A tale of friendship, family, love – and cats. 

I am Narelle.

Narelle is me.

I am the Queen of this place.

Ruler if the domain.

Keeper of the Kingdom.

You would do well to know it

and pay me due respect.

 

Narelle  appears to be a family pet – but don’t tell her that. She thinks  she is the Queen and Maddie and her family the loyal subjects.  But when Maddie is in trouble, it is Narelle who is first to notice and finds ways to comfort Maddie and to make sure the rest of the family support her, too.

A verse novel for young readers (and all those who were ever young) , Queen Narelle  examines themes of friendship (and friendship problems),  family, and the bond between pets and their families.

Illustrated by the amazing Simon O’Carrigan and available  now from good bookstores and online from stores including Fishpond.

ISBN: 9781760655334
Publisher: Walker Books Australia
Release Date: June, 2023
Australian RRP: $16.99

Reviews

Brenton Cullen, at Bookseller & Publisher says Queen Narelle  is

an affectionately rich and heartwarming story, perfect for readers aged 7–11.

and  Sam at Lamont Books says it is:

A beautiful story of family support, love, friendship issues and overcoming them, and the joy and love that pets bring to our lives, perfect for middle to upper primary readers.

Lamont have also named Queen Narelle their Primary Fiction Book of the Month for June, 2023.

Ashleigh at The Book Muse wrote a detailed review, but the line that made me cry was:

novels like this are engaging and fun, as well as making readers feel less alone

Simon O’Carrigan was profiled at Kids’ Book Review here, sharing his process, inspiration and some inside glimpses from Queen Narelle, and I was interviewed for the Alphabet Soup blog here.