14 of the best queens in fiction
It's the Queen's 90th birthday, which is pretty impressive - and she is already our longest-serving monarch.
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.
- Have some fun on the Queen's birthday: learn how to make Queen's Knickers bunting in five easy steps!
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At the House of the Magician
Author: Mary Hooper
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Interest age: 9+
Reading age: 9+Lucy discovers that she has second sight. This enables her to warn the Queen of danger, and leads to her covert employment as a spy.
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The BFG
Author: Roald Dahl Illustrator: Quentin Blake
Publisher: Puffin
Interest age: 6+
Reading age: 7+The BFG stands for Big Friendly Giant, who unexpectedly spirits a little girl named Sophie out of bed, and into the land of the child-eating giants.
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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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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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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Author: Lewis Carroll Illustrator: Helen Oxenbury
Publisher: Walker Books
This lovely edition illustrated by Helen Oxenbury won the Kate Greenaway Medal in 1999.
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Cloudland
Author: John Burnigham
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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Me, the Queen and Christopher
Author: Giles Andreae Illustrator: Tony Ross
Publisher: Orchard Books
Interest age: 6+
Reading age: 7+A warm, touching and funny tale of an unusual meeting with the Queen
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A Midsummer Night's Dream - Manga Shakespeare
Author: by Richard Appignanesi William Shakespeare Kate Brown
Publisher: SelfMadeHero
Interest age: 9+
Reading age: 9+Shakespeare's enduring story set in present-day Athens, but a present with a massive difference.
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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Author: C S Lewis
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's
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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The Queen & Mr Brown: A Day for Dinosaurs
Author: James Francis Wilkins
Publisher: The Natural History Museum
This picture book will make younger readers chuckle as the Queen and her corgi take a trip to London's Natural History Museum and ponder about what really made the dinosaurs die out.
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Two Weeks with the Queen
Author: Morris Gleitzman
Publisher: Penguin
Interest age: 11+
Reading age: 10+When his brother becomes seriously ill with leukaemia, Colin is sent to stay with relatives in England. Determined to get the best help possible, he decides to approach the Queen.
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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.
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The Queen’s Knickers
Author: Nicholas Allan
Publisher: Random House
Interest age: 0-6
Reading age: 4-6Let's face it: knickers are funny, and in The Queen's Knickers, Nicholas Allan makes them even funnier with this cheeky look inside the Queen's wardrobe.
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Mara, Daughter of the Nile
Author: Eloise McGraw
Publisher: Puffin
Interest age: 13+
Reading age: 13+Mara is a proud and beautiful slave girl in ancient Egypt during the reign of Hatshepsut. She yearns for freedom, and one day is presented with the chance to earn it.
