Chosen as one of the Top Ten Best New Books for Children 2015 by Andrea Reece. The Secret Hen House Theatre, Helen Stephen’s debut, was a real treat: a hugely successful mix of animal story, stage school caper and adventure. If anything the sequel is even better. Hannah lives on a proper old-fashioned farm with her siblings and dad. Mum has died. The only thing she likes more than farming is acting, and her mother’s old hen house makes a wonderful rural theatre. In this book the farm is threatened by a water company who want to flood the valley for a reservoir. Can Hannah convince her neighbours that ancient hedgerows and yew trees are more rewarding than new ‘leisure facilities’? The descriptions of the countryside and its wildlife are sublime, while Hannah’s battle against the money men of the water company is compelling. Once again, a dramatic production provides the setting for the climax. Genuinely child-centred, this is set to become a favourite with many young readers. ~Andrea Reece
Kirsty at Nosy Crow says: “It’s so good to be back with Helen’s characters – I’d been wondering what had been going on with them! The writing is as warm as ever and as Michael Morpurgo said of The Secret Hen House Theatre, I didn’t want this one to end.”
Helen Peters' sequel to The Secret Hen House Theatre has all the same hallmarks: great writing and an emotionally engaging, entertaining story. It's good to be back with Hannah and the other characters - they've been much missed! The novel finds Hannah's farm facing a new threat - a water company wants to flood the land to make a reservoir. How can Hannah stand by and watch as her home, the land her family has farmed for generations, the wildlife, the ancient trees all disappear under a deluge of water? She isn't going to go down without a fight, and the school play might just be the answer...When the going gets tough, the tough take to the stage!
Helen Peters grew up on an old-fashioned farm in Sussex, surrounded by family, animals and mud. She spent most of her childhood reading stories and putting on plays in a tumbledown shed that she and her friends turned into a theatre. After university, she became an English and Drama teacher. Helen lives with her husband and children in London, and she can hardly believe that she now gets to call herself a writer.
Read more about Helen Peters on writing Anna at Warhere.
