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When Nisha and her mother have to flee the war in Malaya, they receive a cold reception from Nisha’s paternal grandmother in the north of England. When her mother falls ill shortly after their arrival, Nisha is left to face her formidable grandmother and racist locals alone. 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. We asked Matthew about his creative process and working on Nisha's War. Tell us a bit about the process of creating the cover for Nisha's War from brief to publication? An atmospheric ghostly mystery with a twist. This would be an excellent choice for any reader aged 9+
Matthew Land Illustrates Historical Fiction for Chicken House
Working in a bookshop has certainly complimented my illustration work, it's given me an extensive overview of the entire market as well as affording me the opportunity to spot trends and follow the careers of illustrators I admire. 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. Which classic children's story would you most like to illustrate? 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.
Prepare to be chilled by the latest gorgeously evocative wartime ghost story by Dan Smith with stunning atmospheric cover illustration by Matthew Land. This is a perfect melding of the historical and the otherworldly which kept me utterly gripped throughout as danger creeps ever closer, time runs out, and secrets are uncovered. The evocation of wartime, of a sense of eeriness and of an isolated island are brilliantly portrayed. The loss of colour, warmth and hope in Nisha’s life following the invasion of her once-happy home is powerfully portrayed in the descriptions of the island, but hope has the chance of returning through her quest and her relationships with those she meets. I do try to make time, although there are periods in the year where my job in a bookshop does demand more of my attention. However, sometimes having a little break helps to recharge my enthusiasm for sketching, it gives me time to mull the ideas over in my head whilst looking forward to being able to get them on to paper. You are so incredibly talented at character observation, do you find yourself spotting real life characters and tranforming them into illustrations? Malaya, 1942.Nisha’s home is destroyed by war and she and her mother, Amma, flee to her father’s ancestral house in England, perched on a cliff top on the cold Northern coast. The book’s themes of grief, guilt, forgiveness and belonging are extremely powerful and will resonate with the reader. So too will the book’s underlying messages about courage, honesty and hope.
Review: Nisha’s War – Book Craic
Location is hugely important to the story; it’s a metaphor for Nisha’s mental well-being. Most of her memories of her home in Malaya are happy, warm, and full of love. She remembers Malaya in bright colours, which reflects her state of mind. In her journal, she writes about the evacuation from the plantation where she lives, and during that journey things change for her. When she reaches England, all the colour has gone from her world. Nisha has lost all hope and the setting reflects that. Barrow island is cold, grey, and harsh. The weather is dull. The nearby village is bland and confusing. The story is about Nisha learning to see the colours once more. I found the book interesting with the different scenes and plot twists. I liked Nisha because she never gave up. I learnt from Nisha that its best to never give up even when something is hard or uncomfortable. I found the book cool and interesting. I would definitely recommend the book since I love mystery and know other who do too.Oh my goodness, if you’re looking for a new title to fit with a WW2 topic, or for an atmospheric ghostly class read, then this is absolutely the book for you! When Nisha’s mother falls seriously ill with a suspected recurrence of malaria, Nisha finds herself alone and in desperate need of a friend. Encouraged to explore outdoors by Mrs F, Nisha discovers a beautiful, secluded walled garden, and catches a glimpse of a boy, but why has Mrs F told her there is no one else living on the island?
Nisha’s War by Dan Smith – Get Kids into Books Nisha’s War by Dan Smith – Get Kids into Books
This is a thrilling, engrossing wartime adventure: a story of family and friendship, of belonging and acceptance, and of loss and hope. I cannot wait to share this one with my class, and can highly recommend it to anyone of 9+. Set in 1942 Nisha has escaped the terror of the Japanese invasion of Singapore. Missing the heat of home in Malaya, her grandmother’s house in the North of England seems especially cold and grey. Even the villagers are suspicious of a girl with brown skin who they can see is only half English. Nisha is 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, haunted by her own ghosts which follow her to her new home. Learning about Nisha’s experiences as war 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 face that fear, to forgive, to accept and to heal her family. Whilst Nisha faces prejudice due to her Anglo-Indian heritage, she also forms some wonderful friendships, especially with a young boy, Jamie, who she meets whilst on a visit to the nearby village. I also really enjoyed the relationship which develops between Nisha and her grandmother which is incredibly heart-warming. 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. 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. Thrust into a new and alien world, Nisha shows great determination and resilience in the face of hostility. 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. The contrast between scenes of the stark landscape of Barrow Island and the vibrancy and colour of Malaya, the threat of the Weeping tree and the safety of the banyan tree even with its ghosts, the sense of life before and life after skilfully emphasis her vulnerability and deepen the reader’s empathy for her situation. She would be a wonderful character to explore with a class.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?? The novel is richly written and there are many descriptive passages worth lingering over and sharing. 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. A ‘Did You Know?’ section and glossary of terms further enrich the reader’s experience. Relationships and characters are at the heart of Nisha’s War. There is family history, trauma and historic hurt for characters to navigate. I loved watching them develop during the course of the story. Relationships thaw and change and we witness personal growth and self-acceptance too. When I started writing the story, I didn’t have any particular themes in mind. But when I think about it now, there are so many! Loss, grief, displacement from home, friendship, love, empathy, understanding, hope, courage, race, kindness, acceptance … I could go on! For me, the stand-out themes are empathy, hope, and inclusivity, but hopefully readers will take from Nisha’s War whatever they need to take from it. In Nisha, Dan has created a sympathetic and engaging female lead whom I rooted for from the start. There’s a fantastic cast of fully realised supporting characters too. Local lad Jamie, Land Girl Joy, kindly cook and housekeeper Mrs Foster and her husband Mr Foster and, of course, the formidable Mrs Barrow.
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