Her Papa unfortunately didn’t get onto the same ship they were on, and you see the struggle that many people in WW2 must have gone through about not knowing where somebody you cared for was and if they were alive or not. Missing the heat of home in Malaya, her grandmother’s house in the North of England seems especially cold and grey.

Nisha’s War — Through the Bookshelf Nisha’s War — Through the Bookshelf

Jamie ‘s first appearance was when he saved Nisha from choking on alemon sweet, shortly after they become good friends. It talks about what it must have been like back then, when new refugees with mixed skin weren’t as accepted in society as they are now. With both her father missing and her mother gravely ill, she has her first encounter with Twig, a supernatural being. She tells of her past and about how Nisha reminds her off her sadly passed daughter Elizabeth Barrow, Nisha’s auntie. I also thoroughly enjoyed Elizabeth’s backstory and the big plot twist that came with it, which I didn’t expect at all and I’m sure other readers didn’t.

I like people, which is also one of the main reasons I'm not the best a being a full-time illustrator, I'm not good at spending so much time in my own head! 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. Nisha cannot resist the enigmatic bargain, and finds herself in a race to find the treasures before the full moon turns from gold to silver.

Review: Nisha’s War – Book Craic

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. When I was a teenager, my brother and I used to spend days at a time, adventuring along the Araguaia River in Brazil. He utilizes ink linework and watercolour and a touch of digital tweaking to breathe life into his unusual characters. The atmospheric cover illustration by Matthew Land is sure to tempt readers in and the end papers continue the interest, showing a range of pictures, posters, notes and objects which offer tantalising clues about the story ahead.

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! When the Japanese invade, she and her family, along with countless others, are forced to flee to Singapore. It happens when Nisha and her grandmother are stuck in a wooden shack seeking refuge from the raging tides. Thrust into a new and alien world, Nisha shows great determination and resilience in the face of hostility. 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.

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

The passage of time to the full moon- so significant for Nisha in the story- is marked by chapter headings and full page illustrations showing its changing face and emphasising the sense of urgency felt by Nisha as time passes. In haunting hues of blue Matthew’s beguiling wrap-around cover illustration instantly draws the reader in to this enchanting thriller. Prepare to be chilled by the latest gorgeously evocative wartime ghost story by Dan Smith with stunning atmospheric cover illustration by Matthew Land. Scared, lonely and haunted by memories of the past, Nisha finds herself drawn to the Weeping Tree where she meets Twig, who tells Nisha she has to find three treasures and bring them to the tree before the full moon turns from gold to silver and all will be well. The novel is richly written and there are many descriptive passages worth lingering over and sharing.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? A key figure in this story is Jamie, he is Nisha’s best friend and is seen to bring a comedic element in the midst of the trauma and PTSD Nisha faces especially towards the ocean and her fear of being taken by it like it had taken David Hill. There’s also a stark and honest exploration of racism and what it means to be a refugee – sadly still very relevant today.

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

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 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. 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. 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 enjoy the very middle of the process, when I've completed all of the sketches and rough drafts and I'm given the good-to-go from the design team and I'm allowed to spread out a big sheet of the thicker, smoother, more expensive paper and get working on the artwork. I'm going to be extremely greedy here and say I would love to illustrate The Chronicles of Narnia by C.