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

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Having the time to fully commit to it. There's much more to being an author than writing books: to be able to go to schools and festivals and meeting readers is one of my favourite things to do. Also, let's not underestimate the pleasures of working at home, in your pyjamas, surrounded by dogs and tea and toast... Due to the excessive heat, Truthwater Lake is drying up, revealing the remains of the old village of Syndercombe which was flooded in the early 1950s to make a reservoir to supply water. Drawn to the sight of the old church under the water, Polly swims towards it, her feet touching the roof tiles … and finds herself in a past time where she is Nellie Foster. This is a time-slip novel with a difference. The portal is underwater and at a key time in the demise of an entire village. Progress after the 2nd World War demands more fresh water for towns and the best place for a reservoir means drowning this village. Also woven into the story is swimming of the English Channel, surprise family announcements in both timelines, along with friendship dilemmas too. Author Guy Bass introduces SCRAP, about one robot who tried to protect the humans on his planet against an army of robots. Now the humans need his... See Faber authors in conversation and hear readings from their work at Faber Members events, literary festivals and at book shops across the UK.

Polly can understand Nellie's worries, but she has some of her own in 2032. Her own best friend has ignored her for weeks after an argument, and her big brother Joel is acting strangely. Surprising news comes from home and Joel finally tells her what's wrong. The heat makes everything harder and Polly is always keen to return under the water to 1952's Nellie. At least they're not her own problems. But news of bad weather is coming, and Dad is coming to get them. Polly is torn. She has to know what's going to happen to Nellie and Lena. Like face her fear of deepwater. Essential when she and her brother have been sent to their aunt’s eco lake-side house for the summer. Another great read from the queen of historical children's fiction, The Tale of Truthwater Lake is a timeslip story set partly ten years hence when the world is in crisis due to global warming, and partly in 1952. In the future, Polly and her brother go to stay with their aunt in the school hols to try to escape the stifling heat of the south coast. Their aunt lives near a large reservoir, created over a flooded village. When Polly sneaks out in the early hours of the morning determined to swim in the lake to try to cool down, she meets Nellie who is planning a daring escapade, and soon Polly herself becomes invested in Nellie's great adventure. It's the near-future and Britain is having yet another heatwave. Of course, the government have put in the normal curfews for this kind of weather, and shops are forced to shut again. For Polly, it's the sort of heat that makes her do wild, out-of-character things just to cool down. Like face her fear of deepwater. Essential when she and her brother have been sent to their aunt's eco lake-side house for the summer.It’s Summer 2032, a heatwave so intense there is an emergency law stating people must stay indoors when the temperature is over 42. Polly and her brother are sent to stay with their Aunt who lives beside a lake, which they hope means a cooler air temperature. 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. Polly is afraid of swimming and what others think of her when she splashes around. However, she finds herself drawn to the lake late at night because she longs to cool down. Once in the water she dives down and wakes up a different person in a different time. In 1952 Polly as Nellie is a competent swimmer. She longs to be chosen to be the first child to swim the English channel. Together her and her friends cook up a plan to make it happen.

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. On one side of the underwater street is the remains of a house . . . It's beautiful here, and eerie, a lost kingdom, a ghost village . . .It's the near-future and Britain is having yet another heatwave. Of course, the government have put in the normal curfews for this kind of weather, and shops are forced to shut again. For Polly, it's the sort of heat that makes her do wild, out-of-character things just to cool down.Like face her fear of deepwater. Essential when she and her brother have been sent to their aunt's eco lake-side house for the summer.But Truthwater Lake is beginning to dry up. As the water level diminishes, a lost village emerges. Swimming over the rooftops at midnight, Polly dives down and is suddenly able to breathe, to hear church bells and bird song . . . Polly has discovered an underwater gateway . . . to the past! Faber & Faber was founded nearly a century ago, in 1929. Read about our long publishing history in a decade-by-decade account.

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It's hot. So hot that it's unsafe to be out in the sun during the day, with the government imposing a law to keep people inside when over 42deg C. Siblings Joel and Polly are melting inside their flat in the summer school holidays. Learning that they are going to stay at their aunt Jessie's in the country comes as a relief.