Margriet's BOOK Blog: Two Weeks With The Queen by Morris Gleitzman

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"Dear Your Majesty the Queen,

I need to speak to you urgently about my brother Luke. He's got cancer and the doctors in Australia are being really slack. If I could borrow your top doctor for a few days I know he/she would fix things in no time. Of course Mum and Dad would pay his/her fares even if it meant selling the car or getting a loan. Please contact me at the above address urgently.

Yours sincerely,

Colin Mudford.

P.S.

This is not a hoax.

Ring the above number and Aunty Iris will tell you.

Hang up if a man answers."

This is how Two Weeks With The Queen starts.

I like Morris Gleitzman's books for their tongue-in-cheek humor. But when I finished this book I was struck by the fact that he dealt with difficult issues: homosexuality, cancer and more - in such a wonderful, lighthearted manner.

This is a humorous but deeply moving story about Colin, who refuses to believe that his younger brother is dying of cancer. Colin takes matters in his own hands and decides to go to the top for help, who better than the all mighty Queen? Colin's efforts to reach Her Majesty are hilarious, surprising and doomed to failure. But even if Colin can't find a cure for cancer, he does find a way to help some of his new friends, as well as discovering the best thing he can do for Luke and his family. A tender, tough story that could be serve as a read-aloud to discussion the issues together.

Author website: http://www.morrisgleitzman.com/

Listen to a chapter here: http://www.morrisgleitzman.com/books/fst_intro_2wks.html

Lesson Plan: http://www.teacher-of-english.com/two-weeks-with-the-queen-teaching-resources-358.html