Step by Wicked Step - SUMMARY Chapter 1 It is raining. Mr.

Plumley and five pupil from Stagfire School are going to a haunted house in a minibus.Ralpha, Claudia, Robbo, Collin and Pixie have been picked out by Miss ODell and herded into the minibus with Mr. Plumley. When they reach Creepsville, they think it is haunted. The last group tells tales of strangeshadows and footsteps and eerie figures in white gown melting through the walls. There are no lights and Mr. Plumley is horrified to settle the pupils in pitch dark. They go upstairs as they pass by oil painted portraits of Harwicks of all ages staring at them. As it is a rainy night, Pixie preferredsafety in numbers. They have a rule each bedroom is for either girls or boys. Mr. Plumley does not know the rule. He tells the pupils to settle in while he goes to look for the housekeeper. Robbo decides to explore two or three more stairs. He finds two more beds and a bathroom. The boys takethe present room meanwhile Claudia and Pixie take the other. Colin points at the wall. He insists there is adoor on the wall. When there is lightning, all of them see the wall papered door meeting the wall papered wall. As they enter the room, cobwebs indicate no one has been there. A tower off a tower. The shelf, desk andchair are filled with dust. Claudia sees a wooden cow balancing on three legs. She strokes its nose.Suddenly, she hears a soft sound behind her. Robbo sets a globe of the world to spin on its axis. By looking around, they came to a conclusion that the last child who slept in it came from a rich family.They find out it is a boys room. Claudia notices a dusty green album in spidery writing on thecover. Richard Clayton Harwick My Story. Read and Weep. They hear the faint rumble of the bus. The other children have arrived. The 5 children rush to their roomsand pretend to be fast asleep. They do not want to miss the chance to read the album. Not many get achance to peep into someone elses life and not many people are brave enough to tell you their story.By the time Miss ODell and Mr. Plumley come to the first tower room, they think that the children are fastasleep due to tiredness. Miss ODell continues to say that the five children have something in common. Mr. Plumley is puzzled as nothing seemed to be common in the five. Pixie is a trouble maker. Claudia issensible. Ralph is quick-witted and hardworking unlike Colin who likes to daydream. Robbo is soccer-mad. As Miss ODell goes down, the lights come again. She shuts the tower door leaving the five children whohave been listening to their conversation. Step by Wicked Step - SUMMARY Chapter 2 The five children are waiting in an old house for the rest of their school group to arrive. They come across an old manuscript written by a boy who ran away when his mother remarried after his fathers death.Richards Story-Master Richards father had a fever. His mother tried her best to coax his father to eat something - but it was of no use. Richard asked George the gardener about his father. Richard calls him Mr Digby. Mr Digby did not answer him but hugged him hard instead. Lucy the maid sat by Richards bedside. When Richard asked if it was going to be today,she placed her finger on his lips and said Hush! Dont even speak of it.Little Charlotte called out to Richard and told him that Papa wanted to see him. He dashed as fast as hecould. He came across Reverend Coldstone but did not stop although he was asked to. The reverend wasangry. His mother was waiting at the doorway and reminded him not to cry. His father asked him to begood to his mother and sister. His last words were Obey your mothers wishes to the letter. At the chapel, Mr. Coldstone consoled his mother. Richard heard him say -When you are mine. Richardstudied at Mordanger school. He hated it there. Now he was home. Charlotte realized that Richard hatedhis stepfather. Richard accuses that Charlotte had forgotten about their father. Charlotte denied it andadvised him not to accuse Mr Coldstone as the murderer when their father died of fever. Nevertheless,Richard had decided to leave the three of them. Richard wrote in his diary that he worked in a ship. Whenever he wrote about Mr Coldstone, he refered tohim as the black bat. Twice his ship stopped at his hometown and he visited his home only to stand like atrespasser. It had been a long time since Richard had been home. Suddenly, he saw a note on the Captainstable. He found out that his mother and stepfather had died. Charlotte wrote him a letter. In the letter,Charlotte wrote that things had been difficult as their mother spent a lot of money looking for him and they all suffered Mr Coldstones anger. Charlotte married Charles Devere although she did not love him becausehe had money and was willing to spend it to look for Richard. This would be the only letter from her.

Step by Wicked Step - SUMMARY Chapter 3 Claudias Mum and Dad quarreled a lot.One day, her Dad was gone to Grannys house. However, hedropped by for tea. Claudia overheard the name Stella. Her Mum and even Granny had a row with Dad. Dad usually met Claudia at Grannys. She missed her Dad so much. The times spent with her Dad keptflooding back. She wanted things back the way they used to be. For the first time, Claudia had a separate Christmas. Later, she was introduced to Stella who was just plain and mousy. Claudia thought her mum was a whole lot betterlooking than Stella. Claudia was rude when they went for a walk. Once back, they quarreled and the next day, Dad moved out of Grannys house straight into with Stella.Claudia met her Dad off and on. Stella stayed out of it. She only made some light conversation with Claudialike asking about her friends and school. Those moments she would be thinking of her mum doing thehouse chores. After talking to her friend, Shreela, Claudia stopped blaming Stella. Dad and Stella arrangeda party for their friends. Claudia was sent there for the day. Politely, she excused herself from the party and stayed in her room. Stella was relieved. Out of curiosity, Claudia decided to eavesdrop. She wore the green pajamas given by Stella as it was the exact shade of green of the giant fern. She sat beside the fern and listen to everything the adults downstairs were talking.The guests spoke about everything except about Mum, Dad, Stella or Claudia. Nobody praised Stella for thefood nor even spoke to her. Claudia found that very rude as her Mum was not there. Claudia, unable tostand the treatment Stella was getting, made a grand appearance at the party and thanked Stella for the beautiful pyjamas she had brought for her. Finally, everyone started noticing Stella. As for Claudia andStella, this was the starting point.Stella would teach Claudia how to quilt, read maps, change electric plugsand how to skate. Step by Wicked Step - SUMMARY Chapter 4 Colin describes his stepfather whom he calls dad. He has thought of him as his biological father all the while. His dad looks like him. His dad has dark hair with some grey patches around his ears. His dad usedto roll his own cigarettes out of tobacco in a tin. His dad calls him by many nick names- Col, Collie, Sonny- boy, Buster, Mr Bluebird. Colins mum works in a shop. His dad walks him to school and back. His dad gothim his tea and took him to the park. At the park, he used to swing as high as the bar, he swings back insuch a way that his dad would call him The Bluebird of Happiness.Then, Colins mum took him and moved away. It happened when Colins father had gone to spend a day with his sister. Two friends of his mum came with a van and packed everything. Then they went off. At first,he thought his dad will join them later. Colin was not happy- school mates would snigger when he did notunderstand things. Mum found a job at a canteen. She would be busy doing household chores when shecame home. Mum was too busy to listen to him. He compared her with his dad- his dad used to talk to himand remembered names of his friends and teachers. Colin asked his mother many times about his dad. He wanted to know when his dad will come home. His mother did give him a hint about his father not having a proper job. He realized later that his motherdid not leave any clues for his dad to follow. He then wrote a letter to his dad. But there was no reply.Every night, Colin would take the tobacco tin out of the toe of his boot and put it under his pillow. Then, he would hum his favourite song which was also his dads favourite. He would stay awake for hours talking tohis dad. He pretended that his dad was there. Colin said that it was as if his mother thought that whateveris happening is actually happening only to her. Then one day when he returned home from school, herealized that his mum had thrown away his boots. The boots were too small for him but she did not know that there was a tobacco tin hidden in there. He did not bother to tell her because she wouldnt have likedit.It has been five years, eight months and seven days and Colin still remembers hit dad. He secretly writeshis dads name and his old address on the forms at school. Colin also tries to save money- he does threepaper rounds. He will not try to look for his dad now- perhaps someday when he has enough money.Colin hums slowly and when asked to sing, he says that he is saving the words till he finds his dad. It washis favourite song- The Bluebird of Happiness. His friend Ralph consoled him by saying that someday Colin will find his dad.

Step by Wicked Step - SUMMARY Chapter 5 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 Dads place. His mum or his step dad, Howard sends him. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, he goes straight to his Mums 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 three stepmothers 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, Ralphs 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 liftedits 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.The boys did not miss her as she was more of dads girlfriend than a real stepmother.Dad then focused his attention on Janet, who was more keen on rules. However, Dad liked it. Edward andGeorge did not mind as they were able to spend ample time with Dad. On the other hand, Janet was busy rushing her children to the doctors, dentist and school. Janets own children, Tom, Joe and Doug and Ann moved in with the three boys.Tom and Ann could get along with Ralph but not Joe and Doug. Mum and Howard though Janet was wonderful. Janet could draw up proper schedule and Mum hardly bothered as she found Janet was easy todeal with. Due to the rules, Ralph knew he could pick up rules in no time if he was ever anywhere. Finally Janet left. She got fed up withMum and Dad as they were taking advantage of her. Dad kept fixing up work trips on the days the boys were there. He told Janet that she had four children and another three would not make any difference.Mum started sneaking Victors romper suit hoping that Janet would come across them and get the s tainsout before sending them back. So, Janet left. The boys had a wonderful time after that. Unfortunately, it was only for a short period of time. Stepmother Number 3, Flora, came into the picture. Edward met herlying on Dads patio with hardly any clothes on. She had the cheek to tell Edward to cover up as she wasenjoying 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 into the wallet, gloomily. Ralph went the next day. When he rang the bell, Flora opened and enquired. Ralph introduced himself. Flora blew her top as she did want to be a nanny. She took Ralph out for a Chinese Dinner and to watch a film. Thenshe met some friends and went to a coffee bar. At that time, Ralph informed his Dad of their whereabouts.Dad was furious and scolded Flora. Flora was cool and told him not to dump the children on her beforechecking her schedule. Ralph thought she was wonderful although she did all sorts of terrible things to him.Flora was pregnant and she ate only mint sauce sandwiches. Ralph was worried that his half sister or half brother would not be well taken care off by Flora. She did not know how and Ralph decided to help her out.The others usually teased Ralph. Most probably, Flora would settle in with this family.

Step by Wicked Step - Synopsis This novel is really five stories within a story that are induced by a story, like a nesting puzzle. So, we have six stories in the book. There may be a lack of a principal plot here but it is of no consequence as the novel's main purpose is to serve as a forum for six various stories of Richard Clayton Harwick, Claudia, Colin, Ralph, Pixie and Robbo. In Step by Wicked Step, five boys and girls find themselves in an old house on a stormy night. In a hidden tower room they discover an old diary, that of Richard Clayton Harwick, who left behind a journal account of his wicked stepfather. 'Read and Weep' says the spidery writing on the cover of the book. After Richard Clayton Harwick's father passes away, he was sent to Mordanger School for four long years. He wishes to burn Mordanger to 'ashes' as to him, 'there's no meaner place on earth' than this boarding school. When he returns to Old Harwick Hall, he could not get along with his wicked and loveless stepfather, Reverend Coldstone. Being robbed of all his precious tokens from home, Richard makes the decision to leave and become a cabin boy on a great ship. His decision has caused anguish in his mother and sister, who have spent a fortune seeking his return. He did not return to see his mother or sister until he read a square print from Riddle & Flook which requested him to claim his ownership to Old Harwick Hall. By then, Richard knows that his stepfather, mother and sister have passed on. Only then, he realises his decision to leave has changed the lives of his family members. Harwick's story prompts Claudia, Colin, Ralph, Pixie and Robbo to tell their own tales of stepfathers, stepmothers, and stepsiblings, who are in turn eccentric, beloved, unwelcome, and almost always misunderstood. Each vignette (descriptive passage within a larger work) is a wonderful study of human nature. As the lightning flashes, the children begin to relate their own tales of step parents, stories that are full of warmth and humour, yet with a fair share of sadness. At first it seems the children could have nothing in common. Sports-mad Robbo, quick-witted Ralph, sensible Claudia, fiery Pixie and dreamy Colin seem as different to each other as it is possible to be. Yet they soon find they have one thing in common, and that they are all the products of broken homes and they once have a turbulent relationship with a 'step-' or 'steps-'.

Setting: Time The novel is set in the modern 20th century. The story begins on a wet, rainy night with storms raging in the sky as the five main characters make their way ahead of their classmates to Old Harwick Hall for a week-long field trip. Place The story takes place in Old Harwick Hall which is a spooky Victorian mansion built hundreds of years ago. It is described as 'absolutely private' and 'a towering mansion with dunce-hatted turret'. It has 'dark windows' and a 'huge oak and iron door'. The Tower Room in Old Harwick Hall - a room equipped with beds pointing to the centre. This is the room where the five characters Pixie, Claudia, Ralph, Robbo and Colin first gather when they arrive. A tiny room (' a tower off a tower') adjoining the Tower Room is where the characters discover a mysterious old diary belonging to Richard Clayton Harwick. The room is hidden by the frame of a bed but a pock-mark reveals its existence. The room is full of cobwebs and dust on the furniture. There are six vaulted windows, a lantern, candelabra, some books, cushions and a tiny carved wooden cow with three legs in the room.

Step by Wicked Step - Moral Values

Family is everything This is the main message in all the five stories from Claudia, Ralph, Colin, Pixie and Robbo. Love is the factor that binds the family together but sometimes the family unit breaks down due to a lack of understanding between parents. Most of the time, children are not prepared for such a situation and this lands them in an awkward and painful situation. It is important to minimize the impact of divorce on children and to make sure they do not feel unwanted or unimportant. Parents must always try to keep the family together despite the breakdown in their relationship. Patience is a virtue It is important to practice a lot of patience in difficult times. No parents would want a divorce if they can help it. Hence, everyone affected by a divorce must be patient and tolerant. Richard Clayton Harwick does not show enough patience when he leaves his family because he cannot get along with his step father. As a result of his action, his mother dies of heartbreak and his sister blames him for being selfish and cruel. In Pixies story, she does not show much patience towards her step siblings. She refuses to share her bedroom with Hetty. She is also hard headed and argues intensely with her step mother. We must learn to adapt to new situations Children from broken homes have no choice but to learn to adapt to new situations. This may be unfair to the children who seem to be the victim of circumstances beyond their control. However, in the five stories told, we learn that adapting is better than resisting although it takes a lot of patience and effort on the childrens part. Claudia shows she is a rational and sensible child to accept her step mother. Ralph, who has three step mothers, gets along with all of them despite their different personalities. Dont give up hope Colins story is the saddest of all. He does not give up hope of one day finding Jack whom he accepts as his own father. He saves all his money and plans to look for his dad when the time is right. Colin is a very determined person despite his young age. He knows what he wants. Robbo also hopes his sister Callie will accept their step father Roy. However, Callie resents Roy and decides to live with her real father in the end.

THEMES

Step-By-Wicked Step:Themes
The following are some themes for the novel Step-by-Wicked Step taken from my latest book, Stepby-Wicked-Step, Pelangi Publication: 1 The importance of preserving the family unit This is the central message in the novel. The family institution is a solemn entity. It is created when two adults decide to tie the knot through their marriage vows. Hence, parents are mainly responsible in keeping the family unit intact through love and understanding because divorce and separation can only lead to ugly consequences as clearly shown in the novel. The family institution should also provide security to children. However, when it is broken, children feel helpless and they feel they are victims of the situation. The novel reveals how the five children cope with difficult times when their parents marriage fails. Claudia and Pixie for example, have to undergo emotionally painful and tumultuous moments to get used to their parents divorce. The ugly effects of divorce and separations are also shown in the way Claudia and Pixie resist their step parents and siblings. The quarrels, the screaming, the sibling rivalry demonstrate that the harmony that is central in their families has long gone. Children suffer most from broken homes and they need a lot of time to adapt to their new situation. This is true in the case of Pixie, who needs a great deal of time to adjust to her step mother and step sisters, Sophie and Hetty.

The family institution must be preserved at all cost to avoid unnecessary sufferings on the part of the children. Parents must protect their children from the effects of divorce as much as possible. If a divorce is unavoidable, parents need to ensure that every care is taken to make life as normal as possible for their children. 2. Acceptance and tolerance Learning to accept and tolerate new members in the family is important when a divorce happens. The novel shows how children learn to accept their new family members and make the best of their new circumstances. Although this sounds a big task for them, they all end up accepting their new life at the end of their stories. Despite their being young, they realize how important it is to learn to share belongings and love with their step siblings. For example, Pixie has to learn to share her bedroom with her step sister Hetty. She has to tolerate her privacy being taken away causing her to devise ways to get rid of Hetty from her bedroom. She considers her bedroom is her territory and Hettys presence an intrusion. However, she manages to get her room back after a heated argument with her step mother. In the end Pixie learns to tolerate her step sisters and accepts their differences. Acceptance and tolerance can also be seen in Claudias story. She learns to accept the presence of her step mother when her fathers marriage to her real mother fails. The green pyjamas her step mother gave her and the dinner hosted by her step mother one night play a role in bringing them closer. Despite her earlier resentment towards her step mother, Claudia makes a big decision that it is not fair for her to hate her step mother. In doing so she also shows her maturity despite her young age. In Pixies story, she is shown to accept the fact that her new stepmother is having as much trouble "adjusting" as she is. It is amazing how these young characters show a lot of strength despite the distinct problems they face in their families. They learn to accept things around them gradually because they do not have a choice. Furthermore that life has to go on. 3. Responsibility This is another theme that is evident in the novel. Responsibility is shown in different ways in the novel. Marriage entails responsibility. It is about building a family and raising children that are part and parcel of a marriage partnership. This will include providing shelter, clothing, education and love. Therefore if a marriage is broken, children would be directly affected. Parents therefore must accept that they still have a responsibility to ensure that the divorce does not cost their children more than it already has. One of the ways this is shown in the novel is by the turns or visits the children have with their new families. Their parents although divorced, insist that their children take turns to visit them. Pixie for instance goes to her step familys house a few days in a month while Ralph has a more hectic and complicated schedule. He has to divide the weekdays to be at his divorced parents house. It is a pity that he has to shuffle his time between his parents but he pretty much accepts his situation without complaints. The step parents also try their best to be responsible towards their step children. Stella tries to make Claudia feel comfortable every time she is with them. Colins mother shows a different kind of responsibility though. She moves to a different place to protect her son from her rough -house husband. Although Colin misses his father very much, his mother has made the right decision for their safety. Another example is Robbos step father who sends Callie, his sister to school every morning and works over time to pay for repairs for the house. It is fair to say that no one would wish for a divorce but when it happens, parents have to carry out their responsibilities well. They have to be sensitive to the needs of their children since children have a natural attachment to their parents. Sometimes children are simply attached to their surroundings, and moving into new surroundings can cause an understandable negative reaction. Colin for instance has trouble learning being half asleep in school.

4. Children have opinions too This theme is portrayed through the five main characters in the novel. Since all the main characters come from broken homes, we learn that they too want their opinions to be heard and acknowledged. Very often than not, there is a communication breakdown between the children and parents who undergo divorce. For example, Colin does not have a say at all when her mother decides to move to another place to stay safe from his father. Colin has to start all over in a new school and make new friends. His opinion is never sought. In another example, Pixie shows that she wants to be heard. Her strong opinions about the adults around her are revealed when she quarrels with Lucy, her step mother. She expresses her frustrations and anger through her words. The writer provides the opportunity for the children to voice out their opinions frankly and honestly through the stories they tell. Through each of the main characters, we realize that children too have opinions and that their opinions must also be sought. Pixie would like to have a say about her room arrangement and Colin, although quiet, often wonders why his mother makes decisions independently. Through the main characters words and actions, we can also see a certain level of matur ity in the childrens thinking. They are not without opinions. But how many parents actually sought for their opinions. Divorce is always an adults story and too often children are just trapped in between. The novel in a way is a tribute to the childrens spirit. They make us see the depth of their feelings and opinions through their unique stories. Too often childrens feelings are unnoticed, ignored and or not taken seriously resulting in failure in building relationships in broken homes.

Sample Question: What is the most important moral value that you have learnt from the novel you have studied? With close reference to the text, give reasons to support your answer. I choose the novel Step by Wicked Step written by Anne Fine. The most important moral value that I have learnt from this novel is honesty. There are many examples which show the importance of honesty throughout this novel. First of all, we can see that in this novel, parents are not being honest to their children. They do not tell their children what is happening between them. This causes the children a lot of stress and worry. For example, Lilith Harwick does not tell her children that their father is dying. We see how distressed Richard is when guessing the truth about his father's condition. When Colin's mother decides to leave Colin's dad and move up north, she does not explain the reason to Colin. Colin does not like his new life and misses his dad a lot, but his mother does not seem to be aware of how he felt. Apart from that, the parents' lack of honesty makes the children keep their thoughts and feelings to themselves. This is bad because it may cause the children to take the wrong action. For example, Colin stops talking about his dad to his mother, but plans to run away to find him one day. However, when parents are honest about their feelings and open up to their children, their relationship will get better. This can be seen in the case of Lucy and Pixie. After they burst out and tell each other their true feelings, their relationship improves a lot. Pixie respects Lucy and Lucy gives Pixie time and space to adapt to her new family. In a nutshell, honesty is the most important moral value that can be learnt from this novel because it helps to heal and rebuild relationships in the family. I hope everyone can practice honesty in their lives. Sample Question: Choose a character that you admire from a novel that you have learned in Form 5. With close reference to the text, give reasons to support your answer. I choose the novel Step by Wicked Step, written by Anne Fine. The character that I admire is Claudia. There are many reasons why I admire her very much. First of all, I admire Claudia because she is a gentle person. Listening to Richard's sad story, makes her weep. Besides, she is loyal to her mother. She tries not to sound too happy when speaking to her father because she does not want to hurt her mother's feeling. She rejects Stella and refuses to enjoy her time with her father out of loyalty to her mother. She knows that her parents break-up is serious even though her mother sounded cheerful. Apart from that, I really admire Claudia because she is a fair and sensible person. She does not blame Stella for her parents' break-up. At the dinner party, she thinks that the guests are rude for not appreciating Stella's hard work. She realizes that ignoring Stella would not help solving matters between her parents. Feeling sorry for Stella who is being ignored by the guests, she decides to help her get accepted by showing off the green pyjamas which Stella gave her. In a nutshell, the character that I admire from Step by Wicked Step is Claudia because she is gentle, loyal, fair and sensible. I think we could learn a lot from her character.

Sample Question: Love is important in a family. How is this shown in the novel you have read? Support your answer with close reference to the text. I choose the novel Step by Wicked Step written by Anne Fine. Love is important in a family. This is shown through Claudia, one of the characters in the novel (responding to the question). First of all, it is clearly shown in the novel that Claudia loves her mother (stating point 1). She is loyal to her mother, and cares so much about her feelings especially after the divorce (elaborating point 1). For instance, she tries not to sound too happy when speaking to her father on the phone because she does not want to hurt her mothers feelings. Besides, she also rejects Stella and refuses to enjoy her time with her father because she is loyal to her mother (giving examples to support point 1). Apart from that, we can see that Claudia loves her father too (stating point 2). Even though her father has moved out of their house, leaving Claudia with her mother, they always keep in touch (elaborating point 2). For example, Claudias father would call her on the phone to talk to her. Besides, Claudia would sometimes spend time with her father on weekends as well as on special days like Boxing Day (giving examples to support point 2). Last but not least, this novel also shows that love is important in a family, when Claudia is finally able to accept Stella as a step mother (stating point 3). Claudia is fair and sensible. She does not blame Stella for her parents divorce (elaborating point 3). At the dinner party, Claudia thinks that the guests are rude because they do not appreciate Stellas hard work. She realizes that ignoring Stella would not help to solve the problem between her parents. Therefore, she tries to help Stella get accepted by showing off the green pyjamas that Stella has given to her, to the guests. This incident marks a new beginning in their relationship as a family (giving examples to support point 3). In a nutshell, it is clearly shown in this novel that love is important in a family. Even though parents are separated, they have to make sure that the love between them and their children will last forever.

Sample Answer (Step by Wicked Step) Compare and contrast 2 characters from a novel you have studied. With close reference to the text, give reasons to support your answer. I choose the novel Step by Wicked Step, written by Anne Fine. I am going to compare and contrast Claudia and Pixie. There are similarities and differences between them which can be observed clearly throughout the story. First of all, Claudia and Pixie share similar fate where their parents are divorced and their fathers live with another women. Claudia's father lives with his girl friend named Stella. Sometimes Claudia spends her time with her dad and Stella even though she hates Stella. She refuses to enjoy her stay with her dad out of loyalty to her mother and she also ignores Stella. In Pixie's case, her father marries Lucy who has two daughters, Sophie andHetty. Pixie hates her step sisters. Her father promises that she would have her own room whenever she stays with them but later her step sister, Hetty moves into her room after having a fight with Sophie. This really makes her mad and she tries many ways to get rid of Hetty. Life is miserable for both Pixie and Claudia.

However, the biggest difference which can be observed between Pixie and Claudia is that they have different approaches in dealing with their problems. Claudia is fair and sensible. Even though she hates Stella, she does not blame the lady for her parents' break-up. She is more gentle in her actions.

For example, at the dinner party, she thinks that the guests are rude for not appreciating Stella's hard work. She realizes that ignoring Stella would not help solving matters between her parents. Feeling sorry for Stella, she decides to help her get accepted by showing off the green pyjamas which Stella has given to her. On the contrary, Pixie is more aggressive in her actions. In order to get Hetty out of her room, she creates stories that her room is haunted and when that fails, she tries to irritate Hetty by asking her to help with her maths. Finally, she tries the silent treatment on Hetty and that makes the girl tell Lucy everything. When Lucy confronted her, Pixie refuses to submit but instead she stands up for herself and expresses her feelings. She hates to pretend that her family is normal and she could not accept strangers as family. However, after they both pour out their frustration, things become better for them. In a nutshell, Claudia and Pixie have both similarities and differences between them. I learn many lessons while reading the story about them and the other children in this novel. Sample Answer (Step by Wicked Step) Based on one of the novel that you have studied, write about a memorable event and how the event affects one of the characters in the story. Support your answer with close reference to the text.

I choose the novel Step by Wicked Step written by Anne Fine. The memorable event from the novel is the honest conversation between Pixie and her stepmother Lucy. I think that the conversation is important because it affects Pixie's life. First of all, I think that the conversation is important because Pixie has a chance to tell the truth about her feelings. Pixie tells Lucy that she hates to pretend that their family is normal. It is hard for her to accept strangers as family. She dislikes her stepsisters. When Hetty moves into Pixie's bedroom after quarreling with Sophie, Pixie is very angry. She tries many ways to get rid of Hetty. Apart from that, I think that the conversation between Lucy and Pixie is important because Lucy also gets a chance to express her feelings towards Pixie. Lucy hates being a step mother. It is very hard for her to take care of someone else's child. Lucy is angry when Pixie when Pixie tries to get rid of Hetty from her bedroom.

Last but not least, I think the heart to heart conversation is memorable because it improves the relationship between Pixie and Lucy. They understand each other better. at the end of the conversation, they are crying and hugging each other. After that day, their relationship becomes better and they are more like a normal family. In a nutshell, I think that the honest conversation between Lucy and Pixie is memorable because it improves the relationship between Pixie and her step family. I learn many things from this novel.

Sample Question: What is the most important moral value that you have learnt from the novel you have studied? With close reference to the text, give reasons to support your answer.

I choose the novel Step by Wicked Step written by Anne Fine. The most important moral value that I have learnt from this novel is honesty. There are many examples which show the importance of honesty throughout this novel. First of all, we can see that in this novel, parents are not being honest to their children. They do not tell their children what is happening between them. This causes the children a lot of stress and worry. For example, Lilith Harwick does not tell her children that their father is dying. We see how distressed Richard is when guessing the truth about his father's condition. When Colin's mother decides to leave Colin's dad and move up north, she does not explain the reason to Colin. Colin does not like his new life and misses his dad a lot, but his mother does not seem to be aware of how he felt. Apart from that, the parents' lack of honesty makes the children keep their thoughts and feelings to themselves. This is bad because it may cause the children to take the wrong action. For example, Colin stops talking about his dad to his mother, but plans to run away to find him one day. However, when parents are honest about their feelings and open up to their children, their relationship will get better. This can be seen in the case of Lucy and Pixie. After they burst out and tell each other their true feelings, their relationship improves a lot. Pixie respects Lucy and Lucy gives Pixie time and space to adapt to her new family.

In a nutshell, honesty is the most important moral value that can be learnt from this novel because it helps to heal and rebuild relationships in the family. I hope everyone can practice honesty in their lives. Sample Answer (Step by Wicked Step) Sample Question: Choose a character that you admire from a novel that you have learned in Form 5. With close reference to the text, give reasons to support your answer.

I choose the novel Step by Wicked Step, written by Anne Fine. The character that I admire is Claudia. There are many reasons why I admire her very much. First of all, I admire Claudia because she is a gentle person. Listening to Richard's sad story, makes her weep. Besides, she is loyal to her mother. She tries not to sound too happy when speaking to her father because she does not want to hurt her mother's feeling. She rejects Stella and refuses to enjoy her time with her father out of loyalty to her mother. She knows that her parents break-up is serious even though her mother sounded cheerful. Apart from that, I really admire Claudia because she is a fair and sensible person. She does not blame Stella for her parents' break-up. At the dinner party, she thinks that the guests are rude for not appreciating Stella's hard work. She realizes that ignoring Stella would not help solving matters between her parents. Feeling sorry for Stella who is being ignored by the guests, she decides to help her get accepted by showing off the green pyjamas which Stella gave her. In a nutshell, the character that I admire from Step by Wicked Step is Claudia because she is gentle, loyal, fair and sensible. I think we could learn a lot from her character.

Analysing the Characters in Step by Wicked Step Claudia Claudia is a gentle person. Listening to Richard's sad story, makes her weep. She is loyal to her mother. She tries not to sound too happy when speaking to her father because she does not want to hurt her mother's feeling. She rejects Stella and refuses to enjoy her time with her father out of loyalty to her mother. She knows that her parents break-up is serious even though her mother sounded cheerful. Claudia is a fair and sensible person. She does not blame Stella for her parents' break-up. At the dinner party, she thinks that the guests are rude for not appreciating Stella's hard work. She realizes that ignoring Stella would not help solving matters between her parents. Feeling sorry for Stella who is being ignored by the guests, she decides to help her get accepted by showing off the green pyjamas which Stella gave her. Richard Harwick Richard is a loyal person. He is too loyal to his father that he becomes so angry with his mother for betraying his father's memory by marrying Coldstone. He hates his stepfather and calls him a black bat. He also thinks that his sister is disloyal for getting along with their stepfather. He refuses to listen to his sister's advice to make peace with their stepfather. Indulging too much in his own grief, Richard becomes an irresponsible and thoughtless person. Feeling that no one cares about his feelings, he runs off to the sea and explores the world. Disappearing without a word, Richard has caused his mother and sister much grief. He does not even realize the damage that he has done to these two people who really love him until it is too late.