A 2019 NEWBERY HONOR BOOK
"A gripping, nuanced story of the human cost of conflict appropriate for both children and adults."
-Kirkus, starred review
In the vein of Inside Out and Back Again and The War That Saved My Life comes a poignant, personal, and hopeful tale of India's partition, and of one girl's journey to find a new home in a divided country
It's 1947, and India, newly independent of British rule, has been separated into two countries: Pakistan and India. The divide has created much tension between Hindus and Muslims, and hundreds of thousands are killed crossing borders.
Half-Muslim, half-Hindu twelve-year-old Nisha doesn't know where she belongs, or what her country is anymore. When Papa decides it's too dangerous to stay in what is now Pakistan, Nisha and her family become refugees and embark first by train but later on foot to reach her new home. The journey is long, difficult, and dangerous, and after losing her mother as a baby, Nisha can't imagine losing her homeland, too. But even if her country has been ripped apart, Nisha still believes in the possibility of putting herself back together.
Told through Nisha's letters to her mother, The Night Diary is a heartfelt story of one girl's search for home, for her own identity...and for a hopeful future.
"I want to be brave, but maybe I already am."
- The writing style was guileless and straightforward. It wasn't overly flowery or trying too hard to be poetic. This added to the powerful and impactful nature of the story.
- An #ownvoices story full of hard-hitting scenes and memorable characters. Nisha's struggle to open up and talk to others, as well as Amil and his dyslexia, made the characters jump off the page. They felt real.
- The family dynamic in this book! The love between Nisha and her brother, Amil, was extremely touching.
- The narrative was eye-opening, to be sure. I learned something new about history while reading this. I also learned (once again) how little about the world I really know. How did I not know that India was split into two countries after it became independent?
- The fact that Nisha is writing to her deceased mother? Excuse me while I cry buckets and buckets of tears.
⚠️Trigger + Content Warnings ⚠️ Death, Death of a Loved One, Grief, Dehydration, Starvation, Racism & Religious Persecution (anti-Hindu and anti-Muslim), Violence, Murder.
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Reading updates
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Started reading
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8 January, 2020:
Finished reading
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8 January, 2020:
Reviewed