April 22, 2025 by Candlewick Press
E ARC Provided by Edelweiss Plus
E ARC Provided by Edelweiss Plus
Copy also provided by the publisher
Queenie Jean Anderson lives with her mother, Clare, who works at the Diamonds Senior Care Village near Curlew Point in Southern Australia. It's been tough after the death of Queenie's father, but with the help of Betsy, the landlord who rents their cottage, Peachey, to them, the two have been able to thrive. Queenie is an avid guitar player like her father, but is afraid to sing in public. She's been taking lessons from Mr. Grey, and is finally ready to participate in an end of year recital, but when her former best friend, Sparrow, gets onstage right before her and sings the song she had planned to perform, she decides not to go on. During the COVID pandemic, the real estate market heats up, and Betsy ends up selling the house. Clare hasn't told Queenie about it, and when she is unable to find other accommodations, the two move into an apartment at Diamonds until a new resident moves in. Queenie enjoys being at the facility and hanging out with the residents, but the two can't stay there forever. Soon, they move in with the Elliots, whose son, Dory goes to school with Queenie. Space is tight, but Mr. Elliot has lost his job, and the family needs help with rent. Queenie bunks with Dory, on whom she has a crush, and this works out until Mrs. Elliot finds the two kissing. The next stop is a camper van out in the country near the house where Daisy, a substitute at Queenie's school lives. The van is in bad shape, although the landlord, Ruthie, is very kind, and Queenie enjoys talking to Tara, the daughter of another resident as well. It's the rainy season, which makes it hard for Clare to get to work, and when the van is badly damaged in a storm, Queenie and her mother take refuge in Ruthie's house for a bit. This is unsustainable, and the two move in with Dimitri, the real estate agent that Clare has been dating. He has a dog, Frankie, whom Queenie likes, and lives close to Sparrow. Queenie wants to enter a Summer Song Contest, and the next temporary home is a tent in Williams Head to prepare for the contest. Sparrow helps out, and the performance goes well, although the girls don't win. The last stop is Heritage Gardens, a nicer complex where Queenie and her mother can find some stability. An author's note explains that this is based on her family's experiences during the early days of COVID.
Strengths: Queenie and her mother are upbeat and making the best of their situation. I especially liked when they were living at Diamonds, and like Queenie, wouldn't have minded if they stayed there! It was interesting that while COVID drove a lot of the plot, it wasn't much discussed. Perhaps Australia wasn't as locked down as the US, or perhaps this took place in 2021 when things opened up a bit. Queenie's interest in music added to the plot, and was a good connection with her late father. The different housing situations the two find themselves in was the real star of the book; I especially liked Ruthie's camper van, even though (or perhaps because) it was the worst situation. The cover is attractive, and I was glad that Queenie and Clare had stable housing by the end of the book.
Weaknesses: This is very Australian (I had to look up what "Queenslander style homes" were, and there are some other details), so I am debating purchasing. For some reason, books set in Australia fall into the category with books set in circuses or involving pirates; my students won't pick them up!
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who Jacobson's 2015 Paper Things, Pyron's 2019 Stay, or Glaser's 2022 A Duet for Home. It's an interesting look at being unhoused which I enjoyed, and the cover is decent, so if there's money in the budget, I will purchase.
Queenie Jean Anderson lives with her mother, Clare, who works at the Diamonds Senior Care Village near Curlew Point in Southern Australia. It's been tough after the death of Queenie's father, but with the help of Betsy, the landlord who rents their cottage, Peachey, to them, the two have been able to thrive. Queenie is an avid guitar player like her father, but is afraid to sing in public. She's been taking lessons from Mr. Grey, and is finally ready to participate in an end of year recital, but when her former best friend, Sparrow, gets onstage right before her and sings the song she had planned to perform, she decides not to go on. During the COVID pandemic, the real estate market heats up, and Betsy ends up selling the house. Clare hasn't told Queenie about it, and when she is unable to find other accommodations, the two move into an apartment at Diamonds until a new resident moves in. Queenie enjoys being at the facility and hanging out with the residents, but the two can't stay there forever. Soon, they move in with the Elliots, whose son, Dory goes to school with Queenie. Space is tight, but Mr. Elliot has lost his job, and the family needs help with rent. Queenie bunks with Dory, on whom she has a crush, and this works out until Mrs. Elliot finds the two kissing. The next stop is a camper van out in the country near the house where Daisy, a substitute at Queenie's school lives. The van is in bad shape, although the landlord, Ruthie, is very kind, and Queenie enjoys talking to Tara, the daughter of another resident as well. It's the rainy season, which makes it hard for Clare to get to work, and when the van is badly damaged in a storm, Queenie and her mother take refuge in Ruthie's house for a bit. This is unsustainable, and the two move in with Dimitri, the real estate agent that Clare has been dating. He has a dog, Frankie, whom Queenie likes, and lives close to Sparrow. Queenie wants to enter a Summer Song Contest, and the next temporary home is a tent in Williams Head to prepare for the contest. Sparrow helps out, and the performance goes well, although the girls don't win. The last stop is Heritage Gardens, a nicer complex where Queenie and her mother can find some stability. An author's note explains that this is based on her family's experiences during the early days of COVID.
Strengths: Queenie and her mother are upbeat and making the best of their situation. I especially liked when they were living at Diamonds, and like Queenie, wouldn't have minded if they stayed there! It was interesting that while COVID drove a lot of the plot, it wasn't much discussed. Perhaps Australia wasn't as locked down as the US, or perhaps this took place in 2021 when things opened up a bit. Queenie's interest in music added to the plot, and was a good connection with her late father. The different housing situations the two find themselves in was the real star of the book; I especially liked Ruthie's camper van, even though (or perhaps because) it was the worst situation. The cover is attractive, and I was glad that Queenie and Clare had stable housing by the end of the book.
Weaknesses: This is very Australian (I had to look up what "Queenslander style homes" were, and there are some other details), so I am debating purchasing. For some reason, books set in Australia fall into the category with books set in circuses or involving pirates; my students won't pick them up!
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who Jacobson's 2015 Paper Things, Pyron's 2019 Stay, or Glaser's 2022 A Duet for Home. It's an interesting look at being unhoused which I enjoyed, and the cover is decent, so if there's money in the budget, I will purchase.
How odd that the kids won't pick up books set in Australia--I'm fascinated by the place, so like the western US but unlike it, too. From what I know, Australia was much more locked down than the US in the early days of the pandemic, at least, so the author must have chosen not to make that too much of an issue (or it is, indeed, set after things opened up some).
ReplyDeleteI received a copy of this recently and haven't had time to read it yet. Now I'm intrigued. Thanks for the review.
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