Reggie Houser Has The Power: Q&A with Helen Rutter

March 4th 2024

About Helen Rutter Helen Rutter was born in Sheffield, and now lives in the countryside. Before becoming a writer she performed on stage, working in TV, adverts and stand-up comedy. Helen has been shortlisted for the 2022 Blue Peter Book Awards and 2022 Costa Children's Book Award. Her stories continue to explore diverse themes, from bullying to characters with ADHD.  DISCOVER helen's books

In Helen Rutter's latest book Reggie Houser Has The Power, she explores main character Reggie's journey navigating ADHD in secondary school. Read on for insights into the inspiration behind the book, plus the books Helen is looking forward to reading in 2024!

Can you tell us about your new book Reggie Houser Has The Power? 

Yes of course! Reggie is about to go to secondary school and he really wants to make new friends there. He has ADHD and has struggled at Primary school. When he sees a hypnotist on stage he is amazed and thinks that this is what he needs to do to find friends. It turns out that he is pretty good at it. He manages to hypnotise a local dog, some kids that his mum childminds and the headteacher at his new school! But when a gang of lads want Reggie to use his powers for bad things Reggie needs to make a choice. He needs to know his own mind. I won’t tell you any more, you will have to read it to find out what happens!

Why did you want to write a story about ADHD? 

ADHD is being talked about so much and I thought it would be great to see a main character with ADHD. I teach drama and coach football and so have taught kids with ADHD and I was inspired to write a story that represented them.

What research did you do before writing?

Alongside lots of reading I was lucky enough to be invited to one of my drama students houses and talked to him and his mum about his diagnosis. He told me about his coping strategies and things that he found tricky. I also read some of the book, in its early draft stage, to them to get feedback, which was really useful. I also spoke to an SEN teacher and a headteacher about what schools do for ADHD students.

Is it true you've been known to hypnotise your family under the guise of research? 

So many times! They are completely fed up with me! I never managed to do it apart from once I was trying a mind trick out and I read my husband’s mind. That was a bit weird. There are so many fun tricks and mind games to try out in this book. We did have a lot of fun trying them all out as a family, but I think that if I ever try to hypnotise them again over dinner they will throw their spaghetti at me!

This is going to be your fifth published book! What's your favourite thing about being a children's author?

I love so much about it! I love coming up with new stories so much. The idea that these characters wouldn’t exist, had I not written them, kind of blows my mind. I love doing school visits and meeting the kids who read them. I love seeing the artwork and covers and then actually visiting the bookshops where they are on the shelves. It’s all so good!

Which books are you most looking forward to reading in 2024?

Oh gosh, I don’t know what I am doing from one day to the next let alone what I will be reading next year! I know that I need to read Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell as I haven’t managed to yet. I am looking forward to reading Northern Soul by Phil Earle and my daughter absolutely loves Lisa Thompson so we will definitely be reading anything new from her.

Reggie Houser Has The Power  Reggie Houser has ADHD and struggles to make friends at school, plus his mum and teachers seem constantly weary about his erratic, high-energy ways. But when he sees a hypnotist perform on stage at the holiday park he visits, Reggie becomes obsessed with learning the skills behind mind control - and he discovers he has an incredible talent for it!  Reggie Houser Has The Power, published by Scholastic, is out now. DISCOVER

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