Penguin Random House has announced Harriet the Spy: The Graphic Novel, an adaptation of Louise Fitzhugh‘s classic children’s book, scripted by writer Harriet Webster (Disney Science in Comics), with art by Claudia Petrazzi (Classics in Comics). Releasing next year from Random House Children’s Books imprint Delacorte Press, the book will retell the story of 11-year old Harriet M. Welsch, an aspiring spy, who records her thoughts and observations on everyone in a notebook — which proves problematic when her friends gain possession of it.
Webster says, “Sharing a first name and a passion for writing with my literary hero was a huge source of pride and comfort for me growing up. Revisiting Harriet the Spy now, I appreciate how Louise Fitzhugh revolutionized children’s literature with her protagonist’s profound sense of self. Adapting her iconic, timeless story into a graphic novel alongside Claudia Petrazzi and the team has been a thrill and an honor.”
Petrazzi, who is Italian, adds, “I grew up reading comics and stories, and at the age of seventeen I made myself a promise: I would work as an illustrator and author to make stories that could help someone feel less alone. I’m happy I managed to make this come true, and I’m very excited my work will be published in the U.S. for the first time, with such a beautiful story amazingly adapted by Harriet Webster.”
Harriet the Spy, which Fitzhugh wrote and illustrated in 1964, was followed by a sequel, The Long Secret (1965), and the spin-off Sport (1979). The latter was published five years after Fitzhugh died of a brain aneurysm, aged just 46. The book was adapted into a movie starring the late Michelle Trachtenberg in 1996, and subsequently received two sequels, Harriet Spies Again (2002) and Harriet the Spy, DoubleAgent (2005), respectively by Helen Ericson and Maya Gold. It was most recently adapted into an Apple TV cartoon, starring Beanie Feldstein, in 2021.
The graphic novel will be released in hardcover and paperback on April 27, 2027. It will retail at 256 pages respectively for $21.99, and $14.99. Head to the links for a preview, and for the full press release, click here.
