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silodear's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
A second middle grade book as follow up to The Night Diary. This one didn’t captivate me as well as the first, but it’s still a useful novel for children. I feel like the messaging is important, if a bit heavy handed. Reading this book, I couldn’t help but think about children in Palestine fleeing genocidal violence and what the future will hold for those who get an “after.” I appreciated the authors willingness to look closely at the after and to share about her own family’s experience post partition.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
bibliomich's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I read (and loved) The Night Diary last year, and I even included it as part of my Middle School Language Arts curriculum, so I was so excited when Amil and the After was offered as one of LibroFM's Educator ALCs for the month of January.
This was a true companion novel, and I wouldn't necessarily recommend it unless you've already read The Night Diary. Otherwise, you will likely feel like you're missing quite a bit of background and context. Initially, I was a little thrown by the fact that it was told from a third-person perspective, since The Night Diary was a first-person epistolary novel. But of course this makes sense, since Nisha identifies strongly as a writer, whereas Amil prefers to express himself verbally and through his art.
What I loved:
- the thoughtful and intentional way Hiranandani portrays the characters' feelings, guilt, and trauma in the aftermath of the events of the first book
- the introduction of new characters
- the representation of Amil's challenges with reading and writing (presumably dyslexia and/or dysgraphia)
- the development of all the characters and their interpersonal relationships
This was a true companion novel, and I wouldn't necessarily recommend it unless you've already read The Night Diary. Otherwise, you will likely feel like you're missing quite a bit of background and context. Initially, I was a little thrown by the fact that it was told from a third-person perspective, since The Night Diary was a first-person epistolary novel. But of course this makes sense, since Nisha identifies strongly as a writer, whereas Amil prefers to express himself verbally and through his art.
What I loved:
- the thoughtful and intentional way Hiranandani portrays the characters' feelings, guilt, and trauma in the aftermath of the events of the first book
- the introduction of new characters
- the representation of Amil's challenges with reading and writing (presumably dyslexia and/or dysgraphia)
- the development of all the characters and their interpersonal relationships
Content Warnings
Moderate: Religious bigotry and War
Minor: Death of parent and Violence
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