The Tale of Truthwater Lake: 'Absolutely gorgeous.' Hilary McKay

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When they arrive they find the lake has begun to dry up and some secrets of the past are revealed where the valley is exposed, it’s only at the deepest part that some water remains. This review was written by Ann Alston Ann Alston has worked as a lecturer/senior lecturer in children's literature at the University of the West of England, Bristol for over 15 years. The novel is divided into sections, told by Polly and Nellie, which allows the reader a real insight into the lives of the two girls. Interleaved in the story is the background to how the reservoir was formed, displacing Nelly’s village and drowning her beautifully described home, as well as problems Polly’s older brother is having with bullying and an amazing friendship Nellie forms with Lena, an immigrant girl who has been sent to the coast for TB treatment. It is rare to find a novel with so many threads, all skilfully woven together into an unforgettable time-slip story.

Fans of Emma Carroll will lap this up – and, by taking a slightly different tack, I hope it will bring lots of new readers to her books.Polly and her brother are sent to stay with their Aunt who lives beside a lake, which they hope means a cooler air temperature. The Week at World's End is set in 1962, during a very tense few days known as the Cuban Missile Crisis, when the world teetered on the brink of nuclear war. This may result in small marks to the dustjacket and title page, please also bear in mind that each signature will be a little different from the one we show here. When a champion swimmer visits her club, she realises she just might have a chance – unless a new boy and his family succeed in taking everything away from her. That this was an era with a foot in the past - horses still worked the land, cars were a luxury few could afford, refrigerators, antibiotics, television sets, weren't yet in widespread use, and rationing of some goods was still in place.

A stay with their aunt Jess on the banks of Truthwater Lake reservoir promises a break for them both. This is relevant storytelling about children’s resilience, which conveys the magic of time travel and of true friendship. Having read and loved several of Emma Carroll's previous books I was really excited to read this one. It’s summer 2032 and 12-year-old Polly is living with the consequences of climate change where temperatures regularly exceed 42 degrees leading to a curfew where she and her older brother, Joel are stuck inside their small flat in Brighton.In the too-hot, climate-changed summer of 2032, Polly and her brother are packed off to a favourite aunt who lives by an artificial lake, a reservoir which flooded the Devon valley and village of Syndercombe in 1952.

Essential when she and her brother have been sent to their aunt's eco lake-side house for the summer. When they arrive, Polly is shocked to see how much of the lake has dried up - so much so that the village it once submerged is starting to reappear. I'm so grateful to all the readers out there who made it possible for me to keep writing, and to my brilliant agent Jodie Hodges and my publisher, Faber Children's, who both took a bet on me and have helped me build a career. The only flaw in the story is the ending, it is too neat for me with everything turning out perfectly for everyone.Emma Carroll is a household name when it comes to children’s fiction, and children’s historical fiction in particular. My husband is a brilliant cook, and like me, a lifelong vegetarian, so we'll often end the day with a big supper! Polly lives by the south coast and is spending her summer holiday shut up indoors because of new government curfews to keep people out of the hot sun (flashback to July in the UK!

When Polly, too hot and anxious to sleep, goes to swim in what’s left of the lake, she finds herself transported back to 1952 Syndercombe and into the body of Nellie. The weight of the storytelling is with Nellie, as she also negotiates different kinds of separation and loss, trying to keep Lena with her as Syndercombe collapses into water.This is such a brilliant, timely and thought-provoking story that completely absorbed me as I followed the friends plans for their Channel swimming challenge, the drowning of a village, and Polly’s discoveries in her present … such incredible secrets revealed … and the most wonderful heart-warming ending. While the environment of 2032 might be hostile, the novel is clear in its notion that in both 1952 and 2032 people remain beautifully complex and compassionate. In Polly's world, we are given a grim picture of how our world could be if global warming continues to increase; stifling heat followed by terrifying storms and flooding. Nellie and her best friend Lena must plot and plan to help the chosen swimmer achieve the Channel swim and make all their different dreams come true.