- Double Act (novel)
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This article is about the children's book. For the comedy duo, see Double act.
Double Act Author(s) Jacqueline Wilson Language English Genre(s) Children's novel Publisher Yearling Books, Doubleday, Corgi Publication date 1995 Media type Print Pages 192 Double Act is a 1995 children's novel by Jacqueline Wilson, written in the style of a diary, which follows the story of identical twins, Ruby and Garnet. It won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize and the Children's Book Award, as well as being shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal.
Contents
Plot summary
The book takes the form of the twins alternately narrating the story of their life in an Accounts book. Ruby and Garnet are ten-year-old identical twins living with their father and grandmother since their mother, Opal, died. The two have always been close despite their differences- Ruby is social, and keen to let her opinions be heard, while introverted Garnet is content to let Ruby dominate their relationship. When their father gets a new girlfriend [Rose] and a new job, their once stable relationship is thrown into turmoil, as the relationship leads to feelings of betrayal from their father to their late mother, and it comes with a big price- leaving their grandmother behind for a house in the country.
As Ruby is very dominating, she insists that the girls shouldn't stand for their new lifestyle. She and Garnet start off well in school, but once Garnet makes a new friend, Ruby sulks and Garnet quickly changes to stop her feeling upset. After this, they do not behave properly in school and do not talk to anyone else.
The twins find an article about auditions for a TV adaptation of The Twins at St. Clare's, and Ruby is keen to go ahead and audition, even though Garnet and their father do not agree. Surprisingly, Rose is supportive, although her efforts are for nothing, as Garnet and Ruby have to run away to London to audition. Although Garnet isn't keen on the idea, she is about to deliver a good audition but the twins father appears just as she is about to begin, making her feel terrible for messing up the audition.
Near summer, Ruby, realizing that the school where the TV movie is being filmed at is a prestigious boarding school for girls, Marnock Heights, decides that the pair ought to sign up for scholarships- of which there is only one. Despite their father's early hesitation to the idea, he encourages Garnet to go ahead with the school after it is revealed that she won the scholarship. (Ruby was confident that she would win it if they both couldn't 'wangle one' together). Garnet is torn between pleasing her sister and doing something different, for once. Meanwhile, Ruby refuses to talk to her, and often wanders off on her own. She is determined to be different from Garnet, and ends up cutting off her hair.
She does not let herself be around Garnet for the whole summer, and even though they both feel as though they are missing something, Ruby is too proud to apologize while Garnet wishes she was able to. At this point in the novel, Garnet is no longer narrating- Ruby has changed the "book" to a Memorandum, which she continues writing in until the end of the book. After making friends with someone she previously considered rather a bully, Ruby starts to realize that she and Garnet don't need to be the same, and don't have to do the same things, to be happy. She also realizes, alternately, that being together would have helped Garnet feel better about leaving. Ruby finds a friend in Rose, also, who encourages her to say sorry to Garnet.
In the end, Ruby apologizes to Garnet, and they both realize that they can still be together while apart, as long as they remember each other. Garnet leaves for school, and writes a letter about how much she is enjoying it.
Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
Main article: Double Act (TV film)It was also adapted into a successful stage play and a TV movie starring Zoe Tempest-Jones as Ruby and Chloe Tempest-Jones as Garnet. Receiving great reviews.
Trivia
In the book, the TV show the girls audition for is a TV adaptation of The Twins at St. Clare's. However, in the TV adaptation, the book is called The Terrible Tempest Twins.
Critical reception
It won the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize and the Children's Book Award, as well as being shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. Publishers Weekly described it as "an unexceptional mix of familiar plot devices." [1]
References
Categories:- 1995 novels
- British children's novels
- Novels by Jacqueline Wilson
- 1990s novel stubs
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