Hetty Feather by Jacqueline Wilson is my eight-year-old daughter Violet's favourite book in the world. She's read it five times and went to the Rose theatre in Kingston with great expectations for the best experience of her life. My 12-year-old son Freddy? As we were walking to our seats he hissed: "Mum! I'm the only boy …" But I saw at least one other boy in the audience – there is no way Hetty Feather or any Jacqueline Wilson book is just for girls.

That said, 99.9% of the audience were young girls and their mums. The air felt fizzy with anticipation. We were all megafans. As the lights dimmed Violet told me, "I'm so excited! This is going to turn my fantasy into real life." No pressure then …

It's strange seeing a play of a story that you know so intimately. Violet thought it was a bit like seeing Cinderella – the slipper will be lost, the handsome prince is going to find it. You're there for the retelling.

So first the set: a circus ring with a trapeze, ropes and scaffolding to climb. We saw Hetty (Phoebe Thomas) for the first time, swinging in the ring of the trapeze, looking just perfect: small and skinny with gorgeous natural long red hair. As she had to look!

And so the story began with the terrible decision Hetty's mum had to make when she gave her daughter up to the Foundling hospital. Collective shudder with the pain of it all. We meet the horrible Nurse Bottomley (Matt Costain) who we all hate from the start because we already know we hate her. We almost started hissing at her as if we were at the panto, and Matt does play her a bit like a panto villain (with a bit of League of Gentlemen thrown in).

And then we got to meet Peg, Hetty's foster mother (Sarah Goddard) – we love her – and of course we love her foster brother Jem (Matt Costain again) who is going to save Hetty; and dopey fellow foundling Gideon (Paul Mundell) who doesn't want to be a soldier, he wants to be a servant girl; and the spiteful Saul (Isaac Stanmore). It's like meeting old friends. The live music by Seamus H Carey and Luke Potter is integral to the show, providing sound effects and keeping the momentum moving like a runaway train.

Violet and I shed bucket loads of tears together reading Hetty Feather – anyone who reads Jacqueline Wilson will know she's an expert at pulling heartstrings especially when you are snuggling in bed together. But the play would be unwatchable if it was as emotional as the book. I welled up a couple of times. If the company had notched the emotion up more than they did, there would have been some sort of mass hysterical reaction among all those girls.

In the books the circus plays a pivotal but small part. In the play it is central. The circus seems to symbolise Hetty's urge for freedom and self-expression. On the way to the theatre Violet was wondering how they were going to re-create Madame Adeline's horses. Would there be a real horse? Or a puppet like in War Horse? Instead, four of the actors popped on plumes and tails and became horses themselves. It was funny rather than "budget" (to quote Freddy). When Elijah the elephant appeared live on stage he had two fans for ears and a huge long piece of plumbing tubing as the trunk.

The grimness of the Foundling hospital to which Hetty had to return when she was six was excellently done. The symbolic cutting of Hetty's hair was horrifying, with great loads of red ribbon thrown into the air.

Violet loved it: "It made me feel the way Hetty does. But it's different from the book. Hetty is my Hetty but this is different. I felt like I was in Hetty's head." The essence of the book was there, and something else besides. Freddy, who has never read the book, was captivated. The final verdict? Violet: 10 out of 10. Freddy: 8 out of 10.

By the way, the Rose theatre has the most gorgeous and huge cafe so don't do as we did and have a big lunch before you go. Save room for amazing cakes.

• Hetty Feather plays at the Rose theatre until 19 April. The show then tours Birmingham, Cheltenham, Dubai, Edinburgh, Cambridge and Sheffield. See hettyfeather.com for dates and info.

• Did you catch this show – or any other recently? Tell us about it using #gdnreview

• Jacqueline Wilson reviews the Hetty Feather stage show