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Harriet Bean #3
The Cowgirl Aunt of Harriet Bean
In the latest installment of the adventures of Harriet Bean, we’re off to cowboy country for another rollicking escapade!
When Harriet’s detective (and mind-reading) aunts Thessalonika and Japonica invite her to accompany them on a trip to America, Harriet can’t resist – especially when she learns that there’s yet another long-lost aunt waiting to be found there. And, as if meeting her Aunt Formica weren’t exciting enough, there’s a mystery to solve, who has been rustling Aunt Formica’s cattle?
When Harriet’s detective (and mind-reading) aunts Thessalonika and Japonica invite her to accompany them on a trip to America, Harriet can’t resist – especially when she learns that there’s yet another long-lost aunt waiting to be found there. And, as if meeting her Aunt Formica weren’t exciting enough, there’s a mystery to solve, who has been rustling Aunt Formica’s cattle?
96 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1993
1 person is currently reading
225 people want to read
About the author
Alexander McCall Smith
676 books12.8k followersAlexander McCall Smith is the author of the international phenomenon The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, the Isabel Dalhousie Series, the Portuguese Irregular Verbs series, and the 44 Scotland Street series. He is professor emeritus of medical law at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and has served on many national and international bodies concerned with bioethics. He was born in what is now known as Zimbabwe and he was a law professor at the University of Botswana. He lives in Scotland. Visit him online at www.alexandermccallsmith.com, on Facebook, and on Twitter.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
February 23, 2008
9-year-old detective Harriet accompanies her aunts Japonica and Thessalonika to the American west, where she meets her Aunt Formica, a cowgirl who is losing her cattle to rustlers. Silly and exaggerated elements (like Aunt Formica tying a threatening rattlesnake into a knot) make the story seem like an extended tall tale, and will be too over-the-top for some readers. Others will enjoy the offbeat characters and humor, both of which are echoed in Rankin’s black and white cartoon illustrations.
October 23, 2012
I understand that this is a children's book & the standards are different, but that still doesn't explain the problems with this book. Almost every other description is wildly inaccurate, often obviously so, even to a person who had very little experience of the world described. For example, at one point a character ties the reins of a horse to a cactus. Anyone who knows what a cactus is would realize how absurd that is.
February 6, 2017
This is just laziness, now. The first "Harriet Bean" story was silly but cute and entertaining, as Harriet discovered her five lost aunts and learned about them. The second story was silly and annoying. This one was just silly and stupid. Instead of using the five (six, with Harriet) characters he already created, McCall Smith pulls yet another "lost aunt" out of thin air--probably because the others are too cardboard to recycle. He seems to have no respect for the intelligence of the child reader. His "America" made me wonder if he'd ever actually been there. I'm not asking him to write about cellphones and computers, but this book reads like it was written by an eight year old for class. He may have found the process amusing, but I wonder what real kids today would think of the end. I couldn't honestly recommend it for a child above about six.
Don't get me wrong, I can read fantastical, impossible children's stories and enjoy them, but this just screamed "lazy writing" at every turn. Plot? Why bother. Characterization? What for? When he got to the part where Aunt Formica (yuck) tied a rattlesnake in a knot, he lost me forever. Fill up the requisite number of pages and push it off to the publisher, who will print anything with the McCall Smith brand on it. But ten years from now this will have sunk without a murmur.
Don't get me wrong, I can read fantastical, impossible children's stories and enjoy them, but this just screamed "lazy writing" at every turn. Plot? Why bother. Characterization? What for? When he got to the part where Aunt Formica (yuck) tied a rattlesnake in a knot, he lost me forever. Fill up the requisite number of pages and push it off to the publisher, who will print anything with the McCall Smith brand on it. But ten years from now this will have sunk without a murmur.
October 3, 2018
An entertaining story (chapter book and CD) about a girl named Harriet going on a trip with two of her aunts to meet a sister they'd never met before. They go to help her with problems she's having on her ranch, and Harriet gets to enjoy the adventure, too.
September 20, 2017
Cute series, great for the 2nd-3rd grade crowd.
November 30, 2019
Harriet Bean goes on another detective adventure with her aunts Thessalonika and Japonica. They go to the American West to find who's been rushing cattle.
October 31, 2020
Nice children's book.
March 11, 2014
Author: Alexander McCall Smith
Illustrator: Ian Bilbey
First Published: 1993
Before Precious and The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Collection Alexander McCall Smith wrote children's books.
There were a number of standalone children's books starting in 1980 with The White Hippo.
Akimbo and the Lions, the story of a 10yo living in Africa, published in 1992, lead to a five book series.
The Max and Maddy got two books in 1997 and 1998.
The Harriet Bean's three books were published 1990, 1991 and 1993.
It wasn't until 1999 that Precious made her first appearance in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Collection. But they're the books McCall Smith is really known for.
It makes it somewhat difficult to review his first works.
They simply are not the stories of Precious.
They are children's books from the 80s and 90s taking a large influence from the British classics like Enid Blyton with a feel of Dahl. But McCall Smith had yet to reach his very defined naive style that can be seen in the Precious books (including the later children's ones).
It seems unfair to judge them on that standard.
Rather, the Harriet Bean books, and The Cowgirl Aunt of Harriet Bean, are clever little children's chapter books very much of their time.
A funny, easy read with a light moral but really A Tall Tale. A tale told to a child without talking down but spun with a mix of truth and nonsense.
Appealing and light.
The 8yo though they were so great she chose to read them herself.
And I'm told they were still very funny.
Harriet Bean Trilogy:
The Five Lost Aunts of Harriet Bean
Harriet Bean and the League of Cheats
The Cowgirl Aunt of Harriet Bean
References:
Author's website: http://www.alexandermccallsmith.co.uk/
W'pedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexande...
Age:
Read aloud - 4+
Read yourself - 8+
(ISBN 978-0-7475-8044-7)
-CR-
Illustrator: Ian Bilbey
First Published: 1993
Before Precious and The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Collection Alexander McCall Smith wrote children's books.
There were a number of standalone children's books starting in 1980 with The White Hippo.
Akimbo and the Lions, the story of a 10yo living in Africa, published in 1992, lead to a five book series.
The Max and Maddy got two books in 1997 and 1998.
The Harriet Bean's three books were published 1990, 1991 and 1993.
It wasn't until 1999 that Precious made her first appearance in The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Collection. But they're the books McCall Smith is really known for.
It makes it somewhat difficult to review his first works.
They simply are not the stories of Precious.
They are children's books from the 80s and 90s taking a large influence from the British classics like Enid Blyton with a feel of Dahl. But McCall Smith had yet to reach his very defined naive style that can be seen in the Precious books (including the later children's ones).
It seems unfair to judge them on that standard.
Rather, the Harriet Bean books, and The Cowgirl Aunt of Harriet Bean, are clever little children's chapter books very much of their time.
A funny, easy read with a light moral but really A Tall Tale. A tale told to a child without talking down but spun with a mix of truth and nonsense.
Appealing and light.
The 8yo though they were so great she chose to read them herself.
And I'm told they were still very funny.
Harriet Bean Trilogy:
The Five Lost Aunts of Harriet Bean
Harriet Bean and the League of Cheats
The Cowgirl Aunt of Harriet Bean
References:
Author's website: http://www.alexandermccallsmith.co.uk/
W'pedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexande...
Age:
Read aloud - 4+
Read yourself - 8+
(ISBN 978-0-7475-8044-7)
-CR-
October 10, 2011
This is another fun book in the Harriet Bean series by Alexander McCall Smith. We listened to The Five Lost Aunts of Harriet Bean on audio CD and our oldest loved it, so I wanted to check out the other books in the series. It appears there are only three books, though, so I suppose we'll only have one more opportunity to learn about Harriet and her kooky family.
This was a short and entertaining book about Harriet's adventure in America to find another aunt. It's an exciting story about tracking cattle rustlers and rescuing Aunt Formica's herd. This book is a bit over the top and somewhat of a tall tale, but not as much as the first book was. Still, the tale is humorous and we enjoyed reading this story together.
This was a short and entertaining book about Harriet's adventure in America to find another aunt. It's an exciting story about tracking cattle rustlers and rescuing Aunt Formica's herd. This book is a bit over the top and somewhat of a tall tale, but not as much as the first book was. Still, the tale is humorous and we enjoyed reading this story together.
December 11, 2011
I found the Harriet Bean premise wearing very thin in this book. I don't like being disappointed with anything that Alexander McCall Smith writes, I love the #1 Detectives Agency stuff that I've read so much, I assumed that his kids stuff would be fantastic, but sadly I've been underwhelmed. There were a few moments in this book, but overall it didn't work for me or my 8 year old.
July 8, 2009
We listened to this in the car on the way home from Charleston and both kids liked it. Pretty easy on the adult ears too. Its always nice to find a series the whole family can enjoy. The Harriet Bean books are going on the list of "tent books."
April 19, 2010
This was a cute adventure/mystery book with wholesome and fun characters. Would be interested in seeing more from the series - but I am not running to the store for them. My 5 year old enjoyed the story..As an adult reader I felt it fell a little flat - but good overall!
March 6, 2014
A simple pure-in-heart adventure for youngsters.
April 28, 2016
I read this to my 2nd grade class and they loved it. It is a funny book that kept my students and me laughing.
Read
June 26, 2015My students really enjoyed this series! (2013-2014)
September 9, 2014
Cute story. I would love to spend the day in Alexander McCall Smiths imagination! So colourful.
February 4, 2016
cute! we're going to find the first one for our next read aloud
April 22, 2016
Cool.
November 28, 2012
1013 - 2012
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews