The Tulip Touch

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This book looks at the weird and wonderful ideas and actions of Tulip through the eyes of her friend Natalie. The girls attend the same school and enjoy a close friendship, much to the dismay of Natalie’s parents and teachers. Tulip likes to test boundaries, both at school and within her friendship with Natalie. Their friendship is tested on the greatest level when Tulip takes her pranks to extreme heights and sets fire to a shed. Although Natalie knows that this behaviour is wrong, she still does not tell the police about Tulips actions. Typo alert for those of you who mark a book down for typos/editing (I am definitely NOT included in this, I couldn't give a hoot as long as it's readable): there is a fragment of a sentence lurking somewhere in my edition, which I think was supposed to be deleted. 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 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.

Anne Fine has also published eight highly acclaimed novels for adults, including In Cold Domain, All Bones and Lies and Raking the Ashes. The Killjoy won a Scottish Arts Council Book Award and both Taking the Devil’s Advice and Telling Liddy have been broadcast on BBC Radio 4. Our Precious Lulu is her most recent novel. Loved by girls who want to explore uncomfortable friendships, who are curious about dark characters, girls who want to explore home circumstances different to their own and enjoy the guessing game of working out Tulip’s motivations. The peerless vigour of Fine's writing, and the provocative question of whether our society is even trying to catch its 'evil' ones as they fall, make this an extraordinary powerful novel.

This is essentially a book about bullying or a very toxic friendship. The toxicity of Tulip's words and attitude most of the time astounded me and the way she manipulated Natalie to do her bidding. But who was at fault really? I couldn't decide by the end. It did seem that Natalie allowed herself to be caught up in Tulip's world, and all the nastiness that came with it. (From their silly little games, to being nasty to the adults, to asking a mother if her dead daughter can come out to play.) But she also managed to cut Tulip out of her life after one particularly nasty incident. But not before what feels like a couple of years have gone by. In the USA, The Tulip Touch was chosen as an ALA Notable Children's Book; the Booklist Editor's Choice - "Top of the List" Fiction; Bulletin, Blue Ribbon List, 1997; School Library Journal's "Best Books of '97"; River Bank Review"Children's Book of Distinction", Arizona Library Association Young Readers Award 200 Nomination. 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] Keep the conversation in third person with questions like ‘Why do you think Natalie likes Tulip?’ or ‘Why is she popular with some girls and not others?’. Avoid words like ‘wrong’ but let your daughter put them into the conversation if she wants. Better terms are ‘helpful / unhelpful’ or ‘useful / not useful’ to show she can discuss these ideas without being labelled herself. This is also a great opportunity to open conversations about changing schools and what she hopes for the new school. The Tulip Touch provides an insight for children to view the effects certain friendship groups can have, as well as exploring the behaviour of their peers. Why does this person behave in this manner? Is there something in their personal life which could contribute? It is also a book about considering one’s own actions and therefore provides an informative, life-learning, exciting read.

Tulip creates unease from her first appearance and Anne Fine’s storytelling tightens the unsettling knot chapter by chapter. As Natalie is drawn towards this strange girl and her increasingly bizarre games, the reader realises the danger Tulip presents. 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 ] As Natalie discovers more of Tulip’s unfortunate home life and apparent unhappiness, she finds herself ever more faithful to her friend, albeit out of pity more so than out of solid friendship. Eventually their relationship becomes less agreeable and through observing a sinister array of doings on Tulip’s part, Natalie soon realises she cannot befriend her any longer and begins to separate herself.

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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 ] Anne Fine uses simple prose to great effect. The language is usually more dramatic and economical than descriptive. Every sentence is precisely constructed to ensure clear meaning."

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.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’s The Tulip Touch is a brilliant insight in to child friendship, influence and manipulation. Natalie is a young girl whose family run hotels. Upon moving to a hotel in a new area Natalie meets Tulip, a mysterious, remote girl who initially creates great intrigue, soon leading to dark, frightening behaviour. Natalie finds herself following Tulip’s lead despite her own misgivings, partaking in acts which isolate her from the rest of her peers. Characters: I adored the characters. Each of them had their own depth, even if there weren't actually that many.