Kids’ Book Review: Review: Queenie in Seven Moves


Twelve-year-old
Queenie is finishing Year Six when her much-loved home Peachy gets sold. With
little notice, she and her mum Clare must find another rental property.

With
the overwhelming demand for housing during the Covid lockdown, this is an impossibility.
They find themselves temporarily in a spare flat at the Diamond Sands Seniors
Village where Clare works.

The
ghostly air of the last tenant is pushed to the back of Queenie’s mind when she
discovers the elderly residents are interesting, lively, and with needs and
longings like those of younger people.

The
roll of music manager allows Queenie to use her considerable music skills and
boosts her depleted confidence when performing in public. 
Craft sessions and
cooking lessons fill her days. 

With clever matchmaking skills proving a hidden
talent, Queenie brings together two contrasting characters carrying a secret
torch for one another.

Their
two weeks at the flat fly by and desperate once again, they find themselves
sharing a house with Dory, a classmate and Chess whizz and his parents while
they search for accommodation.

Their
life becomes a voyage of discovery and learning; new beginnings, change and
adaption, as they stay for short intervals in one place then another, in seven
moves, always hoping a forever home will be found.

 Mother and daughter are enriched by the
diversity of the characters they encounter with each of their moves. Their
homelessness exposes them to the many definitions of homelessness. Both reassess
their understanding of friendship.

Queenie
in Seven Moves

is a compassionate tale filled with images of human kindness, and the
acceptance and change that seems to surface frequently in times of crisis.
Beautifully written. A great read!

Title: Queenie in Seven Moves
Author: Zanni Louise
Publisher: Walker Books, $16.99
Publication Date: 1 February 2023
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781760655662
For ages: 9 – 12
Type: Junior Fiction



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