Nisha's War

Dan Smith

From Shelf: 2023 Empathy Collection

Nisha and her mother, Amma, flee the war in Malaya to take refuge at her father's ancestral home in England. Here, however, Nisha must follow her stern grandmother's countless rules - and most of all ignore the ghost child beckoning her from the weeping tree high on the cliff top ...

From acclaimed author Dan Smith comes a page-turning, atmospheric ghost story packed full of adventure and heart ... 'What a story ... absolutely gripping' EMMA CARROLL 'An enchanting, beautifully crafted wartime tale'ALLY SHERRICK 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. When Amma falls gravely ill, Nisha is left to face her formidable grandmother alone. Grandmother's rules are countless, and her Anglo-Indian granddaughter is even forbidden from climbing the old weeping tree. But when a ghost child beckons Nisha to sit under its boughs, and promises her Amma's life in return for three truths, its pull proves irresistible ... A thrilling historical ghost story; full of adventure, grief, guilt, forgiveness and belonging A fresh angle on a wartime story: the prejudice Nisha faces as a refugee feels particularly relevant today Perfect for fans of Frances Hardinge and Emma Carroll Praise for Dan Smith: 'Action, adventure, wolves, snow ... this story has EVERYTHING. I devoured it so quickly I need to read it again.' EMMA CARROLL on She Wolf 'This book grabbed me from page one - highly recommended' HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY on My Friend the Enemy