“Imagination Saves the Day!”: A Review of Bernice Takes a Plunge by Ann Harth
(Australia: Odyssey Books, 2020). ISBN: 978-1925652918 Let’s face it: we are all in need of some new and different heroes. With the recent success of Millie Bobby Brown as Enola Holmes—sister of Sherlock and Mycroft—on Netflix, it could be that the next big thing in inspiring role models is a young girl armed with a keen imagination, broad knowledge, an adventurous spirit, and a flair for story (think Greta Thunberg). All of these boxes are checked by Ann Harth’s delightful character, Bernice Rose Peppercorn, as they were “back in the day” by Charles Schulz’s Lucy, Astrid Lindgren’s Pippi Longstocking, and Judy Blume’s Sheila the Great. Bernice, a journaler and fledgling writer, is also a fan of a big-time celebrity who lives near her, Crystal Bell, who makes action adventures with a hint of mystery, with titles like Murder in Mumbai . The inciting incident is when Miss Bell’s house is robbed. Bernice is armed with her notebook, in which she makes entries—with her...