Parents' Guide to Amil and the After

Parents need to know that Amil and the After continues the story that began in The Night Diary, in which author Veera Hiranandani tells of a family very like her own ancestors, who were forced to flee their longtime home in India once it became part of Pakistan in 1948. Twelve-year-old twins Amil and Nisha (the narrator of The Night Diary) have grown up at home in the traditions of their Muslim mom, who died giving birth to them, and their Hindu dad, who's raised them with strong values of kindness and tolerance—views that are very much under fire as Hindus and Muslims kill each other by the thousands. The family is relatively safe in Bombay (now Mumbai), as their doctor dad finds work in a hospital, but the kids struggle with relatable day-to-day challenges: Amil is a talented artist but also dyslexic, while Nisha is great with written words but painfully shy. They also struggle with the new world they find themselves in—especially when they befriend a Muslim kid, a refugee like them, who faces abuse and danger in Hindu Bombay. There are strong messages of family, friendship, being yourself, and letting others do the same. The author uses a lot of common Indian words for food, clothing, and other everyday objects; she includes a detailed appendix with personal and historical notes, as well as a glossary.