Reluctant Hero cover

Reluctant Hero

by Sandra Paul

Raised with limited peer interaction, Ernestine St Bennett has difficulty interpreting social cues. At twenty-five she's become aloner; a shy nerd immersed in her scientific studies, whose best friend is her pet fish, Waldo. Then Ernestine meets Simon Prime, who's obviously a nerd, too! Sympathizing with his social dysfunction, Ernie decides to help poor Simon increase his self-esteem and thus enhance his social standing. Using principles learned in her fish studies, she'll simply turn Simon from meek to macho. What Ernestine doesn't know (but Waldo suspects) is that Simon Prime is really ex-cop, private investigator Sam Pierce in disguise. A man who definitely doesn't need his masculinity enhanced!

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?