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!

Beneath The Elm Tree is a series of vignettes of farm life in rural Iowa during the 1940's and 1950's.