uncertainty. However, the author didn’t intend to create a dramatic story filled with problems, and she ended up with a sweet story of a young girl trying to recover the happiness within her family.
The final verdict:
Treasure is found where you least expect it. The author skillfully creates a sweet story of a young girl, as she learns to appreciate her life and family. The emotions will resonate with young readers, and I recommend you give it a shot.

Harriet is a rising fourth grader who is dealing with a life changing event at the end of third grade; her mother is pregnant and has been put on bed rest. Harriet (who was named after the titular character in Fitzhugh's 1964 book) is not happy about the baby, and keeps reminding her parents that they said that nothing would change. Of course, things do. Since her mother is not able to take care of her, she is sent to spend the summer on an island off the coast. Nanu runs a bed and breakfast, and is looking forward to having Harriet "help" her. Harriet is even allowed to bring her pet cat, Matzo Ball, even though Nanu is not sure how her older, grumpy dog, Moneypenny, will react. Harriet's father takes her over on the ferry, tries to sweeten the deal with a doughnut, and promises her that there are adventures to be had, and perhaps even treasure in the Gingerbread House, which he doesn't explain. Harriet, who describes herself at the very beginning of the book as someone who occasionally lies and has other less than perfect qualities, let's everyone know of her displeasure. While Nanu is sympathetic, she is also busy, and expects Harriet to deal with her grief and get on with things. When cleaning out a shed behind the B&B, Harriet finds an old fashioned key, and hopes that this is what her father meant when he talked about a treasure. She investigates all of the locks that she can find in between helping out at the B&B, walking Moneypenny, and feeling sorry for herself during down moments. Will she be able to solve the mystery of the key?