Queen Narelle by Sally Murphy, Simon O'Carrigan (illustrator) Published by Walker Books Australia on 07/06/2023
Genres: Junior Fiction
Format: Paperback
Source: Personal book collection
Queen Narelle (Walker Books, 2023) is another beautifully crafted and thoughtful verse novel for younger readers by Australian author, Sally Murphy. The book focuses on the loneliness and distress that can result from misunderstandings between school friends.
The story is shared from two perspectives: Maddie, a young girl who has a falling out with her two best friends, and Queen Narelle, the family cat who observes the changes in Maddie’s behaviour and mood as she is going through the issues with her friends.
The novel is beautifully told, capturing the benevolently superior attitude of Queen Narelle as she observes the comings and goings of her subjects, I mean family. In the busyness of family life, everyone else misses the changes in Maddie, but Queen Narelle notices and responds. I found myself reading sections of Queen Narelle’s inner dialogue out to my husband so he could enjoy how Murphy has perfectly captures the condescension of a family cat.
Queen Narelle is a story about finding the confidence to make new friends, being brave enough to let people know when you’re hurting, and the warmth and love that pets can bring to a family. If you enjoy this story (as I know you will), you should read Sally Murphy’s books ‘Toppling’ and ‘Pearl versus the World’ which also deal with challenging topics in a way that is sensitive and approachable for primary school aged readers.
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