Queenie (novel)
Queenie is a British children's novel, by Jacqueline Wilson. It was first published in 2013. The story focuses on Elsie Kettle, a girl who lives with her Nan, until her nan catches pulmonary tuberculosis. Whilst Nan is admitted to a sanatorium, Elsie is left under the care of her estranged mother, but when Elsie is revealed to have bovine tuberculosis, she is put into a children's hospital, where she is forced to adjust to the harsh regime. Although initially teased by other children on the ward, she soon finds a close friend in Nurse Gabriel, and Queenie, the beautiful cat who lives there.
Plot
In 1953, Elsie Kettle lives with her Nan, and is excited by the upcoming coronation of Princess Elizabeth which is due to take place in the summer. Near the time of the Coronation, Elsie begins to notice her nan frequently coughing and feeling visibly tired. After Nan has gone to work one morning, she waits, but Nan does not return for breakfast before she is due to go to school. Several hours later, a policeman informs her that Nan has been hospitalized after collapsing in the factory. Elsie is then cared for by her distant mother Sheila. Her mother shows little sympathy for Nan or Elsie, as caring for her this means she has been forced to abandon her job up north as a showgirl.
