She has had quite a few jobs, including one at Butlins, as a showgirl, and as a secretary for Mr Perkins.

Voi kun meillä olisi enemmän tällaisia ongelma-kirjailijoita, jotka kirjoittaa kuitenkin lämmöllä ja rohkeudella. Onneksi on muutama! It did get very repetitive, and I know this was because she was bed-ridden, but I think Wilson could have really made it more engaging. A brilliant and moving story from bestselling author Jacqueline Wilson, set in the children's ward of a 1950s hospital. It's 1953, the year Elizabeth is to be crowned Queen of England. Elsie Kettle can't wait to go to London with her beloved nan to see the Coronation Day celebrations. Then tragedy strikes. Nan and Elsie both fall ill with tuberculosis and Elsie is whisked away to the children's ward of Miltree Hospital. Confined to bed for months, Elsie misses Nan desperately, and struggles to adapt to the hospital's strict rules. But every night after lights-out she tells magical tales of adventure to the other children on the ward. For the first time, Elsie finds herself surrounded by true friends - including Queenie, the hospital's majestic white cat.Her mother is estranged from Elsie and does not see her daughter that often, as she is usually away on jobs or with a boyfriend. When she visits or stays at home for a short period of time, she often brings her boyfriend, or 'uncle' with her, which displeases Nan a great deal. When she goes to the children's hospital, her ability for telling stories eventually makes the other children warm to her, although her skill irritates her mother, tires her school teacher, Miss Roberts, and even occasionally bores Nan. During this time she befriends the beautiful hospital cat, Queenie, and a lovely, kind nurse called Nurse Gabriel. Although Elsie eventually has to leave the hospital when she recovers, her mother is still away in Canada with her boss, Mr Perkins, so Elsie ends up going into a childrens' home again, although it is, fortunately, nowhere near as dreadful an experience for her as the last one. Nurse Gabriel comes to visit her, keeping her promise, and Nan eventually recovers. Elsie goes to visit her, overjoyed, and soon they come home, but to a new flat, as Elsie's mother let the last one go. Nurse Gabriel finally sees Elsie one last time, giving her a parting gift - a kitten from a new litter Queenie has had, whom they name Princess. In the bittersweet ending, eight years later, Nan sadly dies, leaving Elsie devastated, but then she is old enough to look after herself. Sixty years on, the Queen is still reigning - and Elsie is still alive, now even older than her grandmother, and she has her own little granddaughter, and is presumably married. She only wonders one thing - will she maybe still be alive to take her granddaughter to see Prince Charles' Coronation, someday? I am so glad there was an afterword in the book of what happened later in Elsie’s life, of how she got to live with her Nan again. She is lonely there and struggles to make friends, but there is someone she truly cares about… Queenie, the ward’s cat! This was my 姑姑's birthday gift to me, and it is one of the reasons why I am the way I am. Elsie's stories are pure visions of girlie escapism and I love them. In this book, a girl called Elsie Kettle is sent to a hospital to be cared for because of TB in her leg, where she meets some new friends, like Martin and Gillian.

Finally, Elsie is well enough to leave hospital. But before she does, she has one very special, very unexpected visitor... Queenie is a heartwarming tale about Elsie Kettle, a girl in 1953, who desperately wants to see the Queen's Coronation. She lives with her Nan in a little but cosy basement flat. When her Nan gets very poorly, Elsie's life is turned upside down. Her Mum comes to look after her but when Elsie gets ill, she is taken away from everything she ever knew. Now she will have to make new friends and this leads to a friendship with a majestic white cat called Queenie but will Ever ever be reunited with her Nan? Queenie by Jacqueline Wilson was a true delight to read in many ways. This amazing novel is very hooking and will capture the reader from cover to cover.The secondary characters made this book for me, much more than the main character. Elsie was well-written but she grated on my nerves sometimes. I think there's a limit to the number of Jacqueline Wilson books you can read and still enjoy the imaginative strong-willed girls she writes in, and after a while some of them become more selfish and annoying than whimsical. I felt sorry for Elsie - her mum not visiting her for weeks, months on end and choosing yet another new boyfriend over her own daughter and mother, not to mention being taken away from her nan and not being able to see the Coronation together. I'm glad it wasn't a sad ending. Recently, I had a itching need to buy and read Jacqueline Wilson books—something I hadn’t done in years and years—as she was my favourite author when I was younger, with her stories meaning so much to me.

Today she's reading me Queenie - her new favourite Jacqueline Wilson - and, is often the case with Wilson, it's full of uncomfortable social situations, complicated family setups and less than amiable adults ...no wonder her work has got such a following, with young readers desperate for authentic stories, outside of idealised 2.4 conventions. A really lovely book, which is readable by adults also. I liked the descriptive nature of how the author described Elsie's and Nan's illness and life in the Children's Hospital and also the references to the British Royal Family. A cute and touching book.Jacqueline is one of the nation’s favourite authors, and her books are loved and cherished by young readers not only in the UK but all over the world. She has sold millions of books and in the UK alone the total now stands at over 35 million! I love this book and all, and I understand why it's people's favorite JW books, but this one isn't mine. Jacqueline Wilson wrote her first novel when she was nine years old, and she has been writing ever since. She is now one of Britain's bestselling and most beloved children's authors. She has written over 100 books and is the creator of characters such as Tracy Beaker and Hetty Feather. More than forty million copies of her books have been sold. We are transported to England in the 1950’s, only a few short months before Queen Elizabeth’s II coronation. Jacqueline is also a great reader, and has amassed over 20,000 books, along with her famous collection of silver rings.

This was a reread; to try and get me out of a reading slump, which is definitely did. Can always rely on a childhood classic to help you out of the slump. Book number 10 of my 2021 pledge! Yes, guys and dolls for the first time in history I have fulfilled my Goodreads pledge, after a number of flop shows!!!! This book is far too simple for my liking. The beginning was the strongest part, getting to see Elsie’s bond with her Nan, and learn about how TB affected both adults and children in the 50’s, as this was something I didn’t know a lot about.Then tragedy strikes. Nan and Elsie both fall ill with tuberculosis, and Elsie finds herself whisked away to the children’s ward of the hospital. Confined to bed for months on end, Elsie finds it very hard to adapt to the hospital’s strict regime. But she invents astonishing ways of entertaining the other children on the ward, and for the first time finds herself surrounded by true friends – including Queenie, the hospital’s majestic white cat. Her Mum was, in my opinion unredeemable for running off to Canada with her boss/boyfriend and leaving Elsie to go to foster care (after saying earlier in the book she wouldn’t want that to happen again, as it’s mentioned this was the case when Elsie was very little). One of my favourite comfort reads as a child! The beginning does a great job of introducing Elsie as an imaginative, lonely young girl that adores her nan and has a complicated relationship with her mother. The writing is straightforward, as is the plot, and effectively captures the mind of a 9-year-old. I struggled to connect to Elsie as a character. For one thing, I don’t think we are told how old she is. This was an issue for me, because at times she acted very young, and at some points acted as if she was ten/eleven years old. My youngest is always begging me to read more of her recommendations, and while I try to comply - and often read at least one a month - she's never satisfied. As a result, she's taken to reading them to me at every opportunity.