Nisha's War: A gorgeously evoked wartime ghost story, perfect for fans of Frances Hardinge and Emma Carroll

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In Nisha, Dan has created a sympathetic and engaging female lead whom I rooted for from the start. There’s a fantastic cast of fully realised supporting characters too. Local lad Jamie, Land Girl Joy, kindly cook and housekeeper Mrs Foster and her husband Mr Foster and, of course, the formidable Mrs Barrow. This is definitely a brilliant historical fiction book which I would recommend to many people aged 10-13 as I think they would enjoy the mix of historical and fantasy features. I found the book interesting with the different scenes and plot twists. I liked Nisha because she never gave up. I learnt from Nisha that its best to never give up even when something is hard or uncomfortable. I found the book cool and interesting. I would definitely recommend the book since I love mystery and know other who do too.

Review: Nisha’s War – Book Craic

Beautifully written, the haunting opening of this novel is instantly captivating. Nisha and her mother are so vulnerable that the reader is filled with compassion and the desire to know more about them. Dan Smith then skilfully builds their story, mingling the present with the past in the form of ‘Nisha’s Truths’- diary sections where she recounts the events which have led her and her mother to this point. When Nisha’s mother falls seriously ill with a suspected recurrence of malaria, Nisha finds herself alone and in desperate need of a friend. Encouraged to explore outdoors by Mrs F, Nisha discovers a beautiful, secluded walled garden, and catches a glimpse of a boy, but why has Mrs F told her there is no one else living on the island? And finally, adventure seems to be at the heart of all your books, what’s the most adventurous thing you have done or would like to do?? Working in a bookshop has certainly complimented my illustration work, it's given me an extensive overview of the entire market as well as affording me the opportunity to spot trends and follow the careers of illustrators I admire. It has also given me an insight into the big driving sales and marketing engines of the publishing industry, reinforcing the fact that a book has to sell itself to keep its position on the shelves. Which classic children's story would you most like to illustrate?

Relationships and characters are at the heart of Nisha’s War. There is family history, trauma and historic hurt for characters to navigate. I loved watching them develop during the course of the story. Relationships thaw and change and we witness personal growth and self-acceptance too.

Nisha’s War,’ by Dan Smith. – Library Girl and Blog tour: ‘Nisha’s War,’ by Dan Smith. – Library Girl and

Prepare to be chilled by the latest gorgeously evocative wartime ghost story by Dan Smith with stunning atmospheric cover illustration by Matthew Land. I'm going to be extremely greedy here and say I would love to illustrate The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, The Borrowers by Mary Norton and I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. A great deal of my inspiration comes from classic stories and a duvet-cacoon of nostalgia. Do you have time to sketch for pleasure? This is a thrilling, engrossing wartime adventure: a story of family and friendship, of belonging and acceptance, and of loss and hope. I cannot wait to share this one with my class, and can highly recommend it to anyone of 9+. year-old Nisha and her mother have escaped the horrors of the Japanese invasion of Malaya to live in her father’s ancestral home on Barrow Island on the North West coast of England. When they arrive at the imposing Barrow House, they are made to feel less than welcome by Nisha’s grandmother, the formidable Mrs Barrow who informs them that there are a set of rules which she expects to be followed, rules which are shared with them by the kind-hearted housekeeper, Mrs Foster. When Amma falls gravely ill, Nisha is left to face her formidable grandmother alone. Grandmother’s rules are countless, and her Anglo-Indian granddaughter is even forbidden from climbing the old weeping tree.I do try to make time, although there are periods in the year where my job in a bookshop does demand more of my attention. However, sometimes having a little break helps to recharge my enthusiasm for sketching, it gives me time to mull the ideas over in my head whilst looking forward to being able to get them on to paper. You are so incredibly talented at character observation, do you find yourself spotting real life characters and tranforming them into illustrations? Nisha is an incredibly sympathetic character whose life in Malaya is revealed through extracts from her ‘Truths’, a series of diary entries which tell of her life in Malaya and her traumatic escape from Singapore, haunted by her own ghosts which follow her to her new home. Learning about Nisha’s experiences as war tore her life apart was heart-breaking. She is a young girl who faces racism, loneliness and fear, but has the inner strength and courage to face that fear, to forgive, to accept and to heal her family. Whilst Nisha faces prejudice due to her Anglo-Indian heritage, she also forms some wonderful friendships, especially with a young boy, Jamie, who she meets whilst on a visit to the nearby village. I also really enjoyed the relationship which develops between Nisha and her grandmother which is incredibly heart-warming. An atmospheric ghostly mystery with a twist. This would be an excellent choice for any reader aged 9+

Nisha’s War by Dan Smith – Get Kids into Books Nisha’s War by Dan Smith – Get Kids into Books

Nisha’s War is a stunning, hauntingly atmospheric wartime adventure which swept me into a ghostly tale of loss, forgiveness and hope; a powerful depiction of the trauma caused by war and of healing within a family. There’s also a stark and honest exploration of racism and what it means to be a refugee – sadly still very relevant today. Nisha and her mother face prejudice and judgement in England. Some of the locals do nothing to hide their dislike and distrust of refugees, and Nisha’s grandmother does not hide her disapproval of Amma as a daughter-in-law, making it very clear that she would have preferred her son to marry a nice English girl. When I started writing the story, I didn’t have any particular themes in mind. But when I think about it now, there are so many! Loss, grief, displacement from home, friendship, love, empathy, understanding, hope, courage, race, kindness, acceptance … I could go on! For me, the stand-out themes are empathy, hope, and inclusivity, but hopefully readers will take from Nisha’s War whatever they need to take from it.The novel is richly written and there are many descriptive passages worth lingering over and sharing. Although the story would make an excellent class story, some of the passages about the war are quite graphic and so the audience would need careful consideration- Year 6 and above- before reading. A ‘Did You Know?’ section and glossary of terms further enrich the reader’s experience.