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…

The newspaper is important to the plot. It gives us a glance, now and then, at what's happening in the city, drops hints, pumps up the danger level, influences public opinion. The anagrams are actually clues of a sort for the reader - though it doesn't matter if you don't stay to solve them. I love that the illustrator, Keith Robinson, captured the 1920s period style perfectly. It also serves to say, 'Look, we're not talking 21st century here.'Currently? Painting or sawing things in the garden. Needlework. Reading, of course. I write longhand, so sitting at my computer spotting scams, being pelted with ads, and having the wi-fi go off and on will never beat sitting somewhere comfortable, scribbling away at a play or a poem ... or a novel, of course - even if it will never see the light of day. Geraldine McCaughrean was born in 1951

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. 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! 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 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." 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. 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. 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.