Nobody wants Tulip in their gang. She skives off school, cheeks the teachers and makes herself unpopular with her classmates by telling awful lies. None of this matters to Natalie who finds Tulip exciting. At first she doesn't care that other peopleare 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, much too far, racing, in fact, to the novel's shocking ending.
The Tulip Touch (Puffin Modern Classics)
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The following reviews are based on the original book by Anne Fine.
•‘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.’ Nicolette Jones, The Sunday Times.
•’It's a brilliant book.’ Ian Hislop
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.Book Description
Is anyone born evil? A powerful story about troubled teenagers.
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
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First Sentence
You shouldn't tell a story till it's over, and I'm not sure this one is. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
You shouldn't tell a story till it's over, and I'm not sure this one is. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By Eleanor Brae
Format:Paperback
I first read this book when i was in primary school and it has remained in my bookcase ever since. It is a fascinating albeit harrowing book to read, but i think it is an important book - even more so in the light of current events with recent goings on with 'The devil Boys'.
The story centres around Natalie Barnes, whose family have taken over the local Hotel. Natalie meets the enigmatic and strange creature Tulip Pierce. Tulip quickly draws Natalie to her and the two engage in various games,such as stinking makerel and road of bones, which become progessively more disturbing and dark - along with Tulips behaviour. Natalie tries to distance herself from Tulip, but she finds that she cant, as Tulip prays on her mind constantly.
This then is where we uncover the story of Tulips background. We see a child who has suffered all manner of physical and, it is strongly implied, sexual abuse at the hands of her violent father. There is one disturbing point where there is a story of a child who had drowned and Tulip takes a perverse interest in it, and she even pays visits to the family to the dead girl for her own amusement.
The story is important because Anne Fine, through this book, makes the point that Tulip could be any child at all, but that because of the life she had and abuse she got at home, presumably from an early age, she did the things she did in the book. The book also has lessons which we can learn in cases such as that of 'The Devil Boys' in England, or indeed the case of Mary Bell, since they too are a product of their hellish upbringing. As the cover of the book itself says, No one is born evil. No one.
The story centres around Natalie Barnes, whose family have taken over the local Hotel. Natalie meets the enigmatic and strange creature Tulip Pierce. Tulip quickly draws Natalie to her and the two engage in various games,such as stinking makerel and road of bones, which become progessively more disturbing and dark - along with Tulips behaviour. Natalie tries to distance herself from Tulip, but she finds that she cant, as Tulip prays on her mind constantly.
This then is where we uncover the story of Tulips background. We see a child who has suffered all manner of physical and, it is strongly implied, sexual abuse at the hands of her violent father. There is one disturbing point where there is a story of a child who had drowned and Tulip takes a perverse interest in it, and she even pays visits to the family to the dead girl for her own amusement.
The story is important because Anne Fine, through this book, makes the point that Tulip could be any child at all, but that because of the life she had and abuse she got at home, presumably from an early age, she did the things she did in the book. The book also has lessons which we can learn in cases such as that of 'The Devil Boys' in England, or indeed the case of Mary Bell, since they too are a product of their hellish upbringing. As the cover of the book itself says, No one is born evil. No one.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This book is quite simply the best book I have ever read aimed at a child audience on the difficult subject of abuse and parental derelication of responsibility. It is a chilling read - never graphic, but all the more sinister for the way it implies the despair - , and bravely and rightly asks children to put themselves in the main character's position constantly. What would I do about Tulip? Could I make a difference? Should I even try?
And at the centre of the book is Tulip herself, surely one of the most fascinating characters to appear in any children's novel. She has so many aspects - a richly imagined, complex, irrational, sometimes appealing and sometimes frightening character. Fine manages to make us believe in her and sympathise so much with her plight.
Fantastic.
38 of 42 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This is a very sad and difficult book to read because it deals with an unpleasant situation. It is about a little girl called Tulip who suffers mental and physical cruelty at home which no-one can stop happening. Her continued bad behaviour is a cry for help which is not answered and over several years she became mentally ill.
The story is written through the eyes of her best friend Natalie.It starts with Natalie's family moving in to a new area and running a hotel. Natalie is lonely and sees Tulip with a kitten in a field. Tulip is hesitant to speak but decides to be friends with Natalie. No-one questioned why, except police officer Stallworthy who later wondered what Tulip saw in Natalie. Everyone else shuns Tulip who rarely attended school an was always difficult and unpleasant. Natalie's mum states 'She's bright enough to see tha if people like her go around exactly what they want, everyone's miserable.'
The whole book becomes more uncomfortable and sinister. Natalie is banned from visiting Tulip's house. she visits once but is very frightened by what she sees and the odd behaviour of Tulip's parents especially her father who is a vindictive bully.
Natalie's father summed her up when he said "to really know right from wrong you need a certain emotional sympathy, and you learn that from being treated properly yourself." "If you've been brought up as if your feelings don't matter, you probably assume other people's don't matter much either."
Tulip spends as much time as possible with Natalie to escape her home, but the games they play are always weird such as Havoc, Road of Bones or Stinking Mackerel. Natalie's little brother Julius was often the but of these games and he got very scared and frightened by them.
... Read more ›10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By imla
Format:Paperback
The concept of what is evil has always been of interest to me. I find the idea that someone can be evil and someone else is not when we are all brought up in the same world fascinating. This is the central idea for Anne Fine's children's/teen novel.
Natalie is new at school and makes friends with Tulip - but Tulip isn't all she seems. Okay, a lame sum up but you've read other reviews and know what this book is about.
The story is so simply told and it is a simple storyline. Nothing is sensationalised, it is all very gentle. The ending is just perfect too, it's just what I wanted.
This is a bittersweet novel that appears to be just a kid's book with nothing but light entertainment to offer but it is so much more than that. It still affects me now. Get it!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Eileen Shaw
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Winner of the Carnegie Children's Book of the Year for 1996, this story concerns Natalie, daughter of a hotel proprietor and her friendship with Tulip of the title. Tulip has an awful home-life and at first Natalie's parents encourage their friendship. But they don't really know what the girls are getting up to together. They play some rather silly games, such as `Stinky Mackeral' where the idea is to pretend that somebody smells, without actually saying so to their face. They also play games that have a more dangerous flavour, one of which involves them knocking on a door at random and making up a story that will get them inside the house. But the game that breaks up the friendship and leads Natalie to worry for her own and her family's safety is setting fire to dustbins or old sheds.
Natalie breaks away from Tulip, but Tulip has one last awful game that she's determined to play. Introduce your pre-teen daughters to some excellent writing today by giving them this book.
Natalie breaks away from Tulip, but Tulip has one last awful game that she's determined to play. Introduce your pre-teen daughters to some excellent writing today by giving them this book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wow
I only bought this book yesterday and am already finished. I couldn't put it down and it has been one of the most mysterious books I have ever read. Heartpounding and breathtaking.
Published 2 months ago by Susannah Bradley
3.0 out of 5 stars
It's okay.
I had to read the book for uni. I think it's kind of strange - it's not my type of book, but I'm sure some People love it.
Published 3 months ago by Jennifer
4.0 out of 5 stars
Alright
I found this book a little boring and I found it a little confusing
But it was a good book
But it was a good book
Published 3 months ago by Sharon Fletcher
5.0 out of 5 stars
A real honest insight to a lost childhood
Innocently told through a child's eyes this story of a stolen childhood wrenches the heart on several levels. Read more
Published 4 months ago by carmen malpas
4.0 out of 5 stars
Only put it down once
This was a great buy. Bought as part of required reading list, but i only put it down once! and even then that was only to answer the phone. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Lexie
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Story to Contemplate
I finally got around to reading The Tulip Touch this week and really enjoyed the characterisation and the setting of the story. Read more
Published on 10 Jun 2011 by Lincs Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book for early teens
Bought the book as my Granddaughter was reading it at school and I was interested in what it was about. Read more
Published on 28 Mar 2011 by viv
4.0 out of 5 stars
Equally enjoyable for adults as well as older children
My daughter was going to meet Anne Fine at a literary festival so read this in advance and quite enjoyed it. Read more
Published on 1 July 2009 by Literary Chick
5.0 out of 5 stars
fascinating - like a car crash
This story was ultimately enthralling with the disturbed character of Tulip making it up-put-downable. Read more
Published on 30 Oct 2008 by SC
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Tulip Touch
This was a dark but gripping story. When I read it I couldn't put it down because it was so fantastic. You can definately feel that you are in Natalie's mind. Read more
Published on 28 Jan 2007 by A. Gorman
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