8 of the best queens in fiction
Children's books are full of varied and colourful portrayals of queens: some wield Evil Powers, while others save the day in interesting ways. Nearly all are characters you'll find hard to forget.
So whether you want to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's reign, powerful female role models, or just simply age and wisdom, take a look at our top fictional queens below.
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Queen Munch and Queen Nibble
Author: Carol Ann Duffy Illustrator: Lydia Monks
Publisher: Two Hoots
Interest age: 5-9
Reading age: 7-9This is a story of a queen who loves to eat and one who does not - but at its heart, it's more a celebration of difference and finding something in common between people. Sweet, funny and enticing, with vivid imagery from the Poet Laureate.
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The Snow Queen
Author: Hans Christian Andersen Illustrator: P J Lynch
Publisher: Andersen Press
Interest age: 6+
Reading age: 7+Lynch's vivid yet ethereal illustrations capture the balance between the wondrous and the recognisable in this powerful story about the redemptive nature of love and the passing of time.
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A Throne of Swans
Author: Katharine & Elizabeth Corr
Publisher: Hot Key Books
Interest age: 12-14
Reading age: 12+If you love Melinda Salisbury’s royal politics and treacherous courts, you’ll love this brilliant Game of Thrones-esque fantasy. Tons of intrigue, mystery, family drama, glamorous gowns and hidden swords.
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The Princess Diaries
Author: Meg Cabot
Publisher: Macmillan Children's books
Interest age: 12+
Reading age: 11+Mia hides her real feelings as she takes care of her disastrously disorganised mother, until her absent father drops a bombshell: She is actually Princess Amelia of Genovia.
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Red Queen
Author: Victoria Aveyard
Publisher: Orion
Interest age: 13+
Reading age: 11+Mare is snatched from her simple Red life and dragged into the luxurious world of the Silvers. Will she stay true to her Red heritage or adopt the Silver lifestyle?
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Cloudland
Author: John Burningham
Publisher: Random House
Interest age: 4+
Reading age: 7+On the way home from a day spent high in the mountains, Albert trips and falls off into the clouds. His parents are very sad. Fortunately the Cloud Children come to his rescue...
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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Author: C S Lewis
Publisher: HarperCollins
Interest age: 9+
Reading age: 9+When Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy - step through a wardrobe door in the strange country house where they are staying, they find themselves in the land of Narnia.
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Ellie's Magical Bakery: A Royal Tea for Royalty
Author: Ellie Simmonds Illustrator: Kimberley Scott
Publisher: Red Fox
Interest age: 6+
Reading age: 6+This is the fourth in the Ellie's Magical Bakery series. Ellie tries to win a trip to London by magically helping her relatives to succeed in a baking competition in order to swim in the Olympic Park Pool.
