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{{short description|1995 novel by Anne Fine}} |
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{{Multiple issues| |
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{{Infobox book |
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'''''Step By Wicked Step''''' is a children's book written by [[Anne Fine]]. |
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| name = Step by Wicked Step |
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| image = File:StepByWickedStep.jpg |
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| caption = First edition |
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| author = [[Anne Fine]] |
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| country = United Kingdom |
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| language = English |
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| genre = [[Children's novel]] |
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| publisher = [[Hamish Hamilton]] |
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| pub_date = 26 Jan 1995 |
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| media_type = Print |
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| pages = 135 pp |
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| isbn = 9780241001615 |
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| oclc = 859022982 |
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'''''Step By Wicked Step''''' is a [[children's novel]] by [[Anne Fine]], first published in 1995. In the novel five unrelated children talk about their [[implications of divorce|difficulties with their parents' being separated]] and with their [[stepfamilies]]. The title makes reference to the fictional tradition of the [[wicked stepmother]]. |
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==Chapter 1== |
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On a wild and stormy night, five students, Claudia, Colin, Ralph, Pixie and Robbo, are sent ahead on a school trip to Old Harwick Hall. Instead of taking the school bus with Miss O'Dell and their other friends, they have to ride on a minibus with Mr. Plumley, one of their accompanying teachers, to their destination. After arriving, they explore the building and find an old, hexagonal tower room with five beds in it. In the dark of the night, with no electricity due to the raging storm, Colin spots a door which leads to an old, abandoned room where they discover a diary of a young boy by the name of Richard Clayton Harwick. Prior to reading the diary, they wonder why they are put together in the minibus. They achieved the answer after eavesdropping on Miss O'Dell and Mr. Plumley's conversation - on Miss O'Dell's list, their names had ticks which indicate that they each had two different addresses on their permission slips, one for their mother's home and one for their father's home. Each child comes from a divorced family. Pixie reads Richard's diary out loud for the other children to hear |
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==Plot summary== |
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=Chapter 2= |
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Five children on a school trip stay overnight in Old Harwick Hall, a reputedly [[haunted house]]. They find the dusty diary of a boy called Richard Clayton Harwick and read that after Richard ran away to sea to escape his stepfather, he returned to an empty house. His mother had died of grief while his sister had also died in childbirth. This sparks a discussion of Richard's actions between the children. The discussion leads to each of them divulging their own family problems. |
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Richard Clayton Harwick's father is ill and this worries everyone in Harwick Hall. Before his death, he tells Richard to take care of his mother and sister, Lilith and Charlotte Harwick. After that, Richard only feels sad for his father's death, but also because his father had only thought of his mother and sister instead of him until the end of his life. Later in the story, Lilith marries Reverend Coldstone, an Anglican priest (he is not Catholic because he is not addressed Father, and he marries Lilith, Richard's Mother. Roman Catholic Priests cannot marry) who is cruel towards Richard but is very nice towards Charlotte. Richard is then sent to a boarding school called Mordanger School, where he is treated like a prisoner. He then decides to run away and sail all over the world. He comes back twice to Harwick Hall but never bothers to enter it or meet his mother and sister. He finally returns home after reading a print which states that solicitors have something to his advantage back home, discovering from a letter Charlotte had written before her death, that his family had been searching for him until the end of their lives and how Reverend Coldstone had turned out to be a very bad man. His decision of whether to stay or leave Harwick Hall remains unknown while leaving his green diary back in his tower room. And then they discover about Richard's story . |
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Claudia reveals that her parents had divorced after several fights. The 'scarlet woman', a pleasant woman named Stella, tries but fails to win Claudia's approval. However, after a dinner party with her father's friends who also ignore Stella, Claudia attempts to get attention by wearing beautiful green pyjamas bought by Stella in front of the guests, shocking them into politeness. |
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=Chapter 3 - Claudia's Story: Green Pyjamas= |
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Claudia starts telling her story to the other children: |
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Claudia's parents quarrel a lot until her father decides to take his things and move away to his mother's house. One night, there is a flood of phone calls, and for the first time, Claudia hears the name Stella, her dad's new girlfriend. After that night, Claudia's dad dare not visit nor come near the house anymore, but only talks to Claudia over the phone. On D-Day, Claudia meets Stella for the first time and thinks that Stella is a plain and mousy person. After a row with his mother, Claudia's dad then moves into Stella's house. Later, Stella gives Claudia a pair of beautiful green pyjamas as a late Christmas present even though Claudia is always rude and mean to her. One evening, Claudia's dad and Stella holds a dinner party to celebrate his thirty-seventh birthday. During the dinner, Claudia's dad's friends ignores Stella as they think that by doing so they would be loyal to Claudia's mum. Claudia felt sorry and went downstairs to thank her for the green pyjamas and thus making her point to the dinner guests that Stella is a wonderful person. |
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Colin reveals that his 'Dad' (who was his mother's partner but not his biological father) was left behind by his mother after they had absconded one day. While his mother was frustrated with Jack (Dad)'s unemployed state, Colin, who loved him very much, attempted to keep in contact with Jack. Failing to do so, he plans to find him in the future. |
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=Chapter 5 - Ralph's Story A Tale of Three Stepmothers= |
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Pixie recounts her parents' separation and her father's second marriage. She dislikes both her stepsisters. In a quarrel with her stepmother Lucy, Pixie unburdened herself of her grievances. Lucy aired her frustrations as well, and they made up. |
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Ralph has two brothers, two half-brothers, one half-sister, three stepbrothers, one stepsister,three stepmothers, one stepfather, two step-grandmothers and a step-grandfather. Living in a big family is no joke. After school on Mondays and Thursdays, he goes directly to Dad’s place. His mum or his step dad,Howard sends him. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, he goes straight to his Mum’s place. At times,he will be lost not knowing where to go. The lunchboxes help. M for Mickey Mouse and Mum, D for Dumbo and Dad. If he is lost, he has to look at his lunch box to confirm his destination. Edward and George are his brothers. The boys liked Annabel, stepmother No. 1. The only problem was she never left the boys alone with their dad.Edward and George hated this. Dad and Annabel spent all their time kissing and cuddling. Annabel was always on a diet. She disapproved of coffee. So the boys had to drink Dandelion tea every morning. She loved to read out her star sign forecast in the mornings and again in the evenings. Sometimes, she even tried to look at Edward and George to tell their aura. However, the boys would deny anything she said.Yet, their dad would not feel embarrassed.One day, Brandy, Ralph’s cat was sent over as their Mum was varnishing the hall. The three boys took Brandy in a cage. Edward had made it from a broken milk bottle crate and bits of wire. Annabel was annoyed and blamed them to be cruel as Brandy did not have room to breathe. Dad distracted her by pointing out that they were out of bread. Annabel insisted in baking. The poor boys were starving to death.So, they went to the shops. They boys ate three large loaves and before they came home, they brushed away the crumbs. Dad was praising of how the dough had risen.When Annabel left it on the table, Brandy leapt up on the table and sniffed the dough. Then, Brandy lift edits paw and patted the dough. Next, Brandy curled himself comfortably into the dough. Annabel went mad.Dad tried to stick up for Brandy. The spell between Annabel and Dad was broken. In the end, Annabel ranoff with someone and Dad searched high and low to get the divorce papers signed.picture. Edward met herlying on Dad’s patio with hardly any clothes on. She had the cheek to tell Edward to cover up as she was enjoying the sun. George met Flora when they went shopping. Flora was dumping treats like strawberries,kiwi fruits, waffles, Belgian chocolates into the trolley. Dad was looking |
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Ralph entertains the children with a comical description of his extended step-family, spanning two previous stepmothers and their children, one stepfather and one future stepmother, whom he is infatuated with. |
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Robbo's story is about his stepfather, The Beard, and his sister Callie, who cannot get along. This had caused much trouble for the family especially after the birth of stepbrother Dumpa. Callie finally moved in with her father instead. |
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Before going to bed, the other children secretly place a broken wooden cow made by Richard Harwick into Colin's bag, as a reminder to him to make the best of what he faces. |
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==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
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* Step By Wicked Step, {{ISBN|0-14-036647-4}} |
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{{Portal |Children's literature}} |
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{{Anne Fine}} |
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[[Category:British children's novels]] |
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[[Category:Novels by Anne Fine]] |
[[Category:Novels by Anne Fine]] |
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[[Category:Hamish Hamilton books]] |
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[[Category:1995 children's books]] |
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[[Category:Children's books about families]] |
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[[Category:Novels set in mansions and country houses]] |
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Latest revision as of 12:45, 6 June 2024
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|
 First edition | |
| Author | Anne Fine |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Children's novel |
| Publisher | Hamish Hamilton |
Publication date | 26 Jan 1995 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 135 pp |
| ISBN | 9780241001615 |
| OCLC | 859022982 |
Step By Wicked Step is a children's novel by Anne Fine, first published in 1995. In the novel five unrelated children talk about their difficulties with their parents' being separated and with their stepfamilies. The title makes reference to the fictional tradition of the wicked stepmother.
Plot summary
[edit]Five children on a school trip stay overnight in Old Harwick Hall, a reputedly haunted house. They find the dusty diary of a boy called Richard Clayton Harwick and read that after Richard ran away to sea to escape his stepfather, he returned to an empty house. His mother had died of grief while his sister had also died in childbirth. This sparks a discussion of Richard's actions between the children. The discussion leads to each of them divulging their own family problems.
Claudia reveals that her parents had divorced after several fights. The 'scarlet woman', a pleasant woman named Stella, tries but fails to win Claudia's approval. However, after a dinner party with her father's friends who also ignore Stella, Claudia attempts to get attention by wearing beautiful green pyjamas bought by Stella in front of the guests, shocking them into politeness.
Colin reveals that his 'Dad' (who was his mother's partner but not his biological father) was left behind by his mother after they had absconded one day. While his mother was frustrated with Jack (Dad)'s unemployed state, Colin, who loved him very much, attempted to keep in contact with Jack. Failing to do so, he plans to find him in the future.
Pixie recounts her parents' separation and her father's second marriage. She dislikes both her stepsisters. In a quarrel with her stepmother Lucy, Pixie unburdened herself of her grievances. Lucy aired her frustrations as well, and they made up.
Ralph entertains the children with a comical description of his extended step-family, spanning two previous stepmothers and their children, one stepfather and one future stepmother, whom he is infatuated with.
Robbo's story is about his stepfather, The Beard, and his sister Callie, who cannot get along. This had caused much trouble for the family especially after the birth of stepbrother Dumpa. Callie finally moved in with her father instead.
Before going to bed, the other children secretly place a broken wooden cow made by Richard Harwick into Colin's bag, as a reminder to him to make the best of what he faces.
References
[edit]- Step By Wicked Step, ISBN 0-14-036647-4
