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Sport
by Louise Fitzhugh
This was amazing.
Even in the original Harriet book, Sport stood out as one of the most interesting characters. He and Harriet live nearly opposite experiences: her always seeking new things from her position in a sometimes-nearly-too-stable family, and him desperately seeking some stability to shore up the quicksand that is his life.
This book tells his story, expanding on the tiny fragments we got to see in Harriet the Spy, and I loved it. This is definitely the most high-stakes book in the series. No need for Sport to go around looking for half-made-up mysteries to solve -- his life already has far too much adventure, including two kidnappings, a dangerous run-in with the cops, and amounts of money most people can only dream of.
Sport's rich mom reminds me of a lawful evil version of Beth Ellen's chaotic neutral mom from the second book. It's Sport's dad that really throws a different flavor into this story. He came off really badly in Harriet the Spy. His irresponsibility and parentification of his eleven-year-old son are almost impossible to see past for an outsider looking in, but looking at him from Sport's perspective, we get to see the brave, selfless, loving sides of him as well.
The addition of Kate to the household was really sweet, and made so much more of an impact on Sport than even the money. The kidnapping upped the tension in the book, but not nearly as much as the encounter with the police. False witness is one of the worst, most stressful things in the world -- but the payoff was great, especially the contrast between when the police take Sport to his mom's house, versus when they finally make it to his dad's.
I didn't mention Harriet, because she's barely in two scenes. She wasn't even really rude once, which shows you how minimal her impact was on the story. Would it have been nice if she showed up more? Sure. But you know what? This book doesn't need her. It's great just the way it is.
Even in the original Harriet book, Sport stood out as one of the most interesting characters. He and Harriet live nearly opposite experiences: her always seeking new things from her position in a sometimes-nearly-too-stable family, and him desperately seeking some stability to shore up the quicksand that is his life.
This book tells his story, expanding on the tiny fragments we got to see in Harriet the Spy, and I loved it. This is definitely the most high-stakes book in the series. No need for Sport to go around looking for half-made-up mysteries to solve -- his life already has far too much adventure, including two kidnappings, a dangerous run-in with the cops, and amounts of money most people can only dream of.
Sport's rich mom reminds me of a lawful evil version of Beth Ellen's chaotic neutral mom from the second book. It's Sport's dad that really throws a different flavor into this story. He came off really badly in Harriet the Spy. His irresponsibility and parentification of his eleven-year-old son are almost impossible to see past for an outsider looking in, but looking at him from Sport's perspective, we get to see the brave, selfless, loving sides of him as well.
The addition of Kate to the household was really sweet, and made so much more of an impact on Sport than even the money. The kidnapping upped the tension in the book, but not nearly as much as the encounter with the police. False witness is one of the worst, most stressful things in the world -- but the payoff was great, especially the contrast between when the police take Sport to his mom's house, versus when they finally make it to his dad's.
I didn't mention Harriet, because she's barely in two scenes. She wasn't even really rude once, which shows you how minimal her impact was on the story. Would it have been nice if she showed up more? Sure. But you know what? This book doesn't need her. It's great just the way it is.