Maddy lives with her mum and dad, little brother and their cat, Narelle, the queen of the house. Narelle sits on her throne, or cushion, where she surveys her domain: her lounge room, bedrooms and bathroom which she calls the Badlands with cold, unforgiving tiles. Of course, her kitchen and laundry, where her litterbox is kept (even queens must go). She has a run outside to keep her safe. From these places she surveys her kingdom. Narelle is Maddy’s great friend and she watches over her.

The story flips between chapters where we hear of the day’s events from Maddy’s perspective and then Narelle’s. When Maddy has a fall-out with friends at school it is Narelle that notices that Maddy is unhappy. When Narelle sees something is wrong, she is the one who will be there to listen.

Queen Narelle is so perfectly written. She shares her cat’s eyes view of her world as she watches her family eating breakfast or escaping away when she is being chased by Maddy’s small brother. How she would so very much like to get closer to the birds in the tree in the backyard. But as she says, even queens have limits.

Murphy handles Maddy’s problems so deftly. There is a calmness that pervades the story. It is gentle, yet still real. It’s moving, yet a smile crept across my face as I was reading. The theme of friendship, bullying, family and love are brought to life with such great simplicity and sensitivity. It ends with such a sense of calmness.

This is a slim little book that is a treasure. But then so is Sally Murphy.

Reviewed by Jane Stephens
Age Guide 8+