The Dangerous Life of Ophelia Bottom by Susie Bower - B

The Dangerous Life of Ophelia Bottom by Susie Bower

Genre: Middle Grade Fiction, Mystery  

4.5 Stars 

One Liner: Wonderful! 

*****

Ophelia Bottom wants a normal life with normal parents, a normal school, and a home that doesn’t have wheels. As the daughter of traveling actors, her life seems to be no less a drama from the Shakespearean era. 

When an unexpected incident forces the Bottom family to stay in Stopford for a few weeks, Ophelia thinks this is her chance to have a normal life (even if temporary). However, the town’s motto, Plastic Is Fantastic – Different Is Dangerous, makes Ophelia realize that this isn’t the kind of normal she wanted. 

What’s more, she may have to risk everything to solve the mystery behind the motto and its aftereffects on the townsfolk. Can Ophelia Bottom get to the bottom of things? 

The story comes from the first-person POV of Ophelia. 

My Observations: 

Ophelia is a sweetheart! I love how her character’s depth is revealed as the story progresses. She starts off like a regular pre-teen but goes on to show her grit and maturity. Merry was another lovely character. 

The use of capitals when the dad speaks and italics when the mom stresses every word was a great touch. The capitals initially put me off, but it didn’t last long. The explanation is right at the beginning of the book, and I couldn’t help but chuckle at it. 

The setting is vivid and clear. I could easily picturize Stopford town, the school, the kids, and just about everything. This book would make a good screen adaptation. It is easy to visualize the book from start to finish.

The book deals with a few topics like plastic waste, environment protection, bullying at school, being ‘normal’ vs. by different, being true to oneself, and so on. But there’s no preaching. No one lectures on moral values. Everything is integral to the plot. Take an element out, and the story will be affected in some way. That’s how it should be done, IMO. 

The twists in the plot are easy to guess (it is MG fiction, after all). Yet, I loved the last twist and the ending. It is just how a children’s book should be. 

The narration further picks up pace during the climax and does justice to the build-up. It is easy to become a part of the story and root for Ophelia. Kids will enjoy the adrenaline-packed action scenes. 

The second half gave me Robo/ Enthiran vibes (by director Shankar with Rajnikanth in the lead). I won’t say more as it will lead to spoilers. 

There’s a wee bit of repetition, but I don’t mind ignoring it in MG fiction. 

The story is fast-paced and keeps you hooked. I wish I could’ve read it in a single sitting. If you have 2+ hours to spare, grab this one. You won’t be disappointed. 

To summarize, The Dangerous Life of Ophelia Bottom is a delightful and fun novel for children dealing with an important topic. It’s pretty much a complete package. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Pushkin Children's Books, for the eARC.  

#TheDangerousLifeofOpheliaBottom #NetGalley

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P.S: A big thank you to Rosh for recommending the book. I saw it twice on NG and decided to try it later. Her strong recco changed my mind. Guess I had to read it now. The author’s kiddo book, Shoo! is one of my favorites this year. Needless to say, I’ll be keeping an eye out for other releases by Susie Bower.