The Night Diary

The Night Diary

By Veera Hiranandani

5 ratings 3 reviews 4 followers
Interest LevelReading LevelReading A-ZATOSWord Count
Grades 3 - 7Grades 3 - 4n/an/an/a
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.
Publisher: Puffin Books
ISBN-13: 9780735228528
ISBN-10: 0735228523
Published on 4/23/2019
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 276

Book Reviews (4)

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This book is by FAR the best book I have read in my life. I could not even put the book down as it was so interesting to read! It's about a 12 year old girl (Nisha) who's Dad is Hindu and Mom is Muslim. It's set in the partitioning of India. Now since where they live is called "Pakistan" they have to move to their new home. you must read this book! It's truly amazing. I recommend this book for Grade 5-8.

I decided to read this book because it looked interesting, it was a pretty good book. I didn't really have a favorite part because the whole book was good.

This book is so touching it is about a girl, Nisha who is half Hindu half Muslim. When India split up into two parts one part was for Muslims the other part was for Hindus. Nisha does not know where to go because she is both her family has to face a lot of difficult choices and questions just to make it out alive. To make it even worse her Mother died while giving birth to her and her twin brother now as Nisha is growing up she is using her diary as a way to talk to her mother.

Great book! I borrowed an ARC copy from my library before it was released and it was great. The book is not written in chapters but like a diary. The main character Nisha is writing to her mother. Some entries are really short, some are really long. Regardless this is still a good book.