HARRIET AND THE ROBOT

by Martin Waddell ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1987

Another hilarious episode in the extraordinary life of the antiheroine of Harriet and the Crocodiles and Harriet and the Haunted School. After inadvertently blowing up her house during testing it (but Dad's had such a lot of practice that he'll have no trouble making repairs), Harriet produces a robot as a birthday gift for her best friend, Anthea. Though Dolly is somewhat larger than life-size, people accept her as a schoolgirl, thus providing plenty of opportunity for mayhem as Dolly uncritically follows commands. Everything seems to settle down after Dolly is disabled by a muddy encounter with a canal, but there's a suggestion that we've not heard the last of her--or the irrepressible Harriet--yet. This is slapstick made funnier by a satirical perspective on the Slow Street School, which has matter-of-factly mobilized as best it can to defend itself against the frequent depredations of Harriet, whose innocent inventions invariably lead to explosions and other mayhem. Interestingly, Waddell is a native of Belfast; these misadventures can be seen as the comic side of a tragic conflict--what better balm than laughter? Large, generously-spaced type and humorous drawings will make Harriet even more attractive to young readers.

Pub Date: April 1, 1987

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 79

Publisher: Joy Street/Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1987

Categories: CHILDREN'S