This is the fantastic story of a woman overwhelmed with grief and her 13-year-old daughter Nisha. Their heart-breaking compulsory journey from their homeland Malaya, a country invaded during WWII, and their arrival on Barrow Island in Britain as refugees where Nisha’s grandmother lives made me feel sorry for them. Throughout the story, I witnessed how displacement tears people’s lives apart and makes them miserable because they are unwelcome in society and face racism and isolation in the new country.
The characters make the story exceptionally dramatic since Nisha, the character who gives her name to this book, and her mother make us feel what kind of troubles refugees encounter when they come to a foreign land. As a reader, I especially felt their suffering in those parts of the book where they long for their life in their homeland. The red stone Nisha brought from Malaya, which she always keeps safe in her pocket and sometimes tightly holds in her hand while she is anxious, becomes a symbol of her longing for her life in Malaya. Nisha’s grandmother, Mrs Barrow, is an intimidating old lady who adds to their suffering because she does not like Nisha and her mom. Her mistreatment of these two poor refugees, who have already gone through a traumatic experience, makes Nisha even more distressed. Meanwhile, Mrs Foster, the kind-hearted housekeeper, helped them around the house and comforted them.
As the story unfolds, Nisha meets Twig, a ghost who lives in a mysterious weeping tree on the cliff edge. This ghost can grant Nisha’s wishes if she finds three lost treasures. Nisha also finds peace in her new friend Jamie whom she meets while visiting the nearby village. All these relationships she develops make Nisha adapt to her life on the island.
Nisha’s relationship with her grandmother especially touched me as it started with negative feelings of the grandmother towards her granddaughter but ended with warmth and affection.
I highly recommend this book to any reader; the suffering of people whose countries are torn by war, the emotions they go through as they embark on a new life on a new land, and how they survive teach a lot to those who do not have such horrific experiences in their lives.
– Kaan, St Peter’s 8-13

This story is about a girls called Nisha who was forced to flee her country when the Japanese invaded. It covers the hardship and misery she faces whilst taking refuge in England as well as a sneaky peak of her dark past. The events that took place where very unusual or you could call them supernatural. The opening of the story is very mysterious, and I think it sets the scene of the chapter and the rest of the book very well. The events of the story follow quite smoothly from one to another and although it took a while to get to the main plot of the story, I found Nisha’s war captivating to read!
The main character of the book was of course Nish. I found her interesting and sympathetic as she describes what she’s been through in immense detail and although I can’t relate to what she’s been through I understand her feelings sometimes. The strong bond between Nisha and her mother in undeniable and although Mrs Barrow (her grandmother) doesn’t give the best first impression, the events of the change her making her able to open to Nisha.
The majority of the book is written in first person although snippets of Nisha Bacrow’s Truth -her diary- were written in first person. It was interesting because you could go in and out of Nisha’s perspective. Each setting and scene were described in intricate detail although the emotions weren’t, so that could be improved on. I think it was a really good story because it was an engrossing read and made me hang on until the very end.
When I first started reading Nisha’s war, I got the feeling of ‘this is right down my street.’ I really enjoyed reading it and felt a good sense of accomplishment when I finished as well as a twinge of sadness that the journey was over. Please make a sequel!
Nisha has inspired me to be more grateful for what I have because there are others out there that have been through a lot. I would definitely recommend this book to others. Particularly people who enjoy more moralist story with a dash of magic. Overall, I really enjoyed it!
– Manor CofE Academy

It’s 1942 and Nisha and her mum have just managed to escape from the horrors of the Japanese invasion of Singapore. Still haunted by the terrors of the war, Nisha and her mum are sent as refugees to go and live in England on Barrow Island with Mrs Barrow, who is Nisha’s cold-hearted grandmother. However, things take a turn for the worse when Nisha’s mother falls gravely ill. Lacking hope and courage, Nisha is lured by a boy (at least that is what she thinks he is) over to the treehouse she is forbidden to go near. He offers to help Nisha’s mum and dad but first she must find
the three lost treasures of Barrow Island. And for Nisha, the chance of finding happiness again is
worth almost anything.
I really enjoyed reading Nisha’s War and, in my opinion, it flowed very well. In the story, Nisha is portrayed as an incredibly sympathetic character whose life in Malaya is revealed through extracts from her ‘truths’, a series of diary entries which tell of her life in Malaya and her traumatic escape from Singapore. Learning about Nisha’s experiences as war suddenly tore her life apart was heart-breaking. She is a young girl who faces racism, loneliness and fear, but has the inner strength and courage to forgive, to accept and to heal her family. I also really enjoyed reading about the
relationship that develops between Nisha and her grandmother, which I found incredibly heart-
warming.
In conclusion, Nisha’s war is a captivating story of hope and courage blending together themes of the war experience, family and the ghosts we carry with us. Moreover, Nisha’s War balances heartrending personal drama and supernatural chills, therefore I have decided to rate this book a well-deserved 5 stars and would definitely recommend to children aged 9+.
– Suhani, All Saints RC School

It is based on a real event that happened in Singapore during 1948. Nisha has escaped this by going to the North of England and is very gloomy there. The book flows well as it is set in chronological order and the vocabulary was relatively easy so it was easy to understand. The story makes me feel worried and emphasise with Nisha. The story is slow-going at firs and may seem a little boring, but when you get to just before half-way it takes a turn for the best.
It is just the right kind of magical and especially from the “Try me” part it gets very, very interesting. The rest of the book is just full of magic and wonders.
I would recommend this book. So magical.
– Lucas, Bootham School

Nisha’s War tells the story of Nisha Barrow as she and her Amma escape the invasion of Singapore.
Nisha is enjoying her normal life with her family in Malaya, when suddenly there are planes flying overhead and bombs are falling everywhere. Nisha and her Amma manage to catch a boat to England, but her father is left behind. Nisha then meets her Grandmother as they arrive at her isolated house on an island in the North of England. Nisha is just starting to get settled in hen, one night, a boy calls to Nisha from the treehouse she is not allowed to go near. Who is this boy? Why is he calling to Nisha? You’ll have to read the book yourself to find out.
This book is full of intrigue and mystery, as well as being emotional and heartfelt. Dan Smith has set the scene very well, it made me feel as though I was there with the characters. When they were in danger I felt tense and worried. Also, the accents that Dan gave some of the characters really gave them more personality.
This story flows very nicely and it shows how much it matters to have hope.
– Lucy, St Peter’s 8-13

I absolutely loved this book because of how the characters’ storylines develop. The main character. Nisha, and her Amma (her mother) escape from Malaya after the Japanese invasion of 1941. They unfortunately have to leave Nisha’s father in Malaya. After a boat ride that leaves Nisha scarred, they arrive in England, Barrow Island specifically. I loved the author’s writing style, and the theme of hope and hopelessness throughout. I loved the LGBTQIA+ community reference in the form of Twig, a trans girl who went by the name of Elizabeth Barrow. Overall I’d give it five stars. It was superb and breath-taking.
– Arabella, St Peter’s 8-13

Nisha has escaped the was in Malaya and has to stay with her grandmother and encounters lots of challenges along the way. Covering 6 days in intense detail, the goal of helping her father and mother is distant and blocked by mysterious problems. The start is slow but once the story gets going, the events flow through changing by time. In the story, the main character is Nisha, with friends and family along the way who can be harsh, trustworthy, kind, funny and strict, described intricately in detail. The most interesting character is Twig, but the most sympathetic was Nisha’s grandmother, softening during the story. Nisha finds new friends who she gets to know very quickly. Written in third person, I think this was important because it showed that the story happened in the past. The setting in the past and present of the book were described in detail, varying throughout. The important of the place, feelings and attitudes were described in depth but less than some other features of the story. In my opinion, this story was good but not one of my favourites because I like books to do with animals, adventure or mythical creatures. My favourite moment in the story was when Nisha risks her life for her grandmother because it was very connecting and encouraging.
I don’t think the writer is connected to the story, but it is based on a true event. After and during reading it, I felt many different emotions: sadness, excitement and sometimes tired, but intrigued by true elements. I’ve learned a bit about the war and a bit of language and dialect. Compared to other books, it’s not the worst but still not up near the top. I would recommend this book to someone who likes to learn more before the plot and takes the time to read it.
– Manor CofE Academy

I have fallen in love with this book! At the start of this wonderful story I got introduced to the main character, Nisha, and her mother, who she calls her Amma. Nisha is from Malaya, born and raised. Her papa is English and her Amma, Indian. This book is set in World War 2 in the years 1941-1942, and so Nisha, like many others, is fleeing from her country. The Japanese have invaded and Nisha, traumatised by what happened, is scared of everyone and everything that happened. As the story goes on, a ghost calls to Nisha, her grandmother’s secrets come spilling out, and her family’s lives are in danger. This book is nothing that you could ever expect, and as you dive further and further into this tangle, it just gets better and better!
– Annie, St Peter’s 8-13

The story was written in first person which definitely gave depth and feeling to the story. From what I read the author described it in great detail and I definitely built a picture of the surrounding area. I found the story ok. There were sections like the bits of Nisha Barrows truth.
One thing I did find hard about the book though was by page 100. I still was not getting into the story. From what I read the message was just to believe what people told you and then go with it.
I would definitely read another book by the same author, just one that was easier to read. All the characters had different yet identical personalities, which made the story atmospheric.
– Manor CofE Academy

This novel by Dan Smith is based around World War 2 and tells the story about the evacuation of Nisha and her mum or, as she called her in the book, ‘Amma’. It starts at a train station where the weather is misty, setting the perfect scene for a ghost story. Nisha
describes the looks that she receives as the horse and cart rides through the village, driven by Mr F. In the scene where Nisha meets her Grandmother, her impressions of this woman aren’t very good, especially when she requests for Nisha not to call her Grandmother, but Mrs Barrow. However, Amma soon falls ill and they have no sign of Nisha’s dad. And then
Nisha meets Twig. The story goes onto a mystery with her Amma and dad’s lives on the line.
Overall, the events in this story were rather unusual because Twig is no ordinary boy and turns out to be someone who I would never have guessed at the end. However, towards the beginning, it was slightly slow getting to the main plot, but in the end I thought it was a good build up. In my opinion, the events of the story happened the right distance apart- there would be a big event, then a little bit of ordinary life for Nisha, followed by another event.
Overall, my top 5 characters in order were:
1) Nisha because all of the events revolved around her
2) Twig because he helped to grant Nisha’s wishes
3) Mrs Barrow (Nisha’s grandmother) because she helped Nisha uncover the secret at the very end of the book
4) Mr F because he saved 2 sets of characters during the book
5) Joy because she was an inspiration for Nisha
In the book, Nisha was a rather shy character but she soon found her feet and went on a journey that would change her life forever. Twig was a very secretive character and, for that reason, the ending of this book surprised me and I wasn’t able to guess at all who Twig was. My favourite relationship in the book was between Nisha, a shy girl with much anxiety, and
Jamie, a boy with bravery and energy- quite the opposite of Nisha. There was a very clear change in character for Nisha: she started off almost unable to talk to others, and by the end she was solving mysteries! Also, there was a clear change in Nisha’s Grandmother, where her personality changed from a strict, reserved woman, to one who felt she could share secrets with Nisha.
This story was written in the 3rd person, meaning that it included lots of descriptions of characters. As the book was written in this style, the settings in the book were described in detail, especially in the very first part. I felt it was a good story because of all of the detail which really brought you into the book. My favourite moment was right at the beginning when
Nisha first arrived. It is gloomy and sets the perfect scene for a ghost story. I don’t think that the author could’ve changed any moments in the story- I felt there was nothing to improve.
This story is actually true, with extracts from another book of her life during this time. The story is a good one to tell because, whilst it’s true and shows the reality of evacuating, without this factor I would’ve still enjoyed it. During the time I took to read it, I felt as if I
wanted to read more and more due to the fact that it was always left on a cliffhanger! I also learnt a lot about what happened in this particular war compared to in the other wars. I felt this because of the little passages from ‘Nisha Barrow’s truth’ which was my favourite feature of the book because it reminded me that these events did take place.
I think that it’s important to say that some of the events that happened in the passages involved war/bombs/etc. This is also shown in the age rating which is 7 or over. I would love to read another book by this author because I really liked this one and also want to know what happened to Nisha during the rest of her life. For this reason, I’m giving this book a 5/5
star rating!
– Manor CofE Academy