The document discusses several stories from the novel "Step by Wicked Step" that deal with children coping with divorce and new family situations. Some of the main themes explored include: 1) The importance of preserving the family unit and minimizing the impact of divorce on children. 2) The need for children to accept and tolerate new members in their families, such as step-parents and step-siblings. 3) How children must learn to adapt to new situations and responsibilities that come from their parents' divorces. It provides summaries of some of the character's stories, including Claudia learning to accept her step-mother, Pixie struggling but eventually tolerating her step-sisters,

1. 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 Pixie’s 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 children’s 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.
Don’t give up hope
Colin’s 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.
Characters
Richard Clayton Harwick
impulsive person, driven by emotions
not tough
- cannot withstand the discipline of Mordanger School
immature
- he chose to run away when he face injustice and suffering
stubborn and inflexible
- even knowing that his mother and sister were terribly
unhappy over his disappearance and spend a lot of money
looking for him, his heart did not sorten and did not attempt
to get in touch with them
hardworking
- become a ship’s captain
irresponsible
- when he found out that his family had passed away and he
had to make the decision whether to take over his family
home or run away so that he did not have to face the
consequences of his running away, he chose to run away.
moral
- not to make decisions that hurt people
- to be more sacrificing and put up with hardship for the
good of everyone and keep the family united.
Charlotte
fond and loving
- caught between her stepfather and her brother, be careful
not to seem to be taking sides.
sensible
- made the best of her situation and get along with her
stepfather
- “Just because life has dealt us one hard blow, there is no
reason for us to be unhappy forever.”
put other people’s happiness and welfare before her own
- entered a loveless marriage because the man was rich and
he promised to continue the search for her brother.
- thought that family was important
Claudia
steady and sensible
- did not get along with her stepmother at the beginning
- adapt to the changes around her that was not of her
choosing
kind
- felt sorry for Stella when she suffered cold treatment of her
father’s friend
courageous
- often stand up to her father
- mean to her stepmother

2. open-minded
- open to changes
- admit her mistake( treat Stella bad)
humble
- learn how to quilt a bedcover, read maps, change an
electric plug and skate from Stella
Collin
sensitive
- took the separation from his stepfather badly. He wished to
reunited with his step dad
- his father’s absence affected him so much that he did not
pay attention in class, always half asleep in class
- shared a song with his stepdad
Ralph
tolerant, easy-going nature
- get along well with all his stepmothers although they have
unusual habits and lifestyles
responsible and thoughtful
- worried that Flora would not make a good mother and his
baby half brother might be neglected.
hopeful, optimistic outlook
- looking forward to the future and the new baby
sensible
- adapt to the changes
Pixie
imaginative
- create lots of ghost stories
selfish
-did not try to get along with her father’s new family, escape
to her room and only come down at mealtimes
not tolerant
-hated Hetty’s mannerisms and when she called her Priscilla
- hated her father took her stepmother’s side when she
protested about sharing room with Hetty
soft
- burst out crying when she had a showdown with her
stepmother
sensible, rational
- change the way she acted around Paynes
- changing her behavior
Robbo
tolerant, easy-going
mature
Themes
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 parent’s 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 Hetty’s presence
an intrusion. However, she manages to get her room back
after a heated argument with her step mother. In the end

3. Pixie learns to tolerate her step sisters and accepts their
differences.
Acceptance and tolerance can also be seen in Claudia’s story.
She learns to accept the presence of her step mother when
her father’s 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 Pixie’s 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 family’s 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. Colin’s 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 Robbo’s 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 maturity in the children’s 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 children’s spirit. They make
us see the depth of their feelings and opinions through their
unique stories. Too often children’s feelings are unnoticed,
ignored and or not taken seriously resulting in failure in
building relationships in broken homes.

4. Character you like the most?
The novel that i have read is Step by Wicked Step by Anne
Fine. The character that i like the most is Colin.
I like him because Colin shows maturity beyond his age.
Although Colin is perhaps too young to understand the
conflict faced by the adults, he has deep hidden feelings
about the matter. He shows maturity by not telling his
mother about his feeling towards his stepfather, Jack.
However, Colin still loves his mother and accepts the
situation. He never blames his mother like any other children
of his age. Instead, he defends his mother's actions. Thus, his
maturity has actually made me like his character very much.
Another reason why I like Colin is because of his
determination. He is determined to look for his stepfather.
First, he writes a letter to his stepfather in his effort to locate
his whereabouts. Then, he saves every penny whenever he
gets the chance. For example, he always prefer cash for
Christmas present from his mother and does three paper
rounds to earn money. Colin does all this because he is
determined to leave home one day when he is old enough to
look for his beloved stepfather. As a child he does not give
up easily but makes a plan to achieve his dreams. I adore
him for his strong will.
Finally, Colin proves to be a very sentimental person. He
remembers everything about his stepfather. He remembers
how his stepfather rolls his own cigarette out of tobacco tin.
He also remembers the many names that his stepfather
gives him - 'Col, Collie, Sonny-Boy, Buster and Bluebird'. He
misses the times when his stepfather walks with him to
school and pushes him up the swing in the park. In fact, he
keeps an exact account on how long his stepfather has been
gone which is five years, eight months and seven days. The
sentimental values in Colin is the reason why he can stay
loving towards his stepfather after so many years. He
treasures all all the good things Jack does for him and that
has given him strength. Therefore, i also admire Colin for
being a sentimental person.
The above reasons are why I like Colin the most.
Character that you sympathize ?
The novel that i have read is Step by Wicked Step by Anne
Fine. The character that i sympathize in this novel is Richard
Clayton Harwick. He is a young boy who feels trapped in
very unhappy circumstances. He loses his father to sickness.
His mother remarries a very cold and hard man and thi s
causes much unhappiness to Richard. His new stepfather
makes life hard for him.
Reverend Coldstone is a harsh man who is strict and hard
towards Richard. He believes that Richard is too wild and
needs to be taught manners. He shows no love for Richard
and sends him off to Mordanger School where Richard is
treated badly. This adds to his misery. There he is bullied and
beaten. At home he was beaten by his stepfather for every
small mistake and the school experience makes him more
bitter about life. He is miserable and decides to act.
Richard realises that his mother will not take his side and
his sister, Charlotte makes herself happy by being nice to her
stepfather. Therefore, Richard runs away to a life at sea and
does well there rising to the position of Captain.
When he returns, he finds that his mother has died of
heartbreak. His stepfather too had passed away and his dear
Charlotte had died in childbirth. I feel sorry for Richard for all
he wanted was his family and love. He loved his parents and
sister and loses them all. Children become victims when
families breakup.
Richard is a victim of breakdown in his family. He
experiences much misery and loss and these are reasons
why I sympathize with him.
Character you admire because of the positive qualities?
The novel that i have read is Step by Wicked Step by Anne
Fine. The character that i admire because of the positive
qualities is Robbo.
Robbo is a kind person. His immense kindness was
evident in the way he sought to protect Dumpa. Even though
he wished his parents were back together, he worried about
how it would affect Dumpa. He did not want his baby half -
brother to have to go through the pain and suffering he and
his sister had experienced during his parents frequent
arguments and final separation.
Robbo is also very understanding and sensitive person. He
understood why Roy felt unwelcome in the house and that
the only reason he remained there was for Dumpa. The
burden and strain his mother went through while trying to
referee the fights between Roy and Callie was not lost on
Robbo either. He was willing to put himself in his mother's
and Roy's shoes and tried to understand their pain.

5. Finally, Robbo's best quality is his maturity. Due to his
maturity, he was able to accept his parents' separation and
bot be jealous or resentful of Dumpa and Roy. It also helped
him realize that drastic changes were needed to keep the
family together and to come to a solution that would benefit
all parties. He showed a maturity beyond his years when he
confronted his mother and sister directly and dealt with the
situation once and for all.
These are some of the positive qualities that Robbo has
displayed and which have drawn my admiration.
Compare and contrast one of the character in the novel
with another character.
The novel that i have read is Step by Wicked Step by
Anne Fine. The character that i have picked to compare with
another character is Claudia and her father. Claudia and her
father are as different as night and day.
One of the key differences between them is her bravery.
Claudia has the courage to thank Stella in front of her
father's friend so that her father's friends would be nicer to
Stella. Her father, on the other hand, could not even
summon up the courage to properly introduce her daughter
to Stella, opting to make the introduction seems like an
accidental meeting.
This brings us to Claudia's intelligence, another character
which is very different from her father. Claudia is smart
enough to realize that her father has set up the accidental
meeting to introduce her to Stella. Claudia also shows
remarkable perception, unlike her father. He routinely asks
her whether she and her mother are fine, without realising
even once how hurt and abandoned they felt at his leaving.
Finally and the most importantly, Claudia is kind and
forgiving person. When she and Stella has had a fight, she
forgives her and makes up. Although she wants to be angry
at Stella, she forgives and help her out. However, her father
could not forgive or make up with her mother as easily and
he does not stop himself from making harsh remarks about
her either.
Based on these characteristic, Claudia is a much better
person than her father. It just goes to show that sometimes
children can behave better than adults.
Comparison : Similarities and Differences
The novel that i have read is Step by Wicked Step by
Anne Fine. There are glaring differences and some
similarities between Richard and Robbo. They both make a
good comparison of characters.
For similarities, both are products of a broken home and
both have to adjust living with a stepfather. Their
stepfathers are difficult to live with and so conflicts arise
within the family. But this is where the similarities end.
Their differences are more marked. Robbo refuses to let
his stepfather ruin his happiness. He even tries to mediate
between Callie, his old sister and Roy, his stepfather. He
loves his half-brother like his own. When situations prove to
be difficult, he chips in to help his mother and stepfather.
On the other hand, Richard handles things differently. His
arguments with his stepfather are so bad that it is impossible
for them to love together. He is too stubborn to compromise
or at least try to make things better. He allows his stepfather
to make his home like a tomb as he calls it. He feels like a
stranger in his own home. Not surprisingly, he chooses the
cowardly way of leaving home. This is something Robbo
would never do. He chooses to make the best of a
challenging home situation.
These are some of the similarities and differences
between Richard and Robbo.
Important lesson
The novel that i have read is Step by Wicked Step by Anne
Fine. The important lesson that i have learnt from this novel
is we have to be patient when facing challenges. Often,
patience achieves better results than rashness and anger.
Two characters, Lucy and Stella handle challenges with
patience. In doing so, they achieve what they desire. Lucy's
stepdaughter, Pixie, is difficult to handle. She believes that a
stepfamily can never be a happy family. Lucy goes all out to
prove her wrong. During a major confrontation,she manages
to reason things out with Pixie. She tries her best to explain
to Pixie that a stepfamily can be a happy one. At the same
time, she listens to Pixie, letting her pour out all her
frustrations. Her patience pays off. She and Pixie have a
good cry together. They hug each other like a mother and
daughter would. This removes some of the underlying
tension between them and marks the beginning of a
harmonious and happy friendship.

6. It is the same with Stella. She exercise much patience in
trying to win Claudia over. Initially, all her attempts are
rejected but does not discourage her. In fact, she puts in
more effort to make Claudia likes her. She succeeds in the
ens for Claudia stands up for her when she sees how unfairly
her father's friends treat Stella during supper. They simply
ignore her, even after all the trouble she has gone through
to make sure that everything is perfect for them. Claudia
comes downstairs and thanks Stella for the green pyjamas
that she has bought for her. This prompts the guests to give
Stella a chance. This is the start of a new friendship and
understanding between them.
Therefore, we have to be patient when facing challenges.
Important event (Pixie)
The novel that i have read is Step by Wicked Step by
Anne Fine. There are some event that are so important to a
character in this novel.
One of the five pupils who comes form broken families is
Pixie whose parents are divorced. Every weekend she goes
to stay with her father and his new family. She dislikes her
stepsisters, Hetty and Sophie and calls them 'the Pains'.
When Hetty moves into Pixie's bedroom, after quarrelling
with Sophie, Pixie is unhappy. She thinks all kinds of ways to
get rid of Hetty such as pretending the room is haunted and
giving Hetty the 'semi-silent' treatment.
When Pixie's stepmother , Lucy, hears about her behavior,
she has a talk with her. This event is the turning point in
Pixie's relationship with her father's new family. Both Lucy
and Pixie speak truthfully about how they feel about each
other and the family situation. Lucy learns how Pixie hates
pretending there is a normal family and how difficult it is to
be caught between her divorced parents. Pixie realizes that
Lucy hates being a step-parent and how hard it is caring for
someone else's child.She also realizes how badly she has
behaved. This honest conversation creates an understanding
between them. It ends woth them crying and hugging each
other. The signals the change in Pixie's relationship with her
step-family. After this event, Pixie is happier and gets along
much better with her stepsisters.
The honest talk between Pixie and Lucy is an important
event to Pixie as it improves their relationship and they
become more like a normal family after that. It proves that
open communication can heal relationships.
Character that you admire
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.
A memorable event and how the event affects one of the
characters in the story.
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.

7. 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.
Theme of family love
The novel that I have chosen to portray the theme of family
love is “Step by Wicked Step” by AnneFine. This novel is
regarding five British school children from Stagfire who
shared their joys, sorrows and anxieties of their family life. It
all begin when they arrived ahead of their classmates for a
week-long field trip at "haunted' Old Harwick Hall. In the
stormy wild night, Claudia, Pixie, Robbo, Ralph and Colin find
a long-abandoned secret room containing a mysterious
journal with the aid of flashes of lightning. They uncover a
heart rending story of Richard Clayton Harwick, who runs
away from the sinister influence of a loveless stepfather. This
discovery triggers off each of them to reveal and share their
own engrossing, heart-rending stories filled with hurting and
healing moments way through a minefield of embittered or
uncommunicative or just plain immature parents, insecure
or reluctant step parents and resentful step siblings. The
implied themes in this novel are revealed through the
characters thoughts, speech, actions, reactions and what
others say about them. Thus, based on this novel, I have
chosen to write on Richard Clayton Harwick’s family
members who have portrayed the theme of family love
amazingly and dramatically through sense of love, devotion
and loyalty.
Richard’s mother, Lilith was the first to portray the sense of
love in the family. She took all the trouble to search for
Richard after he ran away from home. Richard was
frustrated as his mother married Reverend Coldstone after
his father's death.Lilith suffered Coldstone’s anger as when
she spent a fortune seeking for Richard, their money
lessened. Out of love for her beloved son, Richard, Lilith
willingly sacrifices her wealth. She never stopped searching
for him until her death. She died of broken heart because of
her undying love for her beloved son, Richard.
Charlotte showed her love too through her devotion. She
kept searching for her beloved brother, Richard, after her
mother’s death. However she faced trouble as she had no
money of her own. Because of her strong family love, she
married a rich man she did not love as he promised to help
her find Richard. She was willing to sacrifice due to her
immense devotion to her brother. She managed to reveal
her selfless characteristic through her quest for her brother.
Richard also showed that he had strong love for his family
through his sense of loyalty. Before Richard’s father died, he
tells Richard to take care of his mother and sister, Lilith and
Charlotte Harwick. Richard become depressed as his father
had only thought of his mother and sister instead of him
until the end of his life. Richard become more tensed when
his mother marries Reverend Coldstone, who is cruel
towards him. Richard is then sent to a boarding school called
Mordanger School, where he still suffered. Then he decides
to run away and sail all over the world. Although he ran
away, he still came by the house twice to catch a glimpse of
his mother and sister due to his love that still lives in him, He
finally returns home after he found a note on the captain’s
table from the solicitors who have stated something to his
advantage . He discovered a letter from his beloved sister,
Charlotte , who had written before her death, In the letter,
Charlotte reveals all the difficulties they had had to undergo.
He realized that his mother and sister was searching for him
deliberately. He has restored his loyalty in the end but his
loved ones are gone forever. His final decision of whether to
stay or leave Harwick Hall remains unknown while the family
love will remain in his memories for the rest of his life.
This novel managed to prove that strong family relationship
sustains family bond and heals all the hurting moments
through sense of love, devotion and loyalty. The power of
family love leads to reunion and healing in a family.
Therefore, we should appreciate and love our family
unconditionally and be prepared to make sacrifices as when
there is strong sense of love, there is forgiveness , patience,
loyalty and devotion growing without force under the shade
of genuine family love.