Geraldine McCaughrean was born and educated in Enfield, North London, the third and youngest child of a fireman and a teacher. She attended Christ Church College of Education but instead of teaching chose to work for a magazine publishing house. She became a full time writer in 1988. I think the cleverest thing about this book is the way it uses narrative perspective to expose the class divide. First of all, the concept itself involves a lower class character stepping into the shoes of an upper class character. McCaughrean has already created opportunity for highlighting the contrast in their lifestyles. But it works even more deeply, because Gloria is a child - an emblem of innocence - being thrust into a world of corruption and lies. Placing a young and untainted character inside this dishonest government is a clever way of challenging the corruption, because Gloria and the readers who take her side are able to question the way Praesto's government handles the crisis. Bestselling author Alexandra Christo, author of TikTok sensation To Kill a Kingdom, introduces her new book, The Night Hunt (Hot Key Books), a dark...

A great piece of writing, and oddly realistic. It made me wonder what extreme conditions can be brought about by natural disasters. I also loved the language." Commenting on the situation of there being haves and have-nots and the glaring differences between them. The 'powerful" and the 'powerless'. How we wield power says a lot about our character, what kind of people we are. How a crisis can bring out the best or the worst in people. How resilient people can be. The mounting tension of each chapter is relieved by some brilliant flashes of humour and a beautifully tender subplot about the lost dogs of Afalia, in particular one who is desperately searching for the little boy he’s been separated from.

Synopsis

Fifteen-year-old Gloria is maid to Afalia's tyrannical Head of State, Madame Suprema. When the country is hit by unprecedented flooding, Madame Suprema runs away, fearing she will be blamed for the crisis. To cover up this cowardly act, Gloria is made to step into Madame Suprema's shoes and is thrust into a world of corrupt and desperate politicians. As Gloria becomes aware of the forces toying with her every move, she must take decisions that could save, or end, thousands of lives - including her own... A brilliant and darkly funny commentary on our present times. Since then, Geraldine has written over 180 books and plays for both adults and children and is one of today's most successful and highly regarded children's authors. She has won the Carnegie Medal twice, in 1988 and 2018, the Whitbread Children's Book Award (three times), the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, the Smarties Bronze Award (four times) and the Blue Peter Book of the Year Award. In 2005 she was chosen from over 100 other authors to write the official sequel to J. M. Barrie's Peter Pan. Peter Pan in Scarlet was published in 2006 to wide critical acclaim.

A few of the names in the book do somewhat signify things, though. Kovet covets power. Timor's surname - Philotapantasol - means 'lover of peace'. Ap(p)is means ‘bee'; Praesto means 'pride'; Afalia sounds like ... well, try saying it out loud.

About Geraldine McCaughrean

As we follow her journey as the new Suprema, we also get a first hand view of the broken city she is trying to protect through the eyes of a dog who lives in it's streets and sees everything. The narration was so uniquely engaging and vivid - each voice so distinct. Geraldine says of The Supreme Lie, “Have you ever wondered, during the last year: ‘Are the Government telling us everything?’‘Are the papers trying to scare us?’‘Are they making things up?’ They’re probably not. But there have been times when statesmen told lies, when newspapers invented the facts, when promises were worthless and, as a result, a lot of people died. I read of one such scandal that took place in America in the 1920s, and I set about designing a fictional country where imminent danger threatens, panic is everywhere, and the truth is hard to come by.” Geraldine McCaughrean was born in 1951 A few chapters in, I had a sudden fantasy that the whole setting might be an extended metaphor for the coronavirus pandemic. It was published in 2021, so there was a chance this was a feasible suggestion. But then I realised that the magical thing about a tale such as this is that it can be applied to many different political situations, in many different governments, at many different times. Because at its heart, this book is a commentary on government corruption, and is a warning about the danger of lies in politics. As such, I believe that my pandemic metaphor is certainly a viable reading of this novel. It could also be about the climate crisis. Or both, or neither. For the purposes of this article, I will keep it general. Diving in, the book was a slow start, introducing the characters and fictional land known as Afalia. The Supreme Leader wears a veil to cover her face so no one knows what she looks like. She comes across as selfish and cruel. The land is in danger from the constant rain and other towns and cities are flooding and wanting help from Afalia. Determined to escape, she boards a train.