Monday, February 15, 2010

righteous indignation


"Harriet the Spy: The Blog Wars". Can you believe it? I'm so angry, well, I could just spit. Here is an excerpt from the wikipedia entry for said abomination against literature and childhood heroines:

"It's a really different version than before. The first book was written in the 60s, so we're putting our own spin on it." The only known plot is that Harriet ends up in a blog war with a classmate."

Do you know that they (by which I mean "The Man" as the term would apply to the mysterious power players in the childrens' publishing industry)are "updating" The Babysitters Club so that the books have references to the internet and iPods? Why? Whyyy?

When I read
Harriet and Ramona the Pest there were lots of things I didn't quite understand - "dumbwaiters", "graham crackers", "fig newtowns", the "dawnzer lee light", - but the key thing is that I eventually figured it out or asked my parents and learnt something about the world.*

What if they do this Paula Danziger? I don't think I could handle it.

*I wasn't spectacularly out of touch with pop culture: in New Zealand NONE OF THESE EXIST.

Oh, and: Harriet pic from here, and the sweet, sweet Remember me to Harold Square cover art is from here
.

PS. You should totally read all these books, as well as the entire back catalogue of Paula Danziger, right now, no matter how old you are.

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