Fantastic novel that has themes of resilience, hope and family. The characters were poignant and truly well-written. I kept rereading the passages. Mesmerizing and I can't wait to re-read this again.

The Night Diary, a historical fiction young adult novel by Veera Hiranandani, begins in Mirpur Khas, a city in what is now modern-day Pakistan, in 1947, just prior to India’s independence. Twelve year old Nisha, the protagonist and product of a Hindu-Muslim marriage, lives with her twin, the artistic Amil, her paternal grandmother, Dadi, her father, the head doctor for the Mirpur Khas City Hospital, and the family’s Muslim cook, Kazi. The tumultuous splitting of the region into Muslim Pakistan and Hindu India, and the ensuing civil strife and violence of Partition forces Nisha’s family to flee to Jodphur, India, nearly 300 miles away. Hiranandani, a skillful storyteller, tells her tale in epistolary fashion: through Nisha's secret diary entries, addressed to the protagonist's mother, who died in childbirth. While South Asian politics and history figure prominently in the novel, the book is also very much a universal coming-of-age story about a girl navigating adolescent awkwardness and being uprooted from her home. Though haunted by the absence of her mother and plagued by her own self-doubt, resilient Nisha forges ahead in her quest to establish her identity and unique voice, as well as find peaceful resolution for both her family and beloved homeland. The story‘s vibrant sensory and cultural details, strong, thoughtful female protagonist, fresh, conversational style, and interesting storyline will keep upper-elementary and middle-school readers engaged. Yet, The Night Diary will appeal to readers of all ages in its powerful affirmation of love, family, and kindness, which illuminate the darkness of chaos and hardship. Highly recommended.

This book follows is about a twelve-year-old girl named Nisha who is forced to leave her home with her family following the partition of India. The end up on the Pakistan side and decide to attempt to travel by foot and train to the new India.

This book offers a lot of educational background in the aftermath of the partition. The author was very honest. I liked the epistolary format. Children will learn a lot from reading this book.

A heartfelt and fascinating read about a time and place few Westerners ever become aware of. As Nisha addresses her mother as she writes in her diary, the true pain, fear, courage, and multiple emotions felt by a child in times of political upheaval and war are revealed and empathy built in the reader. The partition of India and Pakistan is a fascinating and tragic setting for Nisha's tale.

Loved this historical novel about a young girl and her family forced to leave their home after the partition of India creates the country of Pakistan. It reminded me a lot of Anne Frank's Diary of a Young Girl in the style of writing and I would hand it to kids who are interested in historical fiction or stories of refugees like The Red Pencil by Andrea Davis Pinkney.

I wasn't able to finish reading this one because I find that the premise didn't hook me up as much as I wanted it to, but I'm sure that this will be a moving story for those who identifies with the plot and the characters.

I LOVED this book. Told through the diary of a twelve-year-old girl writing to the mother she never knew (it is implied that she died in childbirth), this is the story of a family who is forced to leave Pakistan during the Partition after India's independence, due to their religion. It is well-written and age-appropriate for middle grade readers and young teens. The author does an excellent job of telling the story of a difficult and violent time without glossing over the issues or letting the violence be too graphic for young readers. I learned a lot I did not know about the history of the time period and enjoyed the story. I will definitely recommend it.

This book was incredible. I personally don't know much about the time when India was separated in two countries, so I'm very grateful to be able to learn about it through this book.
I honestly liked everything about this book. The writing style, the characters, and even though it was incredibly heart-breaking, I also loved the story. I cried multiple times while reading it, and I would definitely recommend it to my friends.

Nisha, writing to her dead Muslim mother, tells the story of India's independence which lead to the formation of Pakistan causing the Hindus to move to the new India and the Muslims to move out of that India into Pakistan. It relays the dangers the family went through trying to cross the border to safety. Muslims, Sihks, and Hindu are killing each other as they all try to move to the appropriate country. Hardships but hope is always there. Speaks to the hatred of the different sects of India.

Thank you Ms. Hiranandani and Net Galley for the ARC. Sorry it took me so long to read it. Now that I have read it, I want to kick myself for waiting.

The only reason this book is not a five is because of the diary format. I get the title. I get why she does it. I get it all. I just think I would a preferred a first person, past tense telling.

Still, this is a 4.5 star book. I am often amazed by what people are willing to/able to endure. I am equally amazed by how little we Americans are taught about anything in our own country let alone what happens outside of it. History teachers everywhere need to require this book. There is so much to learn.
Thunderous applause.

I loved The Night Diary. Nisha has such a passion for food that it was easy to let her journey guide me to some delicious recipes that I can’t wait to make at home. She had such passion and this was a great look at partition for younger and older readers alike!

Nisha is a young Hindu Indian girl experiencing the ripping apart of the only India she's ever known. Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs are in an uproar after the exodus of the British. The India Pakistan partition is underway, forcing friends and family to draw lines and choose a side. Kazi, a well-loved housekeeper of Nisha's family who also happens to be Muslim, is left behind after Nisha's family is forced to flee their home after multiple threats of violence towards them. Nisha travels to the new India-Pakistani boarder with her twin brother Amil, her father and her grandmother. During their journey, Nisha writes letters to her dead mother, sharing the trying experiences she is faced with and finding hope in the hopeless.

This book does a really good job of emulating a child's perspective of how nonsensical political and religious divides appear. Throughout the story, Nisha keeps asking her mother why people continue to fight and kill one another. Why can't they just get along like they used to? Why did the British even have that kind of influence over India in the first place? Nisha is a very quiet girl and she best expresses herself within her journal and writings to her mother, who died in child birth with Nisha and Amil. Nisha writes about the terror and confusion she experiences during the mass movement to Pakistan and the violence she witnessed as a result. She talks about not understanding why she had to hide the fact that her father was Hindu and her mother was Muslim. At one point in the story, she tries to form a friendship with a Muslim girl when Nisha's family is in hiding, which her father discovers and they immediately have to flee to stay safe.

It's a heartbreaking experience to read, but it has a bittersweet ending. I would definitely get this book for my student library. A solid 4 stars.

Thank you so much Penguin Young Readers & Netgalley for the eARC of this poignant book! I was intrigued by this book immediately because I know very little about the Partition of India and Pakistan. It is written as the diary of Nisha, a 12 year old girl who’s late mother was Muslim & who’s father is Hindu. We follow Nisha as her family makes the decision to leave the newly formed Pakistan and flee to India. The diary format is so successful because as the reader you really get to see what Nisha is thinking and feeling as her family embarks on the treacherous journey.

A thoroughly enjoyable, even compelling narrative of the time when India split in two and millions of people had to head either to India pr to the newly formed Pakistan becasue of their religion. Told from the perspective of a 12-year old girl whose family has to get back to India, it rings true. And without giving away too much, Nisha does not come away from the experience unscathed. An excellent choice for YA readers.

A wonderful look at a turbulent period of history. The heart wrenching story is entirely told through diary entries made by a young girl who has to leave her home when India is divided. I enjoyed the format, and thought her confusion about what was happening in the country nicely mirrored the questions she has about her mother’s past.

This book was fascinating and captivating. I loved the character Nisha for her simple narrative and thoughts that felt genuine as she went through great changes, danger, and fearful times. Her thoughts were simple but profound for why people suddenly don’t like each other and for why people divide as well as her desires for a friend and familiar things. The diary format worked really well, and the story was so engrossing that it sped by. The historical setting was riveting. It was not a time or place I was familiar with, but it wasn’t shared in a text book style that would have been boring. And all of the descriptions of the food made me really hungry. This was really well done historical fiction.

The Night Diary is a beautiful novel. I read it in one sitting and was captivated throughout. Nisha’s tale begins with a birthday and the receipt of her diary. And when she begins her story, her life is much like you’d expect of any 12-year-old’s. As the days pass, however, you learn how quickly ordinary can morph into something else.

Hiranandani’s prose is gentle and rich. Her characters develop with natural ease and her settings draw you further in with each page. The Night Diary is by far one of the best books I’ve read this year.