Review of “The Noble Adventures of Beryl and Carol” by Jeremy Sherr

Score: 95+/100 (9.5+ out of 10)

“You know what happened to Tim?”

In 1982, 15 years before the start of this book, a boy named Tim went missing from a little English town. A few of his former boy scout buddies recall him talking about a treasure hidden somewhere close by, a treasure which apparently resulted in his tragic disappearance and apparent demise. What really happened to Tim and his supposed treasure?

And it's with the revelation of that mystery that we are plunged into this incredibly entertaining and enjoyable book!

We join the charismatic, dynamic duo of Carol and Beryl, two 12-year-old next door neighbors and BFFs, who are frequently feuding with two school bullies in Simon and Gimpy.

Now, when we say that Carol and Beryl are charismatic and dynamic, we aren't exaggerating! These two have more personality than the 1985 Chicago Bears! They're cute, they're funny, they're sarcastic, they're imaginative, they're creative, they're resourceful, they're wise and intelligent (at times), they're naive and ignorant (at other times), they're sympathetic, and they're JUST. SO. COMPELLING!

You can't help but get behind these girls and hope that they get everything they want.

Another thing that goes without saying is that the chemistry between the two characters is astronomical! They have code-names for each other in case there's an emergency. They generally know what the other one is thinking or feeling without even having to ask.

In life and literature, there are friends and best-friends, then there are true BFFs like these two! With the exception of maybe one misunderstanding, they're virtually inseparable! You really get the sense that nothing, no matter how insurmountable, will stand in their way.

Now, getting back to the story, this book takes a turn when the house of the girls' second-mother, Mrs. Ecclestone, goes up for sale. Soon, there are “FOR SALE” signs everywhere in town. The girls soon learn that the textile factory that has kept the town afloat is now closing. Many of the townsfolk who were employed by and relied on the factory are out of work and seemingly out of luck. This includes Carol's dad, who is leaning toward moving away to pursue new opportunities (not too dissimilar from Michael in Tough Trail Home by Marie Watts, now that we think of it).

This would spell the end to Carol & Beryl being neighbors, putting the final nail in the coffin to all of the amazing adventures they have together including their adventures around the river into the nearby secret garden. To make matters even worse, the family of Gimpy, one of the bullies, is interested in buying Carol's house. This could potentially mean that Beryl would be trapped in town with a hateful, despicable bully living next door and always breathing down her neck. She would be left alone without her tough, brave, fearless friend, Carol, to fight alongside her. That's quite a plight!

And, as you might have guessed, this is when the book really takes off!

Carol & Beryl come up with all sorts of wild, crazy, funny, and amusing ideas on how to make enough money to buy and save Carol's house. For example, they calculate that it would take 19 years to make enough money from a lemonade stand to buy the house. They also calculate that it would take 108 years to save enough money if they went without ice cream.

And herein lies one of the most charming and awesome things about this book: the childlike wonder and innocence. Yes, these girls are a bit naive, but there's a cuteness and humor to that. For example, to them, 15 years (since the disappearance of Tim) is ancient history, as are events like the Falklands War. To them, 10000 British pounds is a fortune capable of buying a house. To them, being deprived and starving means not eating ice cream that day. It's hilarious!

They also consider doing things like dog-walking, babysitting, and tutoring.

After a while, they basically decide to build their own house at the other side of the river near where they love to adventure. The problem is, to get all their building materials there would be very inefficient. So, what do these resourceful, imaginative girls decide to do? They decide to build a boat! Well, it's more like a raft, but they do it anyway. They name it the Kentucky. With the raft, they're able to bring some makeshift building supplies and materials across the river and to their secret place. Adorably, they sing songs while they're building like “Our house is a very, very, very nice house.” See what we mean by this book being so charming? It's like watching Christopher Robin and Winnie the Poo do stuff.

As fate would have it, they make a huge (albeit convenient and kinda cheesy) discovery believed to be related to Tim Marston, the missing boy. They investigate using library resources and try to figure out what may have happened to him. One particular thing sparks their interest: a potential treasure hidden somewhere near their secret place by the town! They consider if maybe they can invite treasure hunters to bring business to the town and potential “save” it, or if they can find the treasure themselves!

They face a ton of obstacles along the way like how to convince their parents they're studying for school and not goofing off with the house building and treasure hunting. They also face human obstacles and outright villains like Simon, Gimpy, Mr. Davis, and Hank along the way.

Can these girls overcome these obstacles, find the missing treasure, and save their house?

This book is phenomenal! We're not even kidding. It's so much fun!

It needs to be briefly stated that this book takes place around 1996-1997, and the author did an admirable job of bringing us into that time. For example, Princess Diana is still around for much of this book, expected to help with the opening of a new hospice center. Margaret Thatcher and the Falklands War are talked about, albeit briefly and as a bit of a red-herring. Computers are also less advanced and there internet isn't quite huge yet.

Another thing we loved about this book is the writing. Again, it captures that childlike wonder and innocence that we've been missing in literature lately. There are funny lines that deliberately exaggerate the girls' thoughts and experiences like:

“All the girls wanted to do was give up, but they had to push on—just one more bend in the riverbank, and another, and one more.”

“She abstained from buying any essentials, such as ice cream (except once)”

There's also a really great passage about friendship spoken by Beryl's mom:

“Friendships need good fights occasionally, just as every child needs a good fever once in a while. Fevers burn out infections, bacteria, viruses, and toxins, so they are an essential part of a healthy life. Fights are similar; they are fires that clean out all the little tensions that build up in a relationship, so they bring true friends closer together. That’s why Dad and I are often closer after a good quarrel. After a fight, it becomes easier to see the other person’s point of view, say sorry, and move on. My motto on this is, ‘Fight, fever, forgive, forget, freedom.’”

WOW, just, WOW. That really spoke to us.

One minor grievance we had was that it really seemed like Beryl, despite being first-billed in the title, was being completely overshadowed all the time by Carol. Carol is the cool one with the cool nickname (“Carol the Peril”). She's the one who is “daring with a touch of naughty.” She makes all the lists and comes up with a lot of the master plans. She is also the one who acts when there's danger, such as screaming, fleeing, or trying to fight. For much of this book we were kinda thinking: is Beryl going to do anything? Thankfully, our questions were answered. Beryl does have her own uses. First of all, she loves crossword puzzles and can solve problems. She's also smaller than Carol, making her capable of fitting into tight spaces. Apparently, she can also swim and isn't afraid to get in the water.

What a great duo! And what a great book!

Check it out on Amazon!