163. Me, The Queen and Christopher by Giles Andreae illustrated by Tony Ross

Me, The Queen and Christopher by Giles Andreae illustrated by Tony Ross
Published May 2012 Hachette (Orchard)


From the publisher:

What happens when a seven-year-old girl gets an invitation to have tea at Buckingham Palace with the Queen Nothing ordinary, if the girl is Freya.

This little book is a real treat!  Admittedly I have had one person ask me if they think it’s OK to have a book that depicts the Queen in such a way…but I feel that there's no malice intended in this story, it’s just a light-hearted look at what MIGHT go on behind closed doors at the palace.

Every year the Queen invites one child to tea at Buckingham Palace and this year it will be seven year old Freya.  Things don’t start out that well when Freya, in an attempt to curtsey, trips over her own feet and she hits her head quite hard…on the Queen’s knee!   The Queen falls, so she not only has a sore knee, but a very sore bottom too.  When checking her injuries, Freya even gets a glimpse at the Queen’s undies, it seems on Fridays they have dogs on them.

After this awkward introduction, Freya joins the Queen in her ‘private quarters’.  Here, Freya shares a very special meal and has a bit of a boogie.  Not at all what Freya had in mind. When they share family photographs, and the Queen see’s a photo of Freya’s brother Christopher, who is in a wheelchair, she decides they will make him cupcakes, which Freya takes home with her.

What is quite a light-hearted and funny book, takes on a more poignant note when, on the day of her Jubilee celebrations, the Queen sees Freya and her family in the crowd, and stops the procession.  She comes over to Christopher and asks him if he liked the cupcakes, his enormous smile tells her that he did.  This isn’t all, the Queen then does something most unusual that makes Christopher’s day, and probably hers too.

Like I said, I have had one person who was a bit doubtful about the book, thinking it might be seen as disrespectful.  If you take certain parts out of context, maybe someone may take issue with it, but the book as a whole is funny and beautiful and a real joy.  It’s a quick read, with only a few words on each page and colour illustrations by Tony Ross throughout.  Even if you are not a fan of the monarchy you should still have a look at this book, it will warm your heart.

Who will like this book: Boys and Girls age 6+
Read it if you like: Horrid Henry Meets the Queen by Francesca Simon