Colin Mudford, a 12 year old Australian, is sent to stay with his uncle Bob, aunt Iris and cousin Alistair in London while his brother, Luke, is being treated for cancer.

In England, Colin, wanting to ask the Queen for good doctors, attempts to break into Buckingham Palace with Alistair, only for them both to get caught by the police.

Colin then attempts revenge on the doctors by slashing the tires on their cars, including Mercedes, BMW, Jaguar and Audi, only to be caught by Ted.

When Alistair confesses to Iris his and Colin's plans to travel to South America, she punishes both boys, and the house is fortified against any escape attempts.

Gleitzman depicts the denial and anger that accompany grief, portraying Colin's egocentricity, spunk, and pain compassionately and without condescension.

Neatly tied together by the incidents involving the Queen, this mixture of genuine emotion and humor makes for an engaging story that is said to have broad appeal.

Directed by Wayne Harrison, it received praise from its first performances, and has since been shown throughout the world, including England, Canada, Japan, the United States, Cuba, and Portugal.

[5] Reviewers for the School Library Journal described Gleitzman's pacing in the audiobook as "wonderful", showing Colin's growing maturity.

[6] Stephens regards Two Weeks with the Queen as being unusual in contemporary Australian children's literature because Colin is presented as having agency – he is capable of making decisions and taking action to change the world around him – even though he does not do so in the way he first intended.

[7] Maya Sen, writing for The Canberra Times, praises Colin's determination and character development, and enjoyed the book's humour and direct treatment of its themes.