Just Harriet by Elana Arnold

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.