A YOUNG writing has penned her first arts review - at the age of eleven.

Evie Kerr, of Hutton Rudby, took it upon herself to write the review for the village’s annual pantomime, King Arthur of Hutton Rudby, which finished its run last Saturday night (JAN 15).

Barry Holley, from the Village Hall Dramatic Society said: "Normally we would ask an adult member of the audience to do a review to submit to the local press.

"However on this occasion we received an unsolicited review from an eleven year old member of the audience, Evie L.Kerr."

Evie, her father explains, is an enormous literature fan, and has been reading and writing since before she started primary school.

Mr Kerr said: "She just wanted to do it. She writes and reads obsessively, now her reading age is just phenomenal. She writes stories all the time and she keeps a diary."

Perhaps this is the beginning of a fruitful career in writing for the young girl.

Here is some of the review submitted by Evie: "The usually sleepy village of Hutton Rudby has been poked in the eye and rudely awoken by men in tights, bad jokes and of course, Puff the Magic Dragon! Panto season has gone rural.

"There is an air of excitement as I enter the bustling village hall. The good village folk of Hutton Rudby huddle in their allocated seats, warming up from the freezing January night outside. "I know immediately that it is a mistake to sit at the front, the classic ‘pick on me row’, but its too late now and the show begins.

"The lights dim and the chatter dies as a group of slightly shell shocked children dance onto the stage and open what is to be a traditional and brilliant village panto. "Suddenly I find myself transported into the magical and wonderful world of King Arthur, well as transported as you can be in a pantomime.

"I find myself booing at the baddy, cheering the hero and generally going along with the whole ‘he’s behind you’ sort of theme. "Half an hour whizzes by, bringing a certain Sir Prancelot jousting on an ostrich, bad jokes about Sir Cumference just to round the scene off (groan), the inevitable man dressed as a woman (Dame Bertha Bloomer), the bangs, crashes and cheers of ‘he’s behind you’ all adding to what is basically, panto heaven. "All too soon of course it ends. Arthur rescues Guinevere, the baddy Mordred, is forced to marry the man dressed as a woman and it is of course time for the traditional sing along. "And so concludes what has been a thoroughly enjoyable evening and I reluctantly walk out of the warm, cosy hall and head home, tired but satisfied and happy. "Whatever happens in the world, things like this make it all end happily ever after. Maybe, just maybe, it will be me on the stage next year."