Two Weeks with the Queen by Morris Gleitzman

Two Weeks with the Queen Reviews

• 
  tee

  My strict (and back then, homophobic) mum had no idea this book had a gay dude in it. I think she realised eventually and was racked with the horrors because I had already read it ten million times and loved it to bits. I think I actually went and saw Gleitzman talk for a book week event in primary school and it was at this event that I bought this book. I was constantly getting my hands on material that my mother deemed inappropriate. I don't know whether I did it intentionally or I just had a nose for the alternative, riskier, more interesting stuff. I do remember this book enlightening me to gay issues and firmly cementing my gay-rights mindset, much to the chagrin of my parents.
• 
  Celine

  Oh dear God, I can not stop crying. And its honest crying too - not at all the product of cheap, sentimentalised manipulation. What a terrific, unexpectedly honest little gem of a book. Obviously aimed at the young teen but well worth the read - you can take that from someone who is going through a situation very similar to Colin and Ted's.
  
  SO many thanks to thingsmeanalot for
  this review which made me pick Two Weeks up when normally I would not have looked twice.
• 
  Amy

  This book was sent to me by Discoverylover, after I read her review of it. What caught my eye was the letter she quoted:
  "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.
  
  I figured anything with that kind of sincerity and humor would be right up my alley. I wanted to see how Colin got together with the Queen, and find out how his brother did.
  
  What a dear book. I'd not heard of Morris Gleitzman before, but that's probably because I live on the other side of the world and he was just starting to write about the time I would have been reading to my children. I imagine if I lived in Australia, I would have learned of him then, but as it is, I had to wait til I was reading with nephews and grandkids to discover him.
  
  There certainly were some hilarious moments in this book, but the underlying lessons and message were very sweetly and compassionately told. I never thought I'd find myself chuckling while reading a book about a child dying with cancer.
  
  Thank you, discoverylover for the introduction to Gleitzman, to Two Weeks with the Queen and to Colin and company. My world is better for it.
• 
  Sue

  Colin Mudford's brother, Luke, is dying of cancer. As Colin struggles with this knowledge, his parents decide to send him to relatives in the UK to protect him from the tragedy to come. This suits Colin because he has a plan - a plan to get Queen Elizabeth II to offer him her physician to treat and save his brother.
  Things go awry when no reply is forthcoming. Colin decides to take things into his own hands and he sets off to a top London hospital to bring their top doctor back to Australia for Luke. After he is escorted from the premises, Colin spots Ted, a man in his late twenties, crying on the kerb. Colin tells Ted his story and Ted offers to help Colin. The two form a wonderful friendship that helps Colin acknowledge his feelings about Luke and also helps Colin learn the joy of helping others. Ted's partner, Griff is in the hospital suffering from HIV/Aids and the prognosis is not good. Through Colin, the two men are able to keep seeing each other, even after Ted is bashed by a group of homophobic thugs.
  I will not reveal the ending, but tissues will be required. I have read this book 4 times now and I still cry every time.
  This was Gleitzman's first novel and it's a ripper. Whilst the setting (the 80s) might be a little dated, the themes of acceptance and tolerance still resonate, and in a way that most kids would easily understand.
  Spend Two Weeks with the Queen. You won't be sorry.
  Ages 11 and up...
• 
  Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance

  Colin's brother Luke has terminal cancer and Colin is being shipped off to England to stay with distant relatives during Luke's final days. This gives Colin an opportunity to speak to the Queen of England so she will send her best cancer doctor to Australia to help Luke recover.
  
  You can't help but fall in love with Colin and his wild optimism and his enthusiastic can-do spirit as he searches England for something, someone to cure his sick brother.
  
  There's a reason why books are on the 1001 Children's Books list are on the list; these are all very good stories, and this one is a crazy mix of humor and pathos.
• 
  Kate

  A great book. I read it last year and it stays with you for ages. Very emotional and definitely not what i expected when i first looked at the book. An amazing read and i hope you can enjoy it as much as i did
• 
  Keriann

  I loved this, such a sweet little book.
• 
  Jill

  Found it quite boring
• 
  Anne

  Morris Gleitzman is a very succesful children's author from Australia. I read his novel 'Then' a couple of years ago and was very moved by the writing. 'Two Weeks With The Queen' was first published in 1989, and although some of the subject matter may be a little dated, most of it is still very relevant.
  Colin's younger brother Luke is diagnosed with cancer, his parents decide that Colin should travel to England to stay with his Aunt and Uncle - to spare him from the distress of seeing Luke so ill. Colin has always been fascinated by the Queen of England - her Christmas Day speech always impressed him and he is convinced that if anyone can help Luke it will be the Queen.
  Arriving in a very cold England, to stay with equally cold relatives, including a 13 year old cousin whose mother would wrap up in cotton wool if possible, Colin begins his quest to see the Queen, explain Luke's situation and arrange to fly the 'world's best doctor' to Australia to make him better.
  Colin is a determined little boy and has quite a few adventures along the way, it is during one particular adventure that he meets Ted. Ted also has a loved-one with cancer and he and Colin become firm friends.
  This is a heart-warming story of just how painful love and family life can be, with adventure and humour thrown in which will especially appeal to younger readers and keep their attention.
  An ideal way to approach some topics that many adults and parents may find difficult to deal with
• 
  Undomiel Books (Rosie)

  Such a sweet, funny, well written book that tackles some very heavy topics such as child cancer and stigma towards gay men, especially in light of the AIDS epidemic, and writes them in a very approachable and informative way for young children, whilst also remaining very optimistic and light given the young target audience age.
• 
  Lauren James

  
  I found an old excel document of all the books I read when I was a kid, and this was on it, so I'll let my 9 year old self review it for you:
  
  "boring 1/10"
  
  Can't get more truthful than that.
• 
  Tien

  oh wow... I really didn't know whether to laugh or cry so I did both!
  
  Highly recommended for all ages!
• 
  Amber Scaife

  Colin's little brother is dying of cancer, and his parents send him from their home in Australia to stay with his aunt and uncle in London while they deal with..."things." But Colin, who has long been jealous of the attention his brother gets, is determined to turn the tables and get the appreciation from his parents he thinks he deserves: he formulates a plan to see the queen about borrowing her Top Doctor to save his brother's life.
  I spent the first part of the book borderline-annoyed at Colin's attitude, and most of the rest of it worried that it was going to turn too sad and sappy. But, in the end, everything evens out, and although it *is* quite sad, it never turns maudlin or saccharine, but instead transforms into a perfectly balanced story of love and grief as experienced in childhood and beyond.
• 
  Iris Haak

  I had to read this book for Culture and I must say I liked it very much.
  Something I loved was the innocence of Colin and how he kept trying to make his parents love him by finding a cure for his little brother Luke. I love how he did not know about the judgment and all, so he just went up to people asking about it and going up to doctors, asking them to come back to Luke with him.
  Something that was not necessary a dislike, but was something I thought about was the ending. It was cut off at a point that did not leave an open ending, but it could have been longer.
  
  I also loved Ted's character. Aunty Iris annoyed me a lot.
• 
  Cas

  I was initially skeptical of this book, after the first dozen pages gave me the impression of something similar to The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (not to say that was a bad book, it just didn't manage to draw me in and interest me throughout my reading of it). However, I soon came to appreciate the very naive worldview of Colin and at one point I was so immersed in the story that I, like him, was shocked to find out Luke wasn't going to make it after all. The ending hit me like a truck, and it was certainly better than a plain happy ending.
• 
  Krystal

  This is an absolutely gorgeous kids fiction book. I would recommend from ages 8 up because it deals with some serious issues like cancer, AIDS and death. Saying that, this is one of the reasons I loved it because it’s done so sensitively and authentically. The main character Colin (a 12 year old Australian boy) was very loveable. He goes to great lengths to help his brother get better from cancer, showing compassion and determination throughout. I love the messages of the story and although such a serious topic, it makes you laugh a lot.
  
  Highly recommend! I’ll definitely be reading this with my son in a couple of years (recommend reading with your child - so you can debrief parts together).
• 
  Caity

  This was one of my grandmas favourite books. My fam and I read it on our road trip and we laughed a lot and cried a lot.❤️
• 
  Ryan

  They dont write junior fiction books like this anymore. Classic.
• 
  Debs

  Wow. A brave and challenging look at terminal illness and homophobia in a simple and straightforward way for a child to engage with. I read this to my 10 year old and I'm so glad I did. Really beautiful.
• 
  Amy (Lost in a Good Book)

  This review was published on
  Lost in a Good Book
  
  The narrative is told through Colin’s third person perspective and it’s a great tactic to understand Colin’s age and mindset. His naivety and childlike logic about what is happening and how every problem has a simple solution or was an egregious injustice made you understand that even at twelve Colin’s world had simple answers and solutions.
  
  When I first read it I don’t remember thinking how strange it was to send Colin away to England while his brother was sick. I understand the reasoning of his parents but I also feel that it would be a terrible and selfish thing to do and I love how this is reflected in the story. Colin’s various schemes to cure his brother are fanciful but full of heart and with the logic of a twelve year old who doesn’t know any better they make perfect sense in his head.
  
  It is a fleeting moment Colin spends with Griff and Ted, fleeting really in a lot of ways because of the length of the story but Gleitzman has captured a lot of heart, a lot of innocence and a lot of compassion in a light on the outside deep and moving on the inside narrative. Having Colin know and understand about AIDS and homosexuality as well as the slurs used towards gay men at the time is beneficial because the narrative explains it to readers through Colin’s comprehension without it needing true explanations from adults in the story. I also liked that Gleitzman has him knowledgeable about these things but doesn’t let the stigma interfere with his good nature and kindness.
  
  The realism is beautiful and heartbreaking and Gleitzman balances this sweet story of a kid writing to the queen and trying to track down doctors to help his brother alongside serious social issues and medical realities that don’t always have a happily ever after.
• 
  Mr_TakeYouDown (Saaketh)

  I decided to read Two Weeks With The Queen by Morris Gleitzman because i think he's a great author and enjoy his books. Also because i needed to read a book written by a male.
  'A book written by a male' is the categroy on the bingo board that this book completes.
  Two Weeks with the Queen is about a boy's quest to save his brother. Colin decides to take the problem of his brother's cancer to the most important person he knows, the Queen. He goes through the toughest challenges and meets many different people to reach the Queen but knows that all his efforts will pay off because he is going to help get rid of his brother's cancer.
  What i liked about this book is that it mixes a bit of humour with sadness to make a gripping story. When a story is like this, it makes you want to keep on reading until you're finished.
  What i didn't like about this book is that one of the main characters dies and it would have been better if he didn't hence the four stars.
  I would recommend this book to anyone that wants to read about somebody's quest to help someone he cares about using humour but also consisting of death and sadness.
• 
  Brian Maunder

  Two weeks with the Queen.
  As an adult I enjoyed reading this book and it left me in tears. It tackles two tough issues of our time with childlike innocence. Death and homosexuality. The thought processes of the main character “Colin” as he decides with how to deal with his brothers cancer are brilliant. They take me back to my own carefree days of trying to understand things in the context of wanting to be a great cricket champion and the crazy fun antics that can happen in the world of kids. And these childlike carefree fun and kind hearted attitudes when bestowed upon the subjects of Death and Homosexuality offer a refreshing non-judgmental perspective. For this reason I think this book is actually probably more suited for adults and people in the Queens community (non-malicious pun intended) as its approach is so wonderful. We all need a dose of childlike non-judgmental carefreeness in our lives, but will kids want to be taken away from DS games, bike-riding, foodfights and cricket to focus on Death and homosexuality. I’m not sure.
  
• 
  Mei Ying HO

  This book "Two Weeks with the Queen" is very interesting while reading it. I think you could try reading it. I'm reading this book for English & Humanities.
  
  I'm now reading up to Chapter seven and in page 53. During reading that page, I've clearly understand what the story is about. In that page, Colin, his Aunty, and his Uncle together went to London to visit the Queen, to ask her to help Colin to cure his brother's cancer. It was a really sad story when Colin's mom told him that Luke (Colin's brother) is dying. While reading this book, I've been convinced to keep reading and reading.
  
  Today, I'm now currently reading to Chapter seven and in page 63. While I was reading that page, I've found the book much more interesting and adventurous when reading in a new page and in a new chapter.
• 
  Yelim

  I think so far that this book is very interesting and entertaining because the story line for this book is very different to other books I read and also because as I read it, it makes me want to ask questions that I have never asked before.
  
  So far of this book I have thought that it was very simple and serious at the same time. I think that because the words and phrases are easy to understand but the words altogether makes the story flow.
  
  When I finished this book, the story made sense and I could really tell what it was about. The story gave strong emotions and helped me understand more about others around the world.
• 
  Kayla.M.F

  It was excellent! I HAD to read it for a school assignment, i dont think i wouldve read it otherwise. If your like me and get caught up in emotional books, youll find it hard not to cry reading this book. The books about a young boy (named colin) whos younger brother gets everything he wants, and colin doesnt. When colins brother (luke) is sent to hospital, colin starts to realise just how lucky he is. Luke is soon diegnosed with cancer, and only has a short time to live. I will admit i cried reading this book, but it was still a very enjoyable and funny read.
• 
  Alyssa

  So far I'm at chapter six.I have been focusing on the reading strategies Patterns,prior knowledge and predicting.I think it has been a fabulous book so far and is really gives me an image if what Colin is going through.
  
  Now I 'm at chapter 8 were he is really want's to see the queen.Colin is trying to get Alistair in to helping him get to the queen.I have used the reading strategy asking question when i'm reading to help improve my reading.
• 
  Veronica

  It's about a boy whose brother gets an uncurable cancer, but he doesn't know that it is uncurable. The boy goes to England to stay with his uncle and aunt and gets into adventures involving trying to find the worlds best doctor to save his brother! Very good, but a little sad at points.