Beloved Classic HARRIET THE SPY to Return in All-New Graphic Novel Format for the First Time

More than sixty years after Louise Fitzhugh introduced readers to the iconic Harriet M. Welsch, Harriet the Spy will reach a new generation with the publication of HARRIET THE SPY: The Graphic Novel.

Adapted by Harriet Webster and illustrated by Claudia Petrazzi, the full-color graphic novel will be published by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, on April 27, 2027. The announcement was made by Wendy Loggia, VP & Publisher, Delacorte Press. Alison Romig, Editor, Delacorte Press, will edit the adaptation.

First published in 1964, Harriet the Spy has become one of the most enduring classics of children’s literature, inspiring generations of readers with a heroine whose curiosity, intelligence, and unapologetic honesty changed the way children saw themselves on the page. More than six decades later, Harriet remains a fixture in classrooms and on reading lists and has continued to find new audiences through film and television adaptations. The original novel was named one of the New York Public Library’s 100 Great Children’s Books from the Last 100 Years.

Now Harriet M. Welsch and her famous notebook come to life in an entirely new way. Eleven-year-old Harriet is a spy—or at least, she plans to be one. She writes down everything she knows about everyone in her notebook, including her classmates and her best friends. But when Harriet loses track of the notebook and it ends up in the wrong hands, her friends discover the always truthful, sometimes awful things she has written about them. Suddenly, Harriet must figure out how to put her life—and her friendships—back together. Adapted by Harriet Webster with dynamic, full-color artwork by Claudia Petrazzi, the graphic novel brings Fitzhugh’s humor, hard truths, and unforgettable characters to a new generation of readers.

“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,” says Harriet Webster. “Adapting her iconic, timeless story into a graphic novel alongside Claudia Petrazzi and the team has been a thrill and an honor.”

“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,” says Claudia Petrazzi. “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 raised me, along with so many generations of readers, so when it came to adapting it as a graphic novel, I was overwhelmed with emotion. How could we possibly improve upon a classic? The answer is you don’t improve upon it; you honor it,” says Alison Romig. “These creators have captured all the attitude, complexities, and humor that made Harriet timeless from the start, and I can’t wait to reintroduce her to readers.”

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Louise Fitzhugh was born in Memphis, Tennessee. She attended Bard College, studied art in Italy and France, and continued her studies in New York at the Art Students Leage and at Cooper Union. Her groundbreaking first children’s novel was Harriet the Spy.

When Harriet Webster was nine, Harriet the Spy changed her life. She began writing in notebooks and never stopped. Her stories have been published by Penguin Random House, Disney Publishing, Rebel Girls, Story House Egmont, and PaperCutz, among others. She lives in Miami with her husband, son, their cats, and many comics.

Claudia Petrazzi is an illustrator, author, and cartoonist from Italy. She graduated with a degree in production design from the Academy of Fine Arts in Perugia. She works on middle grade and young adult books in the UK, France, and Italy. Her first graphic novel as an author, Atomi, originally produced as a webcomic, was published by BAO Publishing in 2025.

Random House Children’s Books (rhcbooks.com) is the world’s largest English-language children’s trade book publisher. Creating books for toddlers through young adult readers, in all formats from board books to activity books to picture books, novels, and nonfiction, the imprints of Random House Children’s Books bring together award-winning authors and illustrators, world-famous franchise characters, and multimillion-copy series. Random House Children’s Books is a division of Penguin Random House LLC.