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campredwood's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This was a short (two sitting, for me) read that I absolutely plan on folding into my 4th grade historical fiction unit. (Number the Stars is great and all, but… it’s time to shake it up.)
This middle grade read covers hard realities of Partition, in a way that is thought provoking and encourages discussion, but isn’t immediately traumatic exposure.
Beyond the historical perspective, it’s a sweet narrative about choosing to keep living despite grief, to keep choosing joy, that terrible things can happen and you still deserve to make art, to just want to ride a bicycle.
This middle grade read covers hard realities of Partition, in a way that is thought provoking and encourages discussion, but isn’t immediately traumatic exposure.
Beyond the historical perspective, it’s a sweet narrative about choosing to keep living despite grief, to keep choosing joy, that terrible things can happen and you still deserve to make art, to just want to ride a bicycle.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Religious bigotry, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Racism, Colonisation, Grief, and Classism
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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