Harriet the Spy vs Stuart Little: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Juvenile audience, Classics, Friendship, Fiction
Harriet the Spy
“Harriet was trying to explain to Sport how to play town.”
Harriet the Spy is a children's novel written and illustrated by Louise Fitzhugh that was published in 1964. It has been called "a milestone in children's literature" and a "classic". In the U.S. it ranked number 12 in…
1 film adaptation
vs
Stuart Little
“When Mrs. Frederick C. Little's second son arrived, everybody noticed that he was not much bigger than a mouse.”
Stuart Little is no ordinary mouse. Born to a family of humans, he lives in New York City with his parents, his older brother George, and Snowbell the cat. Though he's shy and thoughtful, he's also a true lover of…
1 film adaptation
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- Stuart Little is the quickest read — about 2 hours vs 5 for Harriet the Spy.
- Stuart Little has the widest readership — 135114 ratings behind its score.
- Harriet the Spy runs the darker storyline; Stuart Little stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| Harriet the Spy | Stuart Little | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.0 (101232) | 3.9 (135114) |
| Hardcover | 4.0 (3) | 4.2 (11) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (99) | 4.0 (144) |
Reception
| Harriet the Spy | Stuart Little | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 101232 | 135114 |
| Editions | 63 | 62 |
| Citations | — | 37 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 31451 | 66850 |
| Reading it now | 1512 | 1814 |
| Written reviews | 3270 | 4681 |
| Wikipedia attention | 3972 | 11191 |
| Pages | 305 | 147 |