Amil and the After provides an age appropriate glimpse into some of the trauma that resulted from the migration, rising violence, and fears that resulted from the Partition of India and Pakistan. Amil, a twelve-year old who struggles to feel his father’s approval, provides important insights into the fallout of the Partition as he tries to make friends at his new school, adjusts to living in the city, and begins to become aware of the ways in which people allow divisions between people by religion and social class leads to harm. While there are many students in America who are the descendents of those who were directly impacted by this event and possibly have access to the stories, their western-born and other peers do not. This is an important work of historical fiction, and the author has done a thoughtful and careful job exploring the difficult feelings about even more difficult topics in an accessible, relatable, and meaningful way.

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group, Kokila, Netgalley, and the author for early access to this important story.

(Review posted on Goodreads and Amazon)

Amil and the After is a wonderful sequel to The Night Diary. The two books follow the story of twin brother and sister, Nisha and Amil, and their family as they leave Pakistan for India at the time of the partition. Night Diary tells the story of their heartbreaking and difficult journey from Pakistan from Nisha's point of view. Amil and the After tells the story of their new life from Amil's point of view. Though they find a more comfortable living situation than many refugees, their lives aren't easy. Amil and the After addresses many of the physical and emotional challenges that many faced as they crossed the new borders and began building new lives. The two books together tell a powerful tale.

This book is the sequel to the tale told of a family who must leave their home in 1947 during the partition of what became India and Pakistan as we know them today, The Night Diary. 12 year old Amil and his twin sister, Nisha , live in Bombay with their father, grandmother and a family friend who escaped with them. The children are hoping for safety and stability, although they are always aware of the pervasive political tensions. They befriend a refugee boy and helping him becomes an important part of their lives. Amil struggles in school but is a talented artist and very determined to overcome his fears and horrific memories of the family’s escape. The parallels between the hostility between Hindus and Muslims during the early days of India’s independence and today are sadly striking. The author introduces readers to many Indian words for foods and family members. The glossary was very informative and helpful! NetGalley provided this book for my honest review.

This story continues The Night Diary, though this one is told from Amil's point of view instead of his twin sister Nisha's. It is really important to have read that one first for a better understanding of their situation. After a harrowing trip out of what became Pakistan after The Partition, Amil and his family are living in Bombay. School is hard for Amil and he feels like his father is always disappointed in him. He finds solace in his drawings, using them to remember events like his sister used her diary. Amil feels very lucky that his family was able to escape and are now living comfortably. He asks some good questions about why certain people are luckier than others and what he should do with this luck. An excellent exploration of life in post-Partition India. Recommended for fans of the first book, grades 4 & up.

A follow up to The Night Diary, this book is told from younger brother and twin, Amil after Partition. I love that more attention is being given to the "after" of events rather than what was happening during the event.

Amil's journey is a quiet but powerful one that includes the death of Gandhi, a friendship, and some therapeutic drawing to still grieve the mother he never knew and still thinks about especially because his identity is wrapped up in his being half Muslim and half Hindu.

This book illuminates a part of India's history unknown to many of us. The characters make us care and feel deeply about what life was like after the Partition, especially for someone both Muslim and Hindu. Amil's art and struggles in school and at home make him very relatable for anyone undergoing challenges. History and empathy shine through this book.

India is free from British rule in 1948. Amil and his family is uncertain what that means and how it should feel. It is suggested to Amil to begin sharing his story through drawings. Amil is trying to make sense of the world that does not make any sense.

This novel shares what this timeperiod was like through a 12-year-old's eyes. I was not aware that this was a companion novel to "The Night Diary." This is an important topic; however, I was unsure how it added to the prior novel. Themes of racism, xenophobia, and death of a parent are shared in this story.

Amil is a young man who is being raised by his widowed doctor father. He has a very large family to help raise him. He has suffered through a lot of trauma and losses in his life.
I liked the way Amil speaks to you in the story and shares his experiences through his drawings. The honesty of his relationship with his mother through not ever having met her and the longing from him to keep her alive.
The before and The after references describe his life, his family and his religious community being forced to leave their homes in the effort for safety.
The aspect that makes this story unique is that it comes from a different kind of lifestyle that should be told and is shared with honesty . The cultural differences are shared and I encourage students to read this story. The story opens your eyes to the fact we are the same despite our religious differences.

I started this book not knowing it was a companion novel to The Night Diary. Once I realized that, I couldn't help but wonder why this was a choice to write a sequel for. It really didn't add anything to the original story and I found myself not as engaged as I was with The Night Diary. The writing/story line seemed a bit forced, even though this book's topic is important and could potentially appeal to kids looking for more after reading The Night Diary.

CW: Racism, Xenophobia, Islamophobia, Violence, Religious bigotry, War, Death of parent

I received an electronic ARC from PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group through NetGalley.
Hiranandani picks up Amil's story shortly after they have made it to their new home. The tensions remain high as India and Pakistan form their own countries. This sets the background for readers as they see how Amil and his family cope with their new environment. Both twins continue to learn in their own ways and each begins to share the ways they are coping with the past trauma. I appreciate how the author shares the variety of emotions they handle and the disfunction in their home as all five of them still need continued healing. Amil shares how fortunate they are and struggles to cope with the suffering all around them. Readers will see his compassion and care for a friend come through and lift the rest of the family to a place of more hope also.
Hiranandani offers readers a chance to see what this time period was like from a child's perspective. The violence is shared as part of their lives. Gandhi's assassination and funeral are part of the narrative as is the hatred and racial discord.

As a desi person myself, it was wonderful to see the topic of partiton being written about, especially directed towards kids. The book did not shy away from the darkness of what entailed after the Indepenence of India and newly created Pakistan but it was gentle enough for children to understand. The writing was perfect for the group it was aimed at which is children aged 8 and above. It flowed really well and i did love the sketches/ illustrations that we saw .
The Partition is an important topic to talk about especially to young desi children and these books are a good place to start.

It was a strong companion piece to the night diary. It had everything that I enjoyed from that book, and it felt like the same universe. The characters felt like they were supposed to and I enjoyed getting back into this world. It uses the hopefulness enjoy after tragedy perfectly. I thought the characters were realistic and it was a good way to show children that there is hope after a sad event.

I love that this book covers this topic. For many of my American middle school students, it's the first time they have read about this period in history (the partition of India and Pakistan after India's independence). Without having to know any context at all before reading the book, Hiranandani humanizes this story and packs the plot with emotion. I highly recommend this book for all middle school historical fiction collections.

Amil is between worlds, both Hindu and Muslim trying to make a home in a newly independent India. Amil's voice brims with courage to piece together broken understandings of his former life in Pakistan and his current world in Bombay.

Amil and the After is a lovely historical fiction for young adult readers, grades 8-12. Ask your students to link current events with Amil's journey. How do you think newcomers from across the world feel adjusting to uncertainty?

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review, which is below.

I was excited to read this book, as a companion to the Night Diary. It's been a while since I read that one, so I had to treat this one as a separate book as I couldn't rely on my memory.

I really enjoyed Amil's character, and the way he processes what is happening around him - a partition in 1948, a migration to a new home,, loss and the impact of British colonization. This is an important story for children in the west to read - as if children are learning about this important year in history it may be as simple as "India declared independence," and not making the connection with what partition did to Hindu and Muslim friends, neighbors, and families. They won't hear about fear and violence. And Hiranandani managed this story in an accessible and relatable way.

I would have loved a little closer perspective - the thoughts and sketches in Amil's diary were really wonderful, and as the text doesn't have a lot of dialogue, the closer insight may have deepened my bond with Amil. A very well done story and if memory serves, I liked this one the best of the two!

This was a wonderful compliment to Hiranandani's The Night Diary. Amil, his twin sister Nisha, their father, grandmother and servant are forced to flee their home in 1947 with the British partition of India and Pakistan. While The Night Diary, told through Nisha, gives the reader the experience of this forced migration, Amil and the After explores the family's life in Bombay at the start of 1948. A budding artist, Amil uses his art to document family life and the new experiences of this new, strange location. Although the country is now independent, the unrest continues, which he and his sister witness first hand. Amil and Nisha are half-Muslim, half-Hindu and had to leave their home as it was in what is now present day Pakistan and their father and grandmother are Hindu which means they cannot stay safely in the newly established country. Amil struggles to understand why their religion should matter, as their servant is Muslim and so was his mother. Amil also struggles with finding his place within the family as he struggles in school while his sister excels, which is important to their doctor father. I loved the family relationship and the frank discussions the adults had with the children about what was happening - when the family is caught in the middle of the riot, the reader felt the panic they felt and the confusion as to what and why it was happening. I would recommend this read to anyone who likes historical fiction, and feel it is a great way to begin the exploration on history outside of the Western normative. I highly recommend that you read The Night Diary prior to picking this up, but is not mandatory - it just enriches Amil's story all the more.

Amil and the After is a companion to Newbery Honor The Night Diary, which explores the events leading up to and immediately after the partition through the eyes of Amil’s twin sister, Nisha.

In Amil and the After, readers get a sense of Amil’s world through his thoughts and illustrations. Author Veera Hiranandani captures Amil’s voice through warm and clear prose that confronts the fallout of partition while still capturing the important “little” moments of everyday life.

This historical fiction novel addresses a number of topics that are timely — displaced children, learning disabilities, family dynamics, loneliness and anxiety — while still transporting readers to a different time and place. And laced through it all is a feeling of hope and love.

Amil and the After is a compelling middle-grade read that can be read alone, but will be that much better if read in conjunction with The Night Diary.

Amil and his twin Nisha from The Night Diary are now settled in Bombay (Mumbai) with their father and grandmother and their Muslim servant (who has left Pakistan to be with the family) Things in India are chaotic in the first months of independence and the partition. Amil uses his drawing to calm himself when he remembers the treacherous journey from their home in Pakistan to India, when he almost died. He has found a new friend and soon discovers that this new friend too has come from Pakistan but is hiding his identity. When the new friend becomes ill, Amil challenges his father and his family to do more. There's a real sense of the times in Amil's actions and those of his family.

Twelve-year-old Amil and his family have traveled far to escape the danger and turmoil taking place at the new border between India and Pakistan. As a blended family of Hindu and Muslim people, they must hide their Muslim connections to prevent being ostracized in their new home. Their journey to Bombay, India was treacherous, and Amil desires nothing more than to settle down with a true friend and a bicycle. And though they are lucky to have the things they do, the trauma Amil and his family faced will forever color their collective future.

This historical fiction middle grade novel immerses young readers in India after the division between the Muslims and Hindus in the mid-twentieth century, and it follows the same family featured in The Night Diary by the same author. Interestingly, the story begins after the struggle to survive the bloodshed, and it is only through periodic asides that readers gain a sense of exactly what the family faced on their journey, if they have not read the previous novel. Indian food, culture, and language are found throughout the narrative, which places readers squarely in Amil’s world whether they have a background in Indian history or not. Additionally, the multigenerational and extended family group in which Amil lives is a compelling component of the novel.

Amil is the focal point of the story, and his drawings appear frequently throughout the book. These images help to break up the text while providing readers with a visual means of better understanding the narrative. Complex emotions of loneliness, uncertainty, and grief are felt throughout the story, and readers will be drawn to the ways in which the characters manage their feelings in a new and unfamiliar home, especially after experiencing trauma. Though the story takes place more than fifty years ago, there are intriguing parallels to refugee migration in the present day. A glossary and author’s note at the end of the book provide additional context for those wishing to learn more. This is a thought-provoking and accessible historical fiction novel for middle grade readers.

Though this is historical fiction, this book is timely and hugely important, and will be much-needed in the days ahead, as it closely relates to the current state of our world. Beautifully written, wrenching, yet hopeful, I truly hope this book finds its way into classrooms. Teaches children about war, family, and how to survive chaos after a huge, emotional, life-changing upheaval. Highly recommended.