Poppy's Hero

When Poppy discovers that her father Frank is in prison, she is angry and bewildered. Seeing her wonderful, heroic father in a London prison looking pale, subdued and in prison clothes, she suddenly has a brilliant idea: to free her father. She and her friend Will invent all kinds of escape ideas for him — until she hears that he has been removed to a prison far away on an island, with five years to serve. But when the prison decides to stage a musical using professionals and prisoners, Frank is picked for the lead role. It is then that the questions begin . . .

The story of a feisty girl, and how she deals with the pain of her dad's downfall, has much to say about the harsh realities faced by the unlucky children of prisoners.

Poppy's Hero is Rachel Billington's fifth novel for children. She's also published twenty adult novels, the latest, The Missing Boy, about a thirteen year old who runs away from home. Billington has been an editor and regular contributor to Inside Time, the national newspaper for prisoners, since it was founded over twenty years ago. Insights arising from her prison work emerge in this new childrens' novel. She has four children and five grandchildren, all keen readers. She lives in London.