Title: Harriet Hound

Author: Kate Foster

Illustrator: Sophie Beer

Publication Year: 2023

Publisher: Walker Books

Available From: Amazon, Booktopia, Walker Books, your favourite bookshop, and possibly your local library.

Intended Audience: Middle grade readers

About the Author: Kate Foster is an Autistic children’s author writing about friends, family, and dogs. She is passionate about encouraging and teaching a wider understanding of autism and mental illness via positive approach and representations. She has published several middle-grade books and holds workshops for children, educators, and others interested in authentic representation in children’s literature. You can find Kate online at kfosterbooks.com, Twitter, and Instagram.

My thoughts: Harriet Hound is an exciting middle grade adventure mystery about an Autistic girl with magical superpowers. You cannot help but fall in love with Harriet and her special rescue dogs.

Harriet is eight years old, vegan, and everything in Harriet’s life relates to dogs—her last name is Hound, she lives at a dog rescue shelter called Hound’s Rescue, which is located on Hound Lane, in a town called Labrador. Luckily for Harriet, she adores dogs!

But Harriet has a big secret! On her eighth birthday, she finds a dusty old box by her bed. Upon opening the box, a book appears with a note from her Nana. Harriet is about to become a superhero! With a puff of magic, Harriet will be able to call on whichever dogs she needs from the rescue centre to save the day.

We follow Harriet and the dogs from Hound’s Rescue as they investigate three mysteries:

Can Harriet find the vegetables missing from Marcia’s garden?

What will happen when Harriet’s class from Labrador Open School get stuck in a sudden storm during an excursion to Labrador Wetlands?

Will Harriet save the day when the star act of the Labrador Winter Carnival—Mr Hayashi, the Ice-Cream Magician—is unable to perform his show?

The Autistic representation in Harriet Hound is charming and authentic. Many of Harriet’s experiences will be relatable to young Autistic readers. She stims frequently, providing reassurance that stimming is wonderful and there’s no reason to be worried. Although Harriet has many adventures, she likes familiarity and follows a regular routine. She experiences anxiety and sensory sensitivities, and we are shown how her needs are accommodated and supported. Dogs, of course, are clearly Harriet’s special interest. There is so much joy in Harriet’s life, which comes from her intense experiences and passions.

Education is gently provided by demonstrating that autism is an ordinary part of Harriet’s life. Her family and the townsfolk of Labrador accept her just the way she is, and she is surrounded by peers at her school for Autistic children. We learn about Harriet’s Autistic features throughout the book in the same way we learn about her personality, her likes, and dislikes. While difficulties are touched on, autism is normalised through positive characterisation. 

Harriet’s love of dogs is evident. She has immense respect for the rescue dogs, and has learnt how to care for them—Harriet even has her own tasks to complete at the rescue centre. Many children with a beloved pet in their lives will relate to the comfort and friendship these dogs provide Harriet. And in true Autistic style (many Autistic people love to discuss their interests), Harriet shares fact sheets about the heroic dogs in the story as well as a guide to rescuing dogs.

Action abounds as we wonder how Harriet will utilise her superpowers and the rescue dogs to save the day. Sometimes clues are left to point us in the right direction, other times there are unexpected developments to keep us guessing. Each adventure is neatly wrapped up before the next begins.

The layout is well presented. Fonts occasionally vary in size to emphasise different aspects of the text—magic, intense feelings, and issues of importance to Harriet. Combined with the short chapter lengths, this is very effective in breaking the text into manageable sections and adding excitement. Readers are told exactly how intense Harriet is feeling by the size of the text, which is enhanced by Sophie Beer’s delightful black and white illustrations of key scenes.

Everything about Harriet Hound is loveable; the book was pleasure to read. As an Autistic adult, I wish there were protagonists like Harriet when I was younger. It would have made a measurable difference to my self-esteem and confidence to see stories about children who think and act in a similar manner to myself, especially children like Harriet who are comfortable with their own identity. I applaud the affirming depiction of autism which illustrates that being Autistic is simply a different way of being, not something that is wrong or to be ashamed of. 

I highly recommend Harriet Hound for young readers, around 6 to 10 years of age. This will also be a fantastic story to read with non-Autistic children—and even adults—to compassionately introduce autism and some of the differences they may find between themselves and Autistic children. Harriet Hound will be a treasured addition to libraries, including school, public, and home collections.

Harriet Hound is available for pre-orders and is due to be published on 3 May, 2023.

Notes

Thank you to Kate Foster for the advanced review copy of Harriet Hound. All opinions in this review are my own and have not been solicited from the author.

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Published 24 March, 2023.