Status
Coming Soon
Call number
Collection
Publication
Kokila (2018), 272 pages
Description
Shy twelve-year-old Nisha, forced to flee her home with her Hindu family during the 1947 partition of India, tries to find her voice and make sense of the world falling apart around her by writing to her deceased Muslim mother in the pages of her diary.
User reviews
LibraryThing member froxgirl
The Partition of India in 1947 turned into a brutal bloodbath with everlasting consequences for Hindus living in what is now Pakistan and for Muslims, Sikhs, and Christians from what is now India. This novel tells the traumatic story of the consequences for a doctor's family forced to leave Mirpur
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Khas and journey to Jodphur in the midst of the violent struggle. Father is raising twelve year old twins Nisha and Amil with help from his mother and their cook Kazi. Amil is always in trouble and Nisha rarely speaks, possibly the result of losing their mother, a Muslim, in childbirth. The narrative is Nisha's diary, and she shares every brief joy and the family's almost fatally long journey. The reader realizes that this is a privileged family, and so the oppression of working class and poor people must have been unbearable. Nisha has a strong, sensitive voice and the novel is both brutal and tragic, with small shining glimmers of hope. It's classified as YA but perhaps only to encourage other twelve year olds to try it. A most rewarding read. Show Less
LibraryThing member Lindsay_W
The Night Diary contains the letters that 12-year old Nisha writes to her deceased mother as she is caught up in the turmoil that erupts during the 1947 partitioning of India. Her Hindu family is trapped on the wrong side of the border when their town becomes part of Muslim-controlled Pakistan.
This middle grade novel could help students understand and empathize with their classmates who have been displaced from their home countries, have lost family members to conflicts, and who have witnessed horrible violence and killings.
The author’s note at the end does a good job of explaining the conflict and the politics of post-colonial India in middle grade terms. I think some of that information might have been useful up front to accompany the map, given how little most middle grade students probably know about this time in history.
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Like Gandhi, she wishes Muslims and Hindus could just get along. The reality though, is that they must leave and make the dangerous journey across the newly created border into an independent India and start life over. As she witnesses the violence and hatred between Muslims and Hindus she struggles to make sense of the conflict in light of the fact that her mother and other people close to her are Muslim.This middle grade novel could help students understand and empathize with their classmates who have been displaced from their home countries, have lost family members to conflicts, and who have witnessed horrible violence and killings.
The author’s note at the end does a good job of explaining the conflict and the politics of post-colonial India in middle grade terms. I think some of that information might have been useful up front to accompany the map, given how little most middle grade students probably know about this time in history.
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LibraryThing member ewyatt
Nisha and her family, her dad, paternal grandmother, twin brother, and cook, are about to have their lives turned upside down on the eve of India's independence from Britain. A partition of India is part of the plan where Pakistan will be drawn in and designated for Muslims and India for the Hindus
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and everyone else. Suddenly their is religious violence and hatred that hadn't really existed (at least so openly) before. And Nisha and her family suddenly need to flee their comfortable home. Written as letters to her dead mother, Nisha details the family's life and struggles. Show Less
LibraryThing member lillibrary
In a series of diary entries addressed to her deceased mother, 12 year old Nisha recounts the events that force her family to flee their home when India is partitioned in 1947.
LibraryThing member AMQS
I've never had a diary before. When Kazi gave it to me, he said it was time to start writing things down, and that I was the one to do it. He said someone needs to make a record of the things that will happen because the grown-ups will be too busy. I'm not sure what he thinks is going to happen,
The Night Diary is a beautifully written, heartbreaking book, and one of the best I've read this summer. My last read was Ahimsa, a middle grade novel that shows one family's struggle during the Indian independence movement, and how religious and ethnic tensions and violence can flare up seemingly out of nowhere. The Night Diary is set in 1947 just as India is granted independence from Britain, but political leaders of the major stakeholders have decided to partition the country: Muslims are to live in the newly-created Pakistan, and Hindus, Sikhs, and other religions will live in India. 12 year-old Nisha and her family are caught between both sides. Her father and grandmother are Hindus, which makes Nisha and her twin brother Amil Hindus. Yet their mother, who died in childbirth, was Muslim, and their home is in Mirpur Khas, which has always been in India. But on August 14, 1947, when India gained independence from the British, and faraway leaders decided that Mirpur Khas was now Pakistan. Nisha and her family are now refugees in their own homeland, and are forced to leave everything behind to make the long, dangerous journey across the new border to India. They join 14 million people also forced to move, in what is the world's largest mass migration. Throughout, Nisha records their hardships, her confused feelings, and her innermost heart in her diary, in which she writes to her much missed mother.
So as of today, the ground I'm standing on is not India anymore. And Kazi is supposed to live in one place and we're supposed to leave and find a new home. Is there a Muslim girl sitting in her house right now who has to leave her home and go to a new country that's not even called India? Does she feel confused and scared, too?
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but I've decided I'm going to write in it every day if I can.The Night Diary is a beautifully written, heartbreaking book, and one of the best I've read this summer. My last read was Ahimsa, a middle grade novel that shows one family's struggle during the Indian independence movement, and how religious and ethnic tensions and violence can flare up seemingly out of nowhere. The Night Diary is set in 1947 just as India is granted independence from Britain, but political leaders of the major stakeholders have decided to partition the country: Muslims are to live in the newly-created Pakistan, and Hindus, Sikhs, and other religions will live in India. 12 year-old Nisha and her family are caught between both sides. Her father and grandmother are Hindus, which makes Nisha and her twin brother Amil Hindus. Yet their mother, who died in childbirth, was Muslim, and their home is in Mirpur Khas, which has always been in India. But on August 14, 1947, when India gained independence from the British, and faraway leaders decided that Mirpur Khas was now Pakistan. Nisha and her family are now refugees in their own homeland, and are forced to leave everything behind to make the long, dangerous journey across the new border to India. They join 14 million people also forced to move, in what is the world's largest mass migration. Throughout, Nisha records their hardships, her confused feelings, and her innermost heart in her diary, in which she writes to her much missed mother.
So as of today, the ground I'm standing on is not India anymore. And Kazi is supposed to live in one place and we're supposed to leave and find a new home. Is there a Muslim girl sitting in her house right now who has to leave her home and go to a new country that's not even called India? Does she feel confused and scared, too?
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LibraryThing member foggidawn
It’s 1947, and India has just gained independence from British rule. 12-year-old Nisha’s family has lived in Mirpur Khas for as long as Nisha can remember, but now they must leave: Nisha’s father is Hindu, and Mirpur Khas falls within the part of India that is now the new Muslim country of
This book is gripping and well-written. Both the political turmoil and Nisha’s inner struggles are given weight and dignity. I’m sure this is an unfamiliar part of world history to many American children, making this an important book as well as an interesting one. It’s sure to inspire additional research in many of its readers.
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Pakistan. The country’s leaders have partitioned India along religious lines, displacing millions. As refugees stream both ways across the new border, violence erupts. But Nisha’s deceased mother was Muslim, so she finds herself wondering where her place is in this new India.This book is gripping and well-written. Both the political turmoil and Nisha’s inner struggles are given weight and dignity. I’m sure this is an unfamiliar part of world history to many American children, making this an important book as well as an interesting one. It’s sure to inspire additional research in many of its readers.
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LibraryThing member acargile
This historical fiction novel is a 2019 Lone Star selection
It’s 1947; India has gained its freedom from Britain. The problem is that the Hindu and Muslim no longer feel they can cohabitate. Violence erupts despite Gandhiji’s words of peace. Nisha has no understanding of any of this. She lives
Life changes. The kids can no longer attend school because it becomes too dangerous. Everyone has picked a side. Nisha asks, “Do we have to take a side?” Her brother replies, “I think it’s safer. That way you know who your enemy is.” Nisha believes one’s religious doesn’t matter, so there are no sides. She doesn’t want an enemy. Kazi is Muslim; her family is Hindu. They all love each other, so why can’t everyone? The government makes a decision; Hindus will live in India and Muslims will live in a new country called Pakistan, which is sectioned off of India. Where they live in India will now be a part of Pakistan, so they have to move to India. Muslims in India have to move to Pakistan. It’s very dangerous because suddenly people want to kill those of the other religious--their “enemy.” The family must walk to India and start life over, leaving everything they love.
The letters tell what happens to the family--the starvation, the help, the violence, and the loss of Kazi, as he must stay. Nisha feels alone. It’s a journey of survival and a question as to why people become enemies. I learned a lot about the history of this famous geographic area. It’s a lovely story of a girl who can’t understand hate or violence yet suffers from it. She never becomes like those around her and asks legitimate questions about humanity. You might need a kleenex; it has some intense emotional moments.
It’s 1947; India has gained its freedom from Britain. The problem is that the Hindu and Muslim no longer feel they can cohabitate. Violence erupts despite Gandhiji’s words of peace. Nisha has no understanding of any of this. She lives
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in her world, which is a nice house with many rooms, a cook, her Dadi and attends school. Her father is a doctor and isn’t demonstrably loving; he also works a lot. He particularly is hard on Nisha’s brother, Amil. Dadi is her grandmother, who watches the kids while their father is at work. She lives with them. Kazi is their cook--the person Nisha feels closest to. He teaches her to cook. He also doesn’t pressure her to speak. Nisha is very quiet and rarely speaks. She finds solace in creating food. She wonders about her mother--if she would be closer to her than her father. In fact, the novel is a series of letters to her mother. The entire story is from Nisha’s point of view.Life changes. The kids can no longer attend school because it becomes too dangerous. Everyone has picked a side. Nisha asks, “Do we have to take a side?” Her brother replies, “I think it’s safer. That way you know who your enemy is.” Nisha believes one’s religious doesn’t matter, so there are no sides. She doesn’t want an enemy. Kazi is Muslim; her family is Hindu. They all love each other, so why can’t everyone? The government makes a decision; Hindus will live in India and Muslims will live in a new country called Pakistan, which is sectioned off of India. Where they live in India will now be a part of Pakistan, so they have to move to India. Muslims in India have to move to Pakistan. It’s very dangerous because suddenly people want to kill those of the other religious--their “enemy.” The family must walk to India and start life over, leaving everything they love.
The letters tell what happens to the family--the starvation, the help, the violence, and the loss of Kazi, as he must stay. Nisha feels alone. It’s a journey of survival and a question as to why people become enemies. I learned a lot about the history of this famous geographic area. It’s a lovely story of a girl who can’t understand hate or violence yet suffers from it. She never becomes like those around her and asks legitimate questions about humanity. You might need a kleenex; it has some intense emotional moments.
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LibraryThing member electrascaife
In 1947, a young girl follows her father, brother, and grandmother as they walk from the newly-named Pakistan to India, forced to do so because of their identity as Hindus. Nisha chronicles the journey through her diary entries, addressed to her dead mother.
I wanted to like this one more than I
I wanted to like this one more than I
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did, because it tells an important story, and also because I think introducing kids to life stories other than those they immediately relate to is crucial. But for some reason the writing just didn't grab me the way I think it should have. Show Less
LibraryThing member tartanlibrary
Shy twelve-year-old Nisha is forced to flee her home with her Hindu family during the 1947 partition of India.
LibraryThing member PeggyDean
Because I read a lot of historical fiction, I always enjoy finding something set in a place and time period that is new to me. I listened to this as an audio-book and was drawn into the story immediately. Although written for kids, everyone will find this to be a great introduction to the partition
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of India in 1947 and the effects on families who found it necessary to cross the border. Told mostly in the voice of a young girl who records her experiences in a diary each evening, this is a welcome addition to the literature based on refugee experiences ,and the book compares favorable to other titles like The Red Pencil (Andrea Davis Pinkney) and Long Walk to Water (Linda Sue Park). Show Less
LibraryThing member sweetiegherkin
Shy Nisha receives a diary for her twelfth birthday and starts writing updates in it to her mother who passed away when Nisha and her twin brother Amil were born. Within a few weeks of Nisha's and Amil's birthday, India declares its independence from Great Britain. However, this historic events
This book is beautifully written and features a lovely cast of characters who are so human -- flawed but ultimately likable. Nisha in particular is an endearing character, but so are the other members of her family. The drama and tension is real (understandably, because it is partially based on actual events) but Hiranandani walks a fine line of realistically explaining the conflict without being overly gratuitous in the violent scenes.
In terms of diversity, Hiranandani showcases characters who are Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh (in addition to Nisha and Amil who actually have one Hindu parent and one Muslim parent) while showing all of the different religious adherents are humane but merely caught up in a larger conflict. Also, it's clear to an adult reader that Amil has dyslexia, although that is not explicitly described using that word in the text. The twins also meet a formerly estranged uncle who has a severe cleft palate, which results in him being unable to speak.
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also creates a partition between India and Pakistan, and their Hindu family must flee from their home as it now part of Pakistan ... and also because violence is breaking out between people of different religions who formerly co-existed peacefully.This book is beautifully written and features a lovely cast of characters who are so human -- flawed but ultimately likable. Nisha in particular is an endearing character, but so are the other members of her family. The drama and tension is real (understandably, because it is partially based on actual events) but Hiranandani walks a fine line of realistically explaining the conflict without being overly gratuitous in the violent scenes.
In terms of diversity, Hiranandani showcases characters who are Hindu, Muslim, and Sikh (in addition to Nisha and Amil who actually have one Hindu parent and one Muslim parent) while showing all of the different religious adherents are humane but merely caught up in a larger conflict. Also, it's clear to an adult reader that Amil has dyslexia, although that is not explicitly described using that word in the text. The twins also meet a formerly estranged uncle who has a severe cleft palate, which results in him being unable to speak.
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LibraryThing member out-and-about
Read for bookriot read harder challenge #20 middle grade outside of US or U.K. (would also have worked for #19 about a refugee).
Touching story of a young girls travel with her family, out of Pakistan to India in 1947. Written as a series of diary entries to her mother, who passed away in
Four stars for me only because it was a middle grade book so a bit simplistic for me. I only wish though that books like this existed and were available to me when I was coming of age. Everyone should have the pleasure of seeing and feeling such diversity and emotion at a young age. I would highly recommend this to any middle grade students.
Touching story of a young girls travel with her family, out of Pakistan to India in 1947. Written as a series of diary entries to her mother, who passed away in
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childbirth, it details the mundane pieces of a girl’s coming of age even in a time of great political turmoil. Excellent story as she struggles with being sudden enemies with the people she lived with as friends for her whole life. Four stars for me only because it was a middle grade book so a bit simplistic for me. I only wish though that books like this existed and were available to me when I was coming of age. Everyone should have the pleasure of seeing and feeling such diversity and emotion at a young age. I would highly recommend this to any middle grade students.
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LibraryThing member bell7
Nisha lives in India with her father, Dadi (grandmother), twin brother Amil, and their cook, Kiza. When the partition of India makes the area she's living in part of Pakistan, prompting her family to move and leave their Muslim cook behind, she begins writing in a diary addressed to her dead
Diary narratives are hard to pull off, and this one does it really well. The places where Nisha doesn't write about events right away make sense, and the writing allows her to develop a voice - quite literally, as Nisha is shy and barely speaks to those around her. The hardships of being a refugee in one's own country are portrayed truthfully and sensitively. Though not always fun to read, it was a good book and ended on a hopeful note.
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mother, also a Muslim, about the confusion and chaos of her life.Diary narratives are hard to pull off, and this one does it really well. The places where Nisha doesn't write about events right away make sense, and the writing allows her to develop a voice - quite literally, as Nisha is shy and barely speaks to those around her. The hardships of being a refugee in one's own country are portrayed truthfully and sensitively. Though not always fun to read, it was a good book and ended on a hopeful note.
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LibraryThing member reader1009
children's historical fiction (1947 India/Pakistan Partition, diversity notes: aside from the obvious Indian Hindus and Muslims, the main character prefers to write than speak aloud and has an Uncle who happens to have a cleft palate).
I always think it's odd that Partition was absent or barely
In terms of violence, there is a scary scene where a man holds a blade to Nisha's throat, and another chaotic scene where several people of different faiths kill each other--though thanks to Nisha's trauma, she isn't able to dwell upon the details of that scene for very long).
There are also themes of friendship, bravery, and family (both by birth and by choice).
I always think it's odd that Partition was absent or barely
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mentioned in my world history books considering how it affected the families of so many friends and neighbors. I'm hoping that curriculum has changed since my day, but even if it hasn't, this is a very accessible, child-friendly book that explains some of the situations that people found themselves in during that tumultuous period. It also includes fragrantly descriptive cooking scenes (so mouthwatering, even the simple dal), a glossary of cultural terms, and an inclusive, tolerant cast of characters.In terms of violence, there is a scary scene where a man holds a blade to Nisha's throat, and another chaotic scene where several people of different faiths kill each other--though thanks to Nisha's trauma, she isn't able to dwell upon the details of that scene for very long).
There are also themes of friendship, bravery, and family (both by birth and by choice).
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LibraryThing member fionaanne
Simple straightforward plot, well-executed with perfect pacing and believable characters. Highly recommended.
LibraryThing member jennybeast
Absolutely stellar story of the partition from a child's point of view -- beautifully written -- brings the setting to life and eloquently conveys the heartbreak and confusion of the time without being so graphic as to cause nightmares. Hiranandani creates characters to care deeply about, in all
I'm surprised to discover that I love war books -- not because I like war at all, but because they remind us of the worst, so that we can appreciate the good in our lives and guard against returning to the depths that history reminds us of.
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their flaws and humanity, and yet keeps the plot moving and the hardships relocatable. Like many effective war novels, this one is in diary format. There are so many really wonderful war books set in Europe or America. It's wonderful to see someone bring that light to the history of the partition. I hope the Newbery committee is paying attention to this one.I'm surprised to discover that I love war books -- not because I like war at all, but because they remind us of the worst, so that we can appreciate the good in our lives and guard against returning to the depths that history reminds us of.
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LibraryThing member secondhandrose
A very moving account of the movement of a refugee family during the 1947 partitioning of India and Pakistan.
LibraryThing member sloth852
I was very impressed with the writing on this middle grade historical fiction about the 1947 Partition of India. The children Hiranandani wrote felt absolutely real to me. We often think about childhood as this simple, blissful time, and while that is sometimes the case, being a child is utterly
I adored Nishi's imperfect but loving family, and appreciate the way this book helped me take the bare facts I already knew about partition and feel it in my bones.
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bewildering. So much that happens to you is completely outside of your control, and the world moves according to rules you are not remotely equipped to understand, especially in times of conflict. Hiranandani captures this so well. Nisha has many thoughts and many actions that seem crazy through adult eyes, but Nisha doesn't have those. Everything she knows about the world is unraveling, and adults are behaving in dangerous ways that would have been crazy the month before, and she is being taxed in physical and emotional ways that the even the adults around her are failing to cope with. She is carrying trauma, and the writing felt like the way a child would try to make sense of it.I adored Nishi's imperfect but loving family, and appreciate the way this book helped me take the bare facts I already knew about partition and feel it in my bones.
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Awards
Young Hoosier Book Award (Nominee — Middle Grade — 2021)
Massachusetts Children's Book Award (Nominee — 2021)
Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award (Nominee — 2020)
Georgia Children's Book Award (Finalist — Grades 6-8 — 2020)
Great Stone Face Book Award (Nominee — 2020)
Utah Beehive Book Award (Nominee — Children's Fiction — 2020)
Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — Grades 6-8 — 2021)
William Allen White Children's Book Award (Nominee — Grades 6-8 — 2021)
Newbery Medal (Honor Book — 2019)
Nutmeg Book Award (Nominee — Middle School — 2021)
Mark Twain Readers Award (Nominee — 2021)
Judy Lopez Memorial Award for Children's Literature (Honor Book — 2019)
Garden State Teen Book Award (Nominee — 2021)
Oregon Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — 2021)
South Dakota Teen Choice Book Awards (Almost Made It — 2020)
Jane Addams Children's Book Award (Honor Book — 2019)
Volunteer State Book Award (Nominee — Intermediate — 2021)
South Asia Book Award (Honorable Mention — 2019)
Malka Penn Award for Human Rights in Children’s Literature (Winner — 2018)
Walter Dean Myers Awards for Outstanding Children's Literature (Honor — Younger Readers — 2019)
NPR: Books We Love (2018)
CCBC Choices (2019)
Read Aloud Indiana Book Award (Middle Grades — 2020)
Notable Children's Book (Older Readers — 2019)
Nerdy Book Award (Middle Grade Fiction — 2018)
Teacher Favorites Award (2019)
Idaho Battle of the Books (2021)
El día de los niños / El día de los libros (6-8 — 2020)
Texas Lone Star Reading List (2019)
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Kids (Fiction for Older Readers — 2018)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2018-03-06
Physical description
272 p.; 5.88 inches
ISBN
0735228515 / 9780735228511