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 was fun; its continuity and plotting were complicated, but I hope that doesn't show. I enjoyed the company of Timor, Gloria, Clem and the dogs very much. The best thing an author can say for a book is that they didn't want to write "The End", and I didn't. Author Anna Kemp introduces The Hollow Hills, the sequel to her dark magical tale, Into Goblyn Wood. 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.

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. 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. How do your settings - here the cities of Praesto and Rose City - develop? Do you 'map out' your settings before you start to write? So, I suppose my main theme is how disaster brings out the best and worst in people, as well as altering their lives for ever. 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!

Geraldine McCaughrean Press Reviews

Left behind are her husband and maid Gloria. These two will need to work together, conspire and lie to ensure the safety of Afalia and its people. There are some dark themes and moments in the novel; how do you keep it hopeful, and even funny at times, despite this? The main premise of the story is that their is a disastrous flood that is affecting the country. The Suprema, at the start of the story, takes a train in secret to the north of the country to see what she can do to help, or so she says. As it turns out she has in fact run away from her responsibilities, leaving her husband, the maid and the dog to face the music. Timor, the Suprema's husband, decides to hide the fact that his wife has abandoned the city in its hour of need and gets Gloria, the maid to pretend to be the head of state.

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.In this story of hope and endurance, we follow a scientist and her team during their search for the elusive 'Giant Arctic Jellyfish'. I suppose the hero in a story is always a product of the author who put all those thoughts in her head and words in her mouth and decided her fate. But it's no good me just asking myself, "What would you do, Geraldine, in these circumstances?" I know the answer all too well: I'd be useless, hiding under the bed. This is a novel suited to teen readers or even young adults, and is guaranteed to stay with the reader long after they’ve finished it. 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. Geraldine McCaughrean's latest book is another brilliant read. A dual narrative laced with dark humour, it cleverly weaves many contemporary issues - climate change, fake news, trust in politicians - into a smart and original storyline. As ever, the characterisation is wonderful and the format of the book is visually stunning. A political/eco-thriller with plenty of twists and turns, this is a book to be devoured by confident readers and dog lovers alike!

Madame Suprema, the head of Afalia runs away when the land is in danger of flooding, to avoid the consequences. To cover up her disappearance, Gloria her 15 year old maid takes her place, a feat accomplished since the leader hasn't shown her face in years, hiding behind a veil. The chapters are short and fast-paced, passing from Gloria’s experiences in lie-laden Praesto city to Heinz’s truth in his journey in the desert around Rose City to reunite him with his owner. Dogs are given an unusual but entertaining role as protagonists in the story and we can parallel their nature and relationships with those of the humans we meet, as well as exploring the interactions between the two. This is a brilliant piece of writing and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was hard to put the book down as at the end of every chapter I was left wondering what was going to happen next. It is a story of characters and of people finding their place in the world but it is also a story that casts its eye over how society and the powerful behave when things go wrong. It also looks at the role of the media and how propaganda and misinformation can influence our thinking-something which I think is crucial to be aware of in our modern society of information being at your fingertips. Geraldine McCaughrean was born in 1951It is ironic reading this when it has been raining a while and our river is flooded, plus with a virus spreading and the mis-handling of that as well as a four-year negotiation fiasco by the Government, I felt a lot of empathy with the people of Praesto as their city slowly is submerged by rising floodwater. 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. But I can't remember any of my novels feeling laborious rather than fun. I have a hard time telling myself that writing is a job of work. Daisy is dozy and beautiful. She thinks about food, love, duty and, um... oh yes! - more food. Heinz is a mongrel, and mongrels often inherit, from their varied ancestors, sharp wits, bravery, a wiry fitness, and determination. An eco-thriller, a fantasy and a fable for our times. It’s a reminder that when someone throws a dead cat on the table you should look for what they are hoping you won’t see. That newspapers are not there just to tell us facts. That we should ask awkward questions about who is behind the scenes and what they want. Natural disasters are nobody’s fault but how you respond and what you do is what really matters.

It's not just the perspective that is so well-done here: there is so much in the imagery too. The fact that the government base is situated on a distant, gated hill. The way the Suprema wears a veil that obscures her true appearance. The irony of the cutlery factories churning out knives and forks despite there being no food to eat. It all works to illustrate the ubiquity of the Praesto government's lies. The mind of Geraldine McCaughrean is one of the great natural wonders of our universe...The Supreme Lie will need reading at least twice: once in a rush as you’re carried along by the twisting narrative, and again at a more leisurely pace so you can fully appreciate the writing." 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: The relationship between Gloria and Timor is my chief source of comedy - them and perhaps Mycar, the brainless dog who 'owns' everything. 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.

I adore fish out of water situations. Not only does Gloria have to impersonate someone else, but she has the fate of her country in her hands and shady politics to deal with. The antithesis of her small town roots with the powerful woman she must portray is depicted quite well. The evolution of the character and her eyes opening to 'how the world really works' is done quite well too. Her 'simple' questions spark your pondering of societal issues and how life should be.