Over the Top

Eleven-year-old Diva, like her quiet father, prefers to live life out of the spotlight, unlike her effervescent mother and brother. Moving to a new neighborhood, Diva finds it hard to make friends at school and is overly conscious of the ‘mean girls’ whose unkind digs and body language are hurtful. Her awkwardness is compounded by her mother’s excesses as a party-planner and extrovert personality, often unaware of subtleties and nuances. It is bad enough that Diva’s name is Diva Cleopatra and that she lives in an eccentric pink turreted home, but, when she is seen dressed in a strange mermaid costume at one of her mother’s themed events, is given what seems to be a weird role in the school-play and has a well-intentioned but embarrassing surprise birthday party thrown for her, it seems she can sink no lower in her humiliation.

Hughes, a versatile author, effectively conveys Diva’s vulnerability, thereby enabling the reader to experience Diva’s angst and loneliness as well as enjoy her pithy and perceptive observations. Other characters are equally well-drawn and engaging. Diva’s family is warm and caring despite the fact that her irrepressible mother fails to observe Diva’s discomfort at her over-enthusiastic behavior. Diva’s more sensitive extrovert brother and gentle father provide balance, and it is to Diva’s credit that she never loses sight of her mother’s innate goodness despite the embarrassment her mother causes.

Over the Top is a sensitive story replete with observational humor and plenty of tension in the day-to-day situations that are familiar to school children. It also conveys a message about the insidiousness of bullying.

After a couple of days of watching them, I became more convinced that they were definitely mean. But not obviously mean. Their meanness showed itself in a lot of little moments. For one thing, they didn’t talk to anyone else. Ever. But they made comments to each other about everyone else. Kallie said, ‘OMG, walk too much?’ to Miko when a boy tripped on his way to the sharpener. Or Miko loudly said ‘my eyes hurt’ and actually put on sunglasses because another girl’s neon-orange hoodie was apparently so bright. They’d mimic other kids or laugh at the way they talked. I could go on. Like I said, a lot of little mean moments.

Diva’s eventual ability to find her own place and find perspective about the ‘mean girls’ presents a heartening and hopeful message about being oneself.

Over the Top captures the vulnerability of kids placed in a new environment. Replete with honest characters, an interesting, humorous plot and moments of turmoil, this book is a page-turner that will entertain readers while providing a lesson about being your own person.