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get dirtier and disarrayed as
Charlie is not used to washing and ironing them, but her teacher, Mrs. Horsefield, helps her out, as Floss is one of her personal favorite students. The father and daughter learn to cope and meet Rose, a very caring woman who works at a fair. After Rose leaves (traveling with the fair), they keep an eye out for her at the fair. Meanwhile, a regular customer at the café Billy the Chip puts money on a horse that Floss selects, and he
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fistfight, the van catches on fire with Floss trapped inside. Charlie fights his way through the fire and rescues her, while in the process burning his hands. When the fair comes back in town, Rose and
Charlie consider dating, and Floss finds out both are interested in each other and get along well, while Rose lets Floss help her in the candyfloss stall. Later, Susan, along with her parents, goes to stay in her holiday home in
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believing she is living in an unclean dump. Floss ends her friendship with
Rhiannon and finds a new friend, Susan, who is interested in all her favorite things. This causes Rhiannon to turn on her and befriends the class's other bullies Margot and Judy. She continually torments Floss by calling her and Susan, respectively, "Smelly Chip" and "Swotty Potty", later "Pongy Twit" and "Spotty Botty".
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Rhiannon's mother – Rhiannon's mother. She raises concern about Floss and
Charlie's living situation, and thinks Charlie is not looking after Floss properly. She often gives Charlie advice, and once made Rhiannon have a day out with Floss, meaning that Floss had to cancel her playdate with Susan. She
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Susan Potts – The new girl in Floss's class who is extremely clever. She was nicknamed 'Swotty Potty' by Judy and Margot. She wants to be Floss's friend but is scared of
Rhiannon. Once Floss breaks friends with Rhiannon though, Susan and Floss become best friends. They both enjoy art, books and being
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Charlie Barnes – Floss's father, Sally's ex-husband. He runs a little local café but is massively in debt and loses it midway through the book. He ends up running a chip van until it gets burnt down. He is plump with dark hair. Despite being a little absent minded sometimes, he cares deeply for Floss
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Billy the Chip – A regular at
Charlie's cafe. He has his own chip van, but says no one can beat Charlie's chip butties. He often bets on horses. Towards the end of the book, Charlie loses the cafe, and Billy lets Charlie and Floss move into his house and look after his cats while he is away visiting
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Sally (Sal) Westwood – Floss and Tiger's mother, Charlie's ex-wife. She is a pretty woman who after divorcing
Charlie, got remarried to Steve and had a son with him named Tim (who is known as Tiger). She tries to act posh. She still gets on with Charlie though she is always mocking his way of being.
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and the flat, Billy the Chip mentions he is going to
Australia to visit his son for one month and needs Floss and Charlie to live in his house while Charlie works in Billy's chip van. However, one day, a group of "yobbos" (as Charlie calls them) fight Rose's son Saul and when he attempts to stop the
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Floss also has her best friend, Rhiannon, who isn't much of a friend – making fun of her and her father and starting cruel rumours about Floss's mother walking out on Floss. Rhiannon's posh and snobby mother assumes that
Charlie is an unfit father and repeatedly tries to lecture him and pamper Floss
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Rhiannon – Floss's former best friend. She is very pretty with straight black hair and a slim figure. She is also rich and enjoys flaunting her wealth. She can be very rude along with Margot and Judy who bully Susan and Floss after the two fall out. She lies to people that Floss's mother has walked
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Floss convinces Sally that she can live with
Charlie, while they are in Australia. Floss has a tough time getting used to life without her mother since her father is not used to taking care of Floss seven days a week and she is not used to his home seven days a week, either. Floss's school uniforms
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Rose – The woman who runs the candyfloss stall at the funfair that Floss and Charlie go to at the start. She is very compassionate and helps Floss and Charlie when they get in a fight. At the end of the book she returns to thank Charlie for saving her son Saul during the fight and fire at the chip
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Flora "Floss" Barnes – A generally happy and bubbly girl who sometimes struggles to stand up for herself. She makes the life changing choice to remain with her father Charlie when her mother Sally, stepfather Steve, and half-brother Tiger (Tim) go to Australia. She falls out with her best friend
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Flora "Floss" Barnes' mother Sally and father Charlie split up when she was little and she wishes they'd get back together because she doesn't like her stepfather, Steve, and her little half-brother Tiger. The book opens on Floss's birthday where Sally and Steve tell her that they are going to
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She announces to Floss on her birthday that the whole family is moving to Australia for Steve's new job and is heartbroken when Floss remains with Charlie. Floss gets defensive when anyone says Sally walked out on her. Although Floss stays with her father, she misses her mother terribly.
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Steve Westwood – Sally's husband, Tiger's father and Floss's stepfather. He gets a job offer in Australia in the beginning of the book, where he and the family get to stay there for 6 months while he works. Floss decides to stay with her father. It is implied that Charlie is jealous of
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Judy – Margot's best friend at the start of the book before she becomes best friends with Rhiannon. Not much is said about Judy. She has black hair in pigtails. Judy also bullies Floss with Margot and Rhiannon. They eventually leave Judy out and Judy just trails
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for six months because of Steve's job. Floss wants to go with them, but she doesn't want to leave Charlie who's a cheerful and fun dad, who runs his own café which is quickly going out of business. Later that day, Floss goes with Sally, Steve and Tiger to
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van. She develops romantic feelings for Charlie as well at the end and is in favour of Charlie and Floss joining up with the fair in the summer. She is pretty with blonde hair and wears much red and pink clothing. She says she is much older than Charlie.
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Rhiannon but later becomes friends with Susan. She is small with masses of blonde curly hair which she dyes purple. She has a strong love for cats, and keeps a cat which she finds in her dad's back garden and calls it Lucky.
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Margot – Rhiannon's best friend. Along with Judy and Rhiannon she bullies Floss and calls her smelly chip. Margot is described by having "such a flat tummy" according to Rhiannon and she likes to speak in a fake American
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Mr Potts – Susan's father. He is only mentioned once in the book, when he drops Susan round at Charlie's house for a playdate with Floss. Not much is said about him, but Floss remarks that he looks much older than her
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Mrs Horsefield – Floss and Susan's kindly teacher, who does her best to support Floss and her father throughout the book. She eventually admits that Floss and Susan are her favourite pupils.
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concluded that the "open-ended conclusion" will "provoke readers’ questions and speculation" and the novel provides possibilities for "mother/daughter discussion".
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also highlighted Floss's relationship with her father, who is " fully dimensional in all his flaws" and ,"whose love for his daughter often clouds his judgment".
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highlighted the novel's heavy issues, including "poverty, bankruptcy, drunken/bawdy adult behavior, bullying and unconditional parental/child love". To that list,
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and only wants what's best for her. He saves her life when the chip van gets burnt down. He ends up starting a romantic relationship with Rose from the funfair.
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Tim (Tiger) Westwood – Floss's half-brother, the son of Steve and Sally. His real name is Tim, but Floss calls him Tiger because of his tiger-like personality.
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his son in Australia and also asks if Charlie could help at his chip van, which Charlie agrees to do. Billy's house is ancient, and contains very old items.
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also noted that the novel includes "a group of believable secondary characters—though they’re somewhat melodramatic in their thoughts and actions".
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and says farewell to Floss at the beginning of summer. The book closes with Floss thinking about dying her hair pink (like candy floss).
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added the "compelling sometimes gritty elements" of "shopping, gambling, fair-going, romance, a knife-fight and even a scary fire".
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Reviewers also mentioned the "one-page black-and-white set of graphic novel–style scenes" that foreshadow each chapter.
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Saul – Rose's son. He also has a girlfriend called Jenny. Charlie saved him from a fight outside of the chip van.
303:'s characters. Isaacs called the novel's protagonist, Floss, "charmingly believable" and "idiosyncratic", while
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282:'s Kathleen Isaacs highlighted how "Wilson produces a poignant, gently humorous, and totally satisfying tale".
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Mrs Van Dyke – Deputy Head of Floss's school, the scariest strictest teacher in the whole school.
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creative. Susan has short brown hair, glasses and a massive obsession with numbers.
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s Catherine Ensley found her to be a "likable character".
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392:"Candyfloss by Jacqueline Wilson"
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299:Multiple reviewers commented on
854:The Best Sleepover in the World
814:The Worst Thing About My Sister
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16:2006 novel by Jacqueline Wilson
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263:received starred reviews from
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606:The Bed and Breakfast Star
558:How to Survive Summer Camp
882:British children's novels
582:The Story of Tracy Beaker
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146:After Charlie loses the
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790:The Longest Whale Song
483:Chicago Public Library
470:School Library Journal
310:School Library Journal
101:is a novel written by
907:Novels set in England
897:2006 children's books
278:In a starred review,
33:First edition (publ.
902:Novels set in Sydney
822:Four Children and It
877:2006 British novels
638:The Illustrated Mum
105:and illustrated by
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806:Sapphire Battersea
630:The Lottie Project
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718:The Diamond Girls
686:The Worry Website
537:Jacqueline Wilson
441:. 1 August 2007.
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320:Publishers Weekly
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103:Jacqueline Wilson
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47:Jacqueline Wilson
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574:Take a Good Look
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546:Bibliography
481:– via
475:. Retrieved
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465:"Candyfloss"
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447:. Retrieved
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433:"Candyfloss"
406:. Retrieved
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367:. Retrieved
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117:Plot summary
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67:Doubleday UK
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726:Clean Break
654:Vicky Angel
477:20 February
449:20 February
408:20 February
369:20 February
53:Illustrator
22:Candyfloss
871:Categories
798:Lily Alone
742:Candyfloss
662:Sleepovers
614:Double Act
566:Glubbslyme
535:Novels by
329:References
301:Candyfloss
261:Candyfloss
159:Characters
98:Candyfloss
622:Bad Girls
256:Reception
124:Australia
111:Doubleday
63:Publisher
35:Doubleday
702:Midnight
443:Archived
402:Archived
363:Archived
358:Booklist
280:Booklist
266:Booklist
678:Secrets
245:father.
206:accent.
857:(2023)
849:(2020)
841:(2015)
833:(2012)
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766:Cookie
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183:Steve.
153:France
43:Author
212:along
838:Katy
750:Kiss
479:2024
451:2024
410:2024
371:2024
269:and
148:café
84:ISBN
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