We all have a favourite book, one we perhaps treasure from reading just once as a child, or one we turn to repeatedly, each time igniting a new passion for the words on the page.

Mine is Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, To Kill A Mockingbird. I first read it as a teenager at school, and have returned to it twice more over the years.

Set in the Deep South of America, the plot sees racial injustice envelop a small-town community when a black man is falsely accused of raping a white woman.

At the heart of the book is the narrator, young tomboy Scout Finch, her brother Jem, and their father, Atticus, the trial defence lawyer.

While representing a man whose fate has already been decided by prejudice, Atticus strives to do his best by the accused, the best by a society embroiled in ignorance, and the best by his motherless children.

Through courage and compassion he seeks out the truth and, together with his young family, brings new hope to a neighbourhood in turmoil.

Despite having read the novel three times I have never seen it brought to life. So it was with excitement, and perhaps a little apprehension at the thought of being disappointed, that I went along to The Orchard in Dartford for opening night of the critically-acclaimed theatre adaptation by Christopher Sergel and directed by Timothy Sheader.

I need not have worried. This enchanting production, currently on a UK tour and playing at The Orchard until Saturday (March 7), captured the warmth and poignancy of the classic novel.

It also embraced the joy of reading aloud, with much of the first half performed by 12 actors, each taking it in turns to read excerpts of Scout’s narration while mingling with the protagonists on stage.

Although a little busy at times, it was a clever way of bringing the text to life.

The scenery was simple – a sloping stage on which the town was marked out in chalk, surrounded by corrugated iron panels and a large tree with a swinging tyre – but it worked effortlessly alongside the on-stage musical accompaniment.

The roles of Scout, Jem and their friend Dill, are shared between nine young actors. Opening night saw Jemima Bennett, Harry Bennett and Leo Heller stepping superbly into the shoes, with each more than holding their own with the adult actors.

There were also strong performances from Daniel Betts as Atticus and Zackary Momoh as the accused, Tom Robinson.

The second half of the play saw the narrators take more of a back seat as the action centred on the courtroom drama.

Tension built as the truth was revealed and Betts held the audience spellbound as he addressed it as if it was the jury itself.

Momoh gave an equally powerful performance as he conveyed the fear of being black in a community built on prejudice and poverty, and there was impressive support from other cast members.

The audience was an eclectic mix, although as many were of student-age it appears the book maintains its popularity as an educational set text.

I wonder how many, like myself, will fall in love with the book and turn the pages later in life too.

Tickets are now limited but available at orchardtheatre.co.uk or 01322 220000.