The Night Diary: A Book Review

Today I am going to share with you a historical fiction book named The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani. I had read this book in fourth grade on the recommendation from my teacher Mrs. Schneider. I still remember the day I first got this book. I was looking for a Harry Potter book, but then I saw The Night Diary. I picked up the book, and my writing teacher, Mrs. Schnieder came up to me and told me it was a good book and I should read it. I didn’t hesitate, as I used to, and it was the best decision to read this book. Two years later, when I heard about the virtual author’s visit for the book The Night Diary, I got excited and decided to read it again. Finally, on April 29th, I got to meet with my favorite author virtually. I was so glad to see her, and she did answer three of my questions. I strongly recommend this book to everyone. This book has won the Newbery Award, and I think this is well deserved.

Let me start with my review of this book.

It is 1947, and Nisha has a happy life with her family that includes her Grandmother (Dadi), Father, Amil (her twin brother with difficulties with reading, possibly dyslexia), and family cook Kazi. But someone is missing, a part of the family no one talks about, her mother. Her mother had died because of the complications of childbirth and was a Muslim. Nisha’s father is Hindu. The marriage between Hindu and Muslim was a problem in those days. Every day Nisha writes a letter to her mother in a diary. She writes about things happening in her life every day and how much she misses her. In August 1947, India got freedom from British rule, but the country was divided into Pakistan for Muslims and India for Hindus. As India and Pakistan were getting separated in 1947, Nisha had to leave her hometown, Mirpur Khas, which was now a part of Pakistan. As Hindus, they had to move to the new India. Nisha talks about the challenges during the partition and wishes that people would treat her family normally and stop harassing them for being  Hindu. When Nisha leaves Mirpur Khas, she has to leave everything, including her home, her best friend, and Kazi. Kazi had always treated her as a daughter. What will happen to Nisha and her family next? Read this book to find out more about the trauma of leaving everything behind to start a life in a new place.

There are many reasons to like this book. First of all, the short chapters written as a letter from Nisha to her deceased mother make it very interesting. Secondly, I can relate to the character of Nisha, a twelve-year-old girl. Nisha and I are pretty similar in many ways. Nisha doesn’t talk that much, and neither do I. But she is sensitive and likes to write and also enjoys helping in the kitchen, just like me. People may think that I am unfriendly or quiet, but when you get to know me well, you will realize I’m not that shy. Thirdly, Nisha’s thoughts really match my opinion especially, as she believes that everyone is equal and should not be discriminated against based on religion. Nisha says, “Muslims and Hindus should not be divided, but stay united”. My fourth reason is the themes of this book. It includes family, friendship, freedom, bravery, and coming to terms with losses in life. I also liked the beautiful cover of the book that reflects the diversity and the title “The Night Diary”. I was wondering why it is “The Night Diary” instead of Nisha’s Diary? My mom said, Nisha means night and it made sense. Finally, I learned a lot about Indian history and famous people like Gandhi, Nehru, and Jinnah. 

Last week during an Elmbrook school author visit, I got to meet my favorite author, Veera Hiranandani. She was very nice and answered many questions we asked. We learned about how she got the inspiration to write the “Night Diary” and told us more about her other books. I was very happy to know that she is working on a sequel on the night diary talking about Amil’s side of the story.

In the end, we were sent to discussion groups to talk about the book. In my opinion, this book should be used as a resource in history classes as it talks about the partition of Pakistan and India in 1947. I also think that a movie should be made based on this book.

Please read this book if you haven’t. You can get your copy from Amazon or the public library. Not to forget the audiobook.