TheTurbulent Term of Tyke Tyler

[JellySaurus]

Does anybody remember this book from the 70s or early 80s? Tyke is a schoolkid who keeps getting into trouble. Danny has learning difficulties and is Tyke's friend. There is no indication whether Tyke is a girl or a boy. To my recollection boy readers always assumed that Tyke was a a boy, whereas girl readers were about equally divided into boy/girl/not sure, depending on how tomboyish they were. You find out towards the end of the book.

It's due a resurgence, I think.

So probably 11 to 12, should be good for my girl.

www.wob.com/en-gb/books/gene-kemp/turbulent-term-of-tyke-tiler/9780571313914?gclid=CjwKCAiAxvGfBhB-EiwAMPakqramMpb6DR082-k77NE5cUQD_UU8cyATuMz7Dey533nvum4Z-ZhQBhoCspoQAvD_BwE#GOR006393707

£1.80 cheaper than Scumazon, too!

It's great. A play script was made for schools and I've taught it within the past ten years.

Meg Rossoff wrote a fabulous book in the last couple of years called The Great Godden- aimed at teenagers. It's beautifully written, and the twist you only realise after you've finished is that you've no idea if the narrator is male or female. Loved it.

The trouble is that it would now be claimed that Tyke was a transboy, rather than a girl. Because girls never behave like that.

@JellySaurus major plot spoiler there 🤣
My class teacher at primary school (upper junior class - Y5 and 6 these days) in circa 1985 read it aloud to us. I do remember we all seemed surprised when it's 'revealed' at the end. I re read it a few years later (obviously aware of the twist...). I was more confused that they attended a "Combined" school and was more curious to what that was (many years later I discovered that in the 3 tier school system a Combined school was a First School and Middle School combined together).

Out of curiosity I had a Google about the book. I remember reading a few by the author Gene Kemp.
It's funny because of the spelling of the name I assumed it was a male writer. Apparently not. Gene was female (she died a few years back).

I loved this book! Had it at Primary school. Definitely she was Theodora not Theresa. I also loved the politics - 'Posters on the window/Stickers on the Car/Dad's standing for the Council/So here we bloody well are' (I am not sure about the precise profanity in the last line! They were Labour and the nasty boy's dad was Tory.

There were several books set in the same school - Gowie Corby Plays Chicken, and one about the Moffat family, IIRC.

I think that John Rowe Townsend's 'Tom Tiddler's Ground' has a similar feel.

I am 38 and I think I caught these books at the tail end - I was aware at the time that 'Cricklepit Combined School' and the idea of children freely exploring a rotting barge (!) on their own were probably quite dated, but I also loved the idea of having that much freedom and being able to be that physical and outdoorsy. I wish I could have more of that for DD (even though I'd have a heart attack if she did anything like what these characters did!).

Gowie Corby had a twist right at the end too. I think we read them in year 5 or 6.

Loved it as a kid.

It did, didn't it, @EmpressaurusOfCats! For some reason I remember I had sussed the twist in Gowie Corby (or at least it didn't surprise me). I remember being absolutely delighted by the twist in Tyke Tyler. I hadn't spotted it at all, and I read it when I was a very tomboyish child, and it was just lovely.

I also remember one year I had a small year 7 ALN class, who were very young for their age and whose reading ages were very low. I read Bill's New Frock by Anne Fine (aimed at younger children). They loved it and there was lots of lively discussion of sex stereotyping and the ways in which girls are treated differently from boys. Happy days!

Yes! I remember reading it so clearly when I was in year 5 or 6. I was blown away by the ending. And I was cross with myself for making sexist assumptions about the character. Which I guess was the author’s aim.

I loved that book. I can even remember that I was off school with yet another chest infection and was installed on the sofa with a pile of books and that was one of them!

I believe that's "Gentlemen and Players", which I very much enjoyed

I loved this book and remember being perplexed to discover Tyke wasn't a boy! I never thought until just now that that must have been intentional 😳

I loved Tyke Tyler. Our school did it as a play. Being a girls school with all the parts played by girls we could get away with it without spoiling the ending!
I read a book by Jasper Fforde, the premise of which is totally bonkers, but there is a character called something like Charlie, who I read the whole book thinking was a woman, then read a review which stated it was never made clear - so I went back and looked, and it definitely isn’t , no indication at all either way. I was interested as to why I’d decided she was female. I didn’t notice the lack,of gendered pronouns at all (it is in the first person I think).

Thanks for reminding me of this bookOP! I had completely forgotten about it. I think I was probably around 10 or 11 when I read it so mid 90s. I think I will order it for 10 year old DS!

I LOVED this book! Made a huge impression on me as a 70s kid.

That was my favourite book - our teacher read it to us when I was in top juniors.

This reminds me of "Bod", the TV character. "Here comes Bod".

I thought Tyke's name was Theodora? And she hates is, so goes by Tyke.

"THEODORA TYLER, COME DOWN!"

I adored this book. Another 80s child who read it at about 9. I remember being stunned by ‘you naughty, disobedient little girl!’.

We were read it aloud by the teacher when I was in primary in the early 2000s. The whole class had assumed the character was a boy so the twist at the end was a surprise to us all!