The Tulip Touch

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The book received some criticism, along with others on the 2021 Carnegie Medal shortlist, for being too "grim" for children. [3] [4] References [ edit ] She skives off school, cheeks the teachers and makes herself unpopular with her classmates by telling awful lies. Themes- unhealthy friendships, exiting an unhealthy friendship, guilt, school transitions, sibling jealousy, social isolation, finding your own path, domestic violence (implied) urn:lcp:tuliptouchnovel00fine:epub:366553c0-df1b-44d2-afaa-1bbb8e6e9166 Extramarc University of Alberta Libraries Foldoutcount 0 Identifier tuliptouchnovel00fine Identifier-ark ark:/13960/t2g748h6j Isbn 0316283258

Anne Fine’s work has been translated into forty five languages. In 2003 she became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and was awarded an OBE. Anne has two grown up daughters, and lives in County Durham. At the close of the novel, Natalie has moved to a new hotel with her family and things are going well for them. Her family, teachers, and the community all criticise Tulip, but Natalie feels immense guilt over what happened. Although she was too young to recognise the signs of abuse, Natalie wonders why the adults in their lives never helped Tulip. [2] Major themes [ edit ]Though readers often find themselves inadvertently laughing aloud as they read Anne Fine's novels, as she herself admits, "a lot of my work, even for fairly young readers, raises serious social issues. Growing up is a long and confusing business. I try to show that the battle through the chaos is worthwhile and can, at times, be seen as very funny." In 1994, this unique combination of humour and realism inspired the hit movie MRS. DOUBTFIRE, based on Anne's novel MADAME DOUBTFIRE and starring the late comedic genius Robin Williams. The story begins as Natalie Barnes, a girl who lived in hotels all her life, and her parents move to stay permanently in The Palace Hotel, where her father will be the manager. They meet Tulip Pierce, a charming, introverted girl who tells imaginative yet unbelievable stories - embellishments which Natalie's father refers to as "the Tulip touch". [1] [2] Characters: I adored the characters. Each of them had their own depth, even if there weren't actually that many. At first she doesn't care that other people are upset and unnerved by Tulip's bizarre games, but as the games become increasingly sinister and dangerous, Natalie realises that Tulip is going too far. This lends itself well to a Book Club for Two with an adult. There is so much implied in this writing, adults will see a lot more danger than girls do. So, it’s important to tread lightly and let them lead the way. For example, an adult will be troubled by the description of Tulip’s mother but to most children they perceive nothing more than her being ‘unhappy’ in a non-specific way.

The Tulip Touch is a children's novel written by Anne Fine and published in 1996. The book raises questions of morality and accountability, as well as exploring the question of nature versus nurture. It won the Whitbread Award and was Highly Commended for the Carnegie Medal. She doesn't fall into literary clichés with Tulip and has obviously done her research into how (sexually)abused/neglected children will often act (different from common expectation). She also nails Natalie's rabbit-caught-in-headlights car crash helplessness. At first sight this has many aspects of fairy tales -- a princess in a palatial dwelling, a changeling-like child whom she befriends, a child-beating ogre figure, mind-reading, and so on -- but don't search for a happy ending, or indeed any ending that is as neatly resolved as fairytales are: this is a story which has much that the reader can believe as being all too realistic, despite some magical trappings. Anne Fine has the talent for revealing great truths in simple language. Once the reader is hooked on wondering how far Tulip will go and whether Natalie will help her or stop her, it’s hard to stop reading! As well as unfussy sentence structure, the story is chunked into three parts which is then sub-divided into short chapters. It breaks the story into bite-sized chunks so readers can process in between. Invaluable given how much is implied in the gaps between this story.Anne has written more than sixty books for children and young people. Amongst numerous other awards, she is twice winner of both the Carnegie Medal, Britain's most prestigious children's book award, and the Whitbread Award. Twice chosen as Children's Author of the Year in the British Book Awards, Anne Fine was also the first novelist to be honoured as Children's Laureate in the United Kingdom. In 2003, Anne became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and was awarded an OBE. Her work has been translated into forty five languages. Access-restricted-item true Addeddate 2010-11-23 19:21:54 Boxid IA134802 Boxid_2 CH122801 Camera Canon EOS 5D Mark II City Boston Donor Tulip is seldom seen in Natalie's new school. As their relationship grows, Natalie notices the slight change in her friend's behaviour. Tulip was always unpopular and disliked amongst the other children, but that wasn't all. Soon, her games change from awkward and annoying to sadistic and often dangerous, such as tormenting strangers or endangering Natalie's younger brother Julius. Natalie finds out that Tulip's father is abusive to Tulip and her mother. Natalie's family are initially sympathetic towards Tulip, knowing the extent of the abuse to which Tulip and her mother are subjected. However, as her behaviour becomes more dangerous and erratic, Natalie's parents encourage her to end the friendship for their own good. The Tulip Touch grapples with the topical question of what turns children into criminals. It engrossingly chronicles a childhood friendship with a disadvantaged girl who goes to the bad. This novel will make children aged between 11 and 14 think about the dangers of peer pressure and the collective responsibility of society for unhappy children. As always, Fine teaches her lessons by making her readers feel."