Helen is a fine hand with a slingshot, and more than at home in the woods. After all, she was raised by bears for a time. When she stumbles on the castle of three evil giants, she comes up with the perfect plan to rid the land of them. Well, almost perfect…. The biggest and meanest giant catches her, and forces her to help him kidnap the Princess Antoinette. Always quick on her hairy bare feet, Helen manages to save the sleeping princess and finish off the giant, before heading quietly back to the woods. No one knows who the giant killer is, and Helen isn’t talking. Antoinette and her father, the king, are determined to find the hero, and come up with a plan of their own.

Andy Jones’s hilarious new folktale adaptation/middle reader Barefoot Helen and the Giants is jam-packed with adventures and tales of adventure. It celebrates brave and resourceful girls, blended families, and storytelling itself.