The Supreme Lie

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I began wishing the book would concentrate more on Gloria acting as Suprema and less on other stuff. The dog thing dragged a little in the 1st half of the book, even though it was an original way to see what was really happening in the rest of the country. There are some dark themes and moments in the novel; how do you keep it hopeful, and even funny at times, despite this? This is the calamity facing Madame Suprema and her senate. With the surging floodwaters lapping at the ancient walls, threatening the five great factories, manufacturing (the source of the country's wealth) must be preserved at all costs. But how great a cost are they willing to pay? Madame Suprema doesn't care to stay and find out, leaving her 15 year old maid, Gloria, magnificently out of her depth in the face of the rising storm, to face the senate. Can Gloria help both the citizens of Praesto AND the displaced Afalians seeking refuge at Rose City? The lives of her friends, the lives of her family, depend on her...but will she have to choose? 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.

Geraldine McCaughrean is a very skilful writer and the story moves seamlessly between various different perspectives. Most interestingly the story often follows the point of view of Heinz, a dog belonging to a teenage boy called Clem. The other main point of view is of Gloria, a teenage girl who is maid to the Suprema (leader of the state of Afalia). I really enjoyed the way the writing shifted perspectives and there is a real fondness for 'man's best friend' in this story.

Bravo Geraldine McCaughrean! The pace is as fast as the surging river with brief respite given by Daisy, a golden retriever. Greed, lies and corruption muddy the already murky floodwaters and misinformation jostles for space as circumstances demand action. If you're reading this to a class or sharing it in a book group, there are no shortage of topics for discussion. Flooding events - the likely causes and the need for planning to avert or at least mitigate. Water wars - the diverting and control of water through dams and the inherent effect on different communities. Moral dilemma - the value of lives, sacrificing a few to save many. What happens in a news vacuum? The power of the media, and the need to be able to critically evaluate the news we're fed. Exploitation - of natural resources and people. Greed, lies, corruption! A smorgasbord of discussion topics! And that's before you compare and contrast the two cities - the industrial city of Praesto, and the predominantly agricultural Rose City! year old Gloria is maid to the all-powerful Suprema, ruler of the country of Afalia. When Afalia is devastated by the worst flood its people have seen in their lifetimes, the Suprema becomes terrified that the tide of public opinion will turn against her, and so flees the country in secret. But the people of Afalia need a leader, and with the help of the Suprema’s ex-husband and her dog, Daisy, Gloria finds herself very literally in the shoes of the most powerful person in the country – impersonating the Suprema herself. As the city collapses around her and the people become desperate, Gloria must decide who among her political advisors she can trust – and learn that every action has a consequence.

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. David Almond introduces his new picture book, A Way to the Stars, a story about perseverance and finding a way to make dreams come true. In The Supreme Lie, it's 1928 and Afalia faces a natural disaster. Unprecedented rain coupled with unimaginable quantities of snowmelt from volcanic activity has caused the Furca River to burst its banks. The entirety of the Furca river basin, the forests, the sawmills, the wetlands, the farms, all are prey to the torrent. Taking out first the homesteads upstream before raging toward the industrial capital, the great walled Praesto City 'with its forest of factory chimneys and its swarming, soot-stained streets.' This book defies a simple explanation. Just when Gloria was thinking a solution was obvious, the consequences were pointed out to her and each decision became more and more convoluted as she tied herself up in knots trying to do the right thing. I so wanted to like this book. The premise intrigues, and I'd heard great things about the author. But the first third somewhat disappoints. It drags on, most of the characters and their actions feel false or even ridiculous, and the writing jumps around so much at times that I had to reread several parts more than once to find what I had missed, but I was none the wiser. And yet, I had to know what happened.

Geraldine McCaughrean Press Reviews

The country of Afalia has been hit by relentless rain leading to dangerous flooding. Gloria is a 15 year old maid to Madame Suprema, the secretive and dictatorial ruler of Afalia; she lives in the capital city Praesto and her only real friends are Daisy the dog, and Higgy, who works in a factory. When Madame Suprema runs away from the crisis, her husband world-weary husband Timor has to cover up her disappearance – and asks Gloria to pretend to be Madame Suprema. Much hilarity is the result, but with dark undercurrents of corruption, desperation, and most of all lies – which are supported and encouraged by the newspaper ‘The Voice’. I took up writing as a child, for the fun of it,' says Geraldine, 'to go somewhere else and be someone other than me. It's still my chief pleasure, and the thing I want children to get from my books. If writing ever became more laborious than that, then I don't think anyone would enjoy reading what I wrote.' I won't go any further into what actually happens in the story suffice to say that it is fascinating and engaging and there are plenty of twists in the tale that left me guessing what was going to happen a lot of the time. The characters are portrayed brilliantly, from the world weariness of Timor to the wide eyed innocence and idealism of Gloria (and of course, the clever, manipulating, power hungry politicians). Geraldine McCaughrean is one of today's most successful and highly regarded children's authors. She has won the Carnegie Medal, 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. Geraldine lives in Berkshire with her husband, daughter and golden retriever, Daisy. Read more about the author here.

Whilst Gloria proves to be a surprisingly adept impersonator and leader she soon realises the dangers for the people of Praesto City and beyond. With her trusty dog, Daisy at her side she and Timor launch an audacious plan to divert the floodwaters and out-manoeuvre Praesto's scheming politicians. And there was Peter Pan in Scarlet, of course: a terrifyingly important commission which I won in a competition and which went on to sell in 50 countries. It was useful, since it was in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital. You can't often say a work of fiction is useful. 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. Firstly, I should say that the most important thing about names is that they all look different. Apparently, readers don't usually take in the whole of a name, just it's shape. It's the outline and length that matters when it comes to telling characters apart. So they must all be different shapes.

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Soon, the evacuation begins - pets are rounded up in the streets, the children are sent to safer places, businesses are closed and the politicans continue to do as they always have - lie. For Gloria, the answers are simple - do the right thing for the people. But she hasn't accounted for how just how corrupt and twisted the systems put in place to protect her really are.

The Suprema of Afalia has fled the city. The entire city of Praesto is in imminent danger of flooding and destruction, and now their leader is gone. Left behind is her maid, her husband and her dog - and they may be the only ones who know the situation deeply enough to try and fix it. Convinced by Madame Supremas husband, her maid Gloria agrees to wear the Veil of the Suprema and pose as their leader - the city needs to believe they have a leader if they have any hope of surviving. Gloria's a servant - a nobody ... except that, of course, nobody is a nobody. As understudy to The Suprema, she finds she has strengths she has never been asked to use before. She knows what it's like to be poor and overworked - so she can empathise with the factory workers. And she's also seen the rich and powerful come and go. The Supreme Lie is set in a land devastated by flooding and is a powerful story about courage, power and propaganda. We asked award-winning author Geraldine McCaughrean tells us more about her latest novel: Take a Look at Our Summary of November Highlights, Whether You're Looking for the Latest Releases or Gift Inspiration Geraldine McCaughrean is a double Carnegie Medal winner for a good reason – the vivid similes, metaphors and thought provoking lines bring her fantasy country to convincing life. The twists and turns of the plot will keep you reading, eager to see what will happen next. I’m still annoyed with myself that I failed to spot a clue hidden in plain sight.

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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. Her favourite assignments included the best-selling children’s partworks Storyteller and Little Storyteller. Only in 1988 did she become a full-time writer. Since then, Geraldine has established herself as one of the most exciting children’s writer’s today. The Supreme Lie' is set in a fantasy city called Praesto, facing disastrous flooding. The protagonist is a handmaid called Gloria who is forced to impersonate the absent Head of State, Madame Suprema. In terms of social and political protest, this is already gold dust - we have a power divide, an authoritarian government, natural disaster... I was excited just reading the blurb! Twice Carnegie medal winning Geraldine McCaughrean’s enthralling new novel is set in a world paralysed by natural disaster and dangerous lies.