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

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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?

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

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. 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. 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. 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.

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. Thrust into a new and alien world, Nisha shows great determination and resilience in the face of hostility. The fact that she is ‘different’, coming from Indian/ English parentage, being an ‘outsider’ and having partially lost her hearing due to a bomb blast all add to the wave of prejudice she encounters from many villagers. The contrast between scenes of the stark landscape of Barrow Island and the vibrancy and colour of Malaya, the threat of the Weeping tree and the safety of the banyan tree even with its ghosts, the sense of life before and life after skilfully emphasis her vulnerability and deepen the reader’s empathy for her situation. She would be a wonderful character to explore with a class. The inclusion of mysterious ghost who sets Nisha a life-or-death challenge is really just the cherry on top of an already delicious cake! Malaya, 1942.Nisha’s home is destroyed by war and she and her mother, Amma, flee to her father’s ancestral house in England, perched on a cliff top on the cold Northern coast. I liked how the book depicted aspects of the Second World War that were less familiar to me: the Japanese invasion of Malaya and the fall of Singapore. These events will certainly be unfamiliar to most primary-aged children too. Dan Smith’s portrayal of how war affects the mental health of young people also provides another fresh angle on a wartime story.

Review: Nisha’s War – Book Craic

We asked Matthew about his creative process and working on Nisha's War. Tell us a bit about the process of creating the cover for Nisha's War from brief to publication? Prepare to be chilled by the latest gorgeously evocative wartime ghost story by Dan Smith with stunning atmospheric cover illustration by Matthew Land.Oh my goodness, if you’re looking for a new title to fit with a WW2 topic, or for an atmospheric ghostly class read, then this is absolutely the book for you! 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+. 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?? 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.

Nisha’s War / Young Quills reviews 2023 / Historical Association Nisha’s War / Young Quills reviews 2023 / Historical Association

This is a perfect melding of the historical and the otherworldly which kept me utterly gripped throughout as danger creeps ever closer, time runs out, and secrets are uncovered. The evocation of wartime, of a sense of eeriness and of an isolated island are brilliantly portrayed. The loss of colour, warmth and hope in Nisha’s life following the invasion of her once-happy home is powerfully portrayed in the descriptions of the island, but hope has the chance of returning through her quest and her relationships with those she meets.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.