The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tiler: 1

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Cover of the first edition (1977) of The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tiler, by Gene Kemp. Fair use rationale. According to Mary Cadogan in Twentieth-Century Children's Writers, "This truly innovatory book gives new dimensions to the day-school story, and an authoritative boost to feminism. More convincingly than any other juvenile book it demolishes many accepted ideas about aspirational and experiential differences between boys and girls." She added: "The exactly appropriate first person narrative is punctuated by consciously dire playground rhymes and jokes which sharpen its pacy succinctness." The daring nature of Tyke's exploits and behaviours – such as fighting, climbing the bell tower, and protecting Danny – often lead readers to assume Tyke is a boy. [4] [8] The name 'Tyke' itself is gendered with connotations of roughness and maleness. [9] The other characters in the story too are stereotypical of their gender: the headmaster of the school is referred to by Tyke as "Chief Sir" and is depicted as powerful with a deep voice; the student teacher Miss Honeywell is described as being pretty; Tyke's father is authoritative; Tyke's sister Beryl is interested in her boyfriend and makeup. [10] The final chapter of the novel is a postscript written from the point of view of Mr Merchant, Tyke's teacher. Tyke's gender is confirmed again to be female and for the first time in the book the character is described as "she". [4] Gene Kemp was awarded an Honorary MA from Exeter University in 1984. She lived in Exeter and had three children – a daughter, Judith, from her first marriage to Norman Pattison, which ended in divorce, and another daughter, Chantal, and a son, Richard, from her second marriage, to Allan Kemp, who died in 1990. She had three grandchildren and two great-grandsons. Kemp died at the age of 88 on 4 January 2015.

Gene Kemp was born in Wigginton, Staffordshire in 1926 [2] grew up near Tamworth, Staffordshire, and went to Exeter University. She became a teacher and taught at St Sidwell's School in Exeter in the 1970s. [3] Gene Kemp's 1977 Carnegie Medal winning novel The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tiler has for me and to me first and foremost been a fun and entertaining school themed tale, and that as such The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tiler shows a text where especially the setting feels totally and delightfully authentic (and is also not one of those traditional and generally "one size fits all" British boarding school type of stories), is supposedly based on St. Sidwell's Primary School in Exeter where Gene Kemp herself taught from 1963 until 1979, and that Kemp's presented characters for The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tiker and in particular the schoolchildren and teachers equally feel totally, wonderfully flesh and blood real (booth positively and negatively). And while I actually was already aware what the plot twist at the end of The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tiler would feature before even starting with The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tiler (from prior perusals of some articles on British children's literature I read decades ago, in the early 1990s), well, without that prior knowledge, the revelatory gender surprise at the end of the novel would definitely be totally and also delightfully unexpected. Gene Kemp was born in Wigginton, Staffordshire in 1926. She grew up near Tamworth, Staffordshire, and went to Exeter University. She became a teacher and taught at St Sidwell's School in Exeter in the 1970s. Prater, Mary Anne (1999). "Characterization of Mental Retardation in Children's and Adolescent Literature". Education and Training in Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities. 34 (4): 418–431. JSTOR 23889041– via JSTOR.

This book meant an incredible amount to me as a kid, and it still gives me something of a shiver now. I won't spoil it, but if you know me, it all makes a lot of sense. Jones, Terry (1984). "The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tiler (review)". Children's Literature in Education. 15 (3): 159. Bittner, Robert (2016). "(Im) Possibility and (in) visibility: Arguing against 'just happens to be' in Young Adult literature". Queer Studies in Media & Popular Culture. 1 (2): 199–214. doi: 10.1386/qsmpc.1.2.199_1. ISSN 2055-5695.

Tyke, Danny and Crumble reach the bridge over a stream where they stop. Tyke reads the leaflet aloud to Danny to show disinterest. Suddenly, Danny sees something and asks what is that and holds Tyke's arm to point it in that direction, causing all the leaflets to fall into the water. Danny apologizes but Tyke says I'm sure no one would have read it anyway. Tyke is more excited about exploring the abandoned mill behind them. The book depicts themes which include attitudes towards disability and gender. Throughout the book, Tyke's gender is not explicitly revealed, although the character's attitudes and actions often lead readers to believe that Tyke is a boy. The story ends with the revelation that Tyke is actually a girl. Tyke Tiler was praised by critics and was the recipient of the Carnegie Medal for children's literature in 1977. In the book Twentieth-Century Children's Writers, Mary Cadogan writes how Tyke Tiler "demolishes many accepted ideas about aspirational and experiential differences between boys and girls." [11] Although the novel does challenge gendered stereotypes with its twist reveal at the end, in a chapter on the representation of girls in literature in the book Teaching English, Susan Brindley argues that Tyke Tiler "is, in effect, presenting non-stereotypical girls as abnormal – and as such supports the dominant ideology." Brindley writes that the idea of Tyke's real gender being a revelation reinforces "sexist roles in society". She states how some readers feel that they have been "made fools of" when discovering Tyke's true gender. [12] Kery Mallan in the book Gender Dilemmas in Children’s Fiction calls this discovery a "narrative deceit". [13] Bhagirath Khuman and Madhumita Ghosal write that reactions like these to Tyke Tiler demonstrate the strange notion that "supposedly male characteristics are only suitable to boys' characters and that that is how they should be portrayed." [14] Furthermore, they write that rather than being a "narrative deceit", the revelation of Tyke's gender shows how readers have to challenge their own false beliefs about gender roles. [8] Going beyond cisgender interpretations of Tyke's gender, some analyses of Tyke Tiler interpret the protagonist as transgender or reference the novel in broader critiques of transgender fiction. [15] [16] Harlequin: "What family does the gorilla come from? I'm not sure. I've just moved here and I don't know everyone yet." For her play based on the book Gene Kemp created a comic character, Harlequin the Joker, to tell the jokes. ThemesEach chapter begins with a suitably juvenile joke, such as: Q: "Why do you forget a tooth once it's been pulled?" A: "It goes right out of your head!" King, Elizabeth J. (1986). "Children's Writers: 13-Gene Kemp". The School Librarian. 34 (4): 309–13. The influence of second-wave feminism in the portrayal of Tyke is undeniable. Tyke’s image offers a clear alternative to the sexism in popular culture. It rejects the stereotypical image of girls as feminine and passive. It eradicates accepted ideas about the differences between boys and girls. A postscript written from the point of view of Tyke's teacher, Mr Merchant, describes how the old bell tower collapsed and Tyke ended up in hospital with a broken arm, a broken ankle, bruising and concussion. In the hospital, Tyke confesses to Mr Merchant about cheating in the verbal reasoning test and tells him all about the final term at school - namely her efforts to help Danny. Mr Merchant enjoys Tyke's story and decides to write it down.

An interesting children's book from the 1970s, which succeeds largely on the strength of it's fine grasp of child psychology and language, and its naturalistically rambling, inconclusive plot. I liked it as a child because it felt less like a "story", and more like a slice of life of a real person - albeit an interesting slice. And re-reading it as an adult, I feel much the same way. As independent written tasks for the rest of the class, while the teacher is reading with a smaller group. Kemp, Gene (1988). The TV Script of The turbulent term of Tyke Tiler. London: Heinemann Educational Books Ltd. ISBN 9780435230036.Tyke Tiler is a fictional girl from Gene Kemp’s 1977 novel, The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tiler. A daring and energetic twelve-year-old, Tyke is always at the centre of trouble. Fighting in class, stealing watches, and finding sheep skeletons are not unusual occurrences. Tyke’s main task in the novel is to help her best friend, Danny Price, cheat in their end of year test. Without cheating, the characters believe that they will attend different secondary schools. The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tiler in libraries ( WorldCat catalog) — immediately, 1979 US reprint (same ISBN)

Motivating activities focusing on performance, close text analysis, language and structure, together with varied creative tasks The book is written in first person and predominantly narrated by Tyke. It is really interesting to note that Tyke's gender is not revealed until the very end of the book. This is a really fascinating move by Gene Kemp and helps to highlight to the reader how important it is to avoid gender stereotyping. It is very likely that most readers will assume Tyke is male as she gets up to a lot of mischief and engages in activities that are more commonly associated with boys. It is great to see a book that, despite its age (published 1977), attempts to challenge expected gender roles. Jokes are used as Chapter Lead-ins throughout, many of them funny or at least worth a pleasant groan, and some of which I may even remember later. ;) I also enjoyed the portrayals of the various adults in Tyke's story, including Sir and Chief Sir. Each chapter of the text begins with a joke. This is a great way to engage readers and also helps to break up the text up a little. Nichols, Catherine (2016). " 'The Odd Couple': Trans* Characters and Disabled Buddies in Two Works of Fiction". Considering Disability Journal. 1 (1–2). doi: 10.17774/CDJ12014.4.20575874. ISSN 2057-5874.Khuman, Bhagirath; Ghosal, Madhumita (2018). "Ungendered narrative: A new genre in the making". Concentric: Literary and Cultural Studies. 44 (2): 271–293. doi: 10.6240/concentric.lit.201809_44(2).0011. The book tells the story of ‘Tyke’ Tiler who is a 12 year old who has a notorious reputation for always being in and around trouble. We follow Tyke and best friend Danny Price in their last term at school. Danny suffers from a speech impediment which means Tyke has to interpret for him. When Tyke overhears teachers discussing the possibility of Danny being sent to a Special Needs School, he concocts a plan to keep him there. This plan does not pay off. The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tiler is a first person account of primary school child Tyke Tiler. Tyke is often ending up in mischievous situations in and outside of school, due in no small part down to her loyalty to her friend Danny. What is fantastic about the book is how the sex of Tyke is not known until the end of the story. The reader throughout presumes Tyke is male however due to displaying the personality one would expect of a boy rather than a girl. Up to the end of the penultimate chapter the narrative is written without directly revealing the protagonist's sex. The daring nature of Tyke's exploits often leads readers to assume Tyke is a boy, though there are a few scattered clues to the contrary. The story ends with the revelation that Tyke is a girl, her full name being Theodora Tiler. Characters Pupils And yes, for Gene Kemp's presented narrative in The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tiler, while my inner child has found her story fun, diverting and Tyke and Danny's friendship cheering and wish-fulfilling, in particular because Tyke Tiler (well actually, Theodora Tiler as is revealed at the end of the novel) will do basically pretty much anything to help out Dan Price (including fighting and cheating so that she will not be separated from Danny whom his teachers want to send away to a "special" type of school), my adult self also totally appreciates just how much there is below the surface of The Turbulent Term of Tyke Tiler and that Gene Kemp textually proceeds in a pretty contemporary and forward thinking manner for 1977 regarding gender and disability issues.