Blueberries for the Queen

I wanted this for a World War 2 study and it is Missing the first pages of the story

Reviewed by Grace Schaefer (age 8) for Reader Views (7/09) In "Blueberries for the Queen," Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands moves in down the street from a boy named William. All of Williams' family did war work. Dad worked in a factory. Mom helped at the Red Cross. Roger worked on a farm. And William couldn't do any thing to win the war. Dad took William to the blueberry field. Dad said it was peace work. Roger kept telling William stories about the queen. He wanted to make the Queen feel better so William took blueberries to the queen. The guard let him in so he could take them to the cook. The princess found him and took him in to see the queen who was meeting with some men. The queen told the men the war could wait. She tried a blueberry. She asked the men if they wanted to taste one. William waved goodbye and ran home. His dad asked him about his peace work. He said he met the Queen and a General. I like Blueberries for the Queen" because it is about a queen and about history which I love too.

Here's why my boys (ages 5 and 7) and I loved this book: (1) its imaginative illustrations really capture the child's perspective; (2) in a very gentle way, it touches on WWII and an interesting historical footnote -- what a great jumping off point for more family discussion (if your kids are ready) on WWII and how it affected everyday Americans; (3) its charm: we love how William thinks the Queen is cleverly disguised as a Grandma; (4) How cool is it that the book's based on a true story? And it's a good story! In an age of predictable, formulaic children's fare, it's books like this that restore my faith that there are people out there who care about presenting children with quality storylines, and who respect children's intelligence.

The setting of the book is 1942, World War 2. The main character is a little boy named William. He dreams of being a knight some day. He wants to help the war effort like the rest of his family. He has learned that the queen is living near by on a farm to escape Nazi invasion on her country. William sets out to make friends with the queen and picks her a basketof blueberries. The queen is very nice to him and they make friends with each other quicky. The book was a little long for a picture book. Young children may not be able to last through the story. Yes we would. Children who enjoy stories of knights will enjoy this story. We also liked learning that this book was based on a true story. It could be used during a unit on World War 2.

This is a true family story from John and Katherine Paterson. In 1942 everyone in William's family is helping with the war effort on the homefront. William dreams of helping as a brave knight but his older brother chides him for being too young. When the news arrives that Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands has moved in down the road, he tries to imagine what a real queen looks like and acts like. The royal family had to flee from Holland when the Germans invaded the country. The fruits and vegetables in the summer garden grow and William finds a way to do "peace work" and touch the heart of Queen Wilhelmina and her family. Susan Jeffers illustrations are beautiful and carry the reader through the story. This is a book and a story that any age will enjoy.