The Night Diary | TheBookSeekers

The Night Diary


School year: Year 4, Year 5, Year 6, Year 7, Year 8

No. of pages 272

Published: 2018

Great for age 7-13 years

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Its 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 doesnt know where she belongs, or what her country is anymore. When Papa decides its 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 cant 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 Nishas letters to her mother, The Night Diary is a heartfelt story of one girls search for home, for her own identityand for a hopeful future.

 

 

This book is the winner of numerous awards

This book is aimed at children at US 3rd grade-7th grade.

This book has been graded for interest at 8-12 years.

There are 272 pages in this book. This book was published in 2018 by Penguin Putnam Inc .

Veera Hiranandani, author of the Newbery Honor-winning The Night Diary , earned her MFA in creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College. She is the author of The Whole Story of Half a Girl , which was named a Sydney Taylor Notable Book and a South Asian Book Award Finalist. A former book editor at Simon & Schuster, she now teaches creative writing at Sarah Lawrence College's Writing Institute and Writopia Lab.

 

This book has been nominated for the following award:

Newbery Award
The Newbery Medal, named after 18th-century British bookseller John Newbery, is one of the most prestigious awards in children's literature. Established in 1922 by the American Library Association (ALA), the Newbery Medal is awarded annually to the author of the most distinguished American children's book published in the previous year. The award committee evaluates nominees based on literary quality, originality, presentation, and relevance to childrens literature. The book should demonstrate excellence in narrative and character development, as well as appeal to the intended audience. In addition to the medal winner, the committee also designates several Honor Books each year. These titles are recognized for their merit and are considered outstanding contributions to childrens literature, though they do not receive the medal.

"Veera Hiranandani is a master storyteller. This riveting and important book speaks to the power of love in a world divided by hate and raises questions that still need to be asked seventy years after its events took place. Nisha and her story are a part of me now. My question is how do we make this a 'community read' for the whole world?"--James Howe, author of The Misfits

"Nisha's sweet, sheltered world disappears overnight when her country splits in two--now Hindus must live in India, Muslims in Pakistan. But Nisha's both. Where can her family be safe? Hiranandani's story is set in an historical time little known to American children, but she tells it in a way that makes it accessible, timely, interesting and real."--Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, author of Newbery Honor-winning The War That Saved My Life

 

 

"Veera Hiranandani's storytelling is exquisite and compelling. For Nisha, like so many of us, home is a complicated place and this heartbreaking and hopeful novel reminds us that even in places where there is great loss and strife, there is deep joy, renewed faith. The Night Diary is a treasure for young readers who are searching for their place in the world, who are determined to bring home with them wherever they go."--Renee Watson, Piecing Me Together

* "Believable and heartbreaking...A gripping, nuanced story of the human cost of conflict appropriate for both children and adults."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

* "This rich, compelling story, which speaks to the turbulence surrounding India's independence and to the plight of refugees, should be in all libraries."--School Library Journal, starred review

* "The diary format gives her story striking intimacy and immediacy, serving as a window into a fraught historical moment as Nisha grapples with issues of identity and the search for a home that remain quite timely."--Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Hiranandani's prose shines in both emotion and simple, rich description...A clear, compelling, and deeply felt historical novel."--Booklist