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Dani's Diary
A story of modern day friendships blends with a tale of life in Britain as a new immigrant.
When Deepa’s beloved gran makes her a special gift of her childhood diary to distract Deepa from problems she is having with her awful stepsister and her new school, little does Deepa suspect how fascinating it will prove.
The diary is in Punjabi so Deepa has to work hard to understand it. But it’s worth it, detailing as it does everything that happened to Gran when her family moved to England from India in the 1960s — including her friendship with the mischievous Milly. Deepa delves further to find out what really happened all those years ago. What happened to Milly? And can the past help with her own future?
When Deepa’s beloved gran makes her a special gift of her childhood diary to distract Deepa from problems she is having with her awful stepsister and her new school, little does Deepa suspect how fascinating it will prove.
The diary is in Punjabi so Deepa has to work hard to understand it. But it’s worth it, detailing as it does everything that happened to Gran when her family moved to England from India in the 1960s — including her friendship with the mischievous Milly. Deepa delves further to find out what really happened all those years ago. What happened to Milly? And can the past help with her own future?
- GenresChildrensContemporary
229 pages, Paperback
First published July 24, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 29, 2021
one of the bet books i read.You should try it!
December 4, 2022
Reread, and loved it, this book calls for a movie!!!!💌
December 29, 2023
I absolutely loved reading this🥺 Especially the diary parts
that focused on her Grandmother's life as a child who was new to England from India. I know it's for children but it was so relatable and Dhami talks about such real problems in this book. She touches on immigration, racism, homesickness, mental health problems, the burdens on a parent and the burdens that children bear. Especially as someone from a South Asian background, this story really hit home with me. I found it very poignant and moving and really did not expect to like it as much as I did!
5/5⭐️
that focused on her Grandmother's life as a child who was new to England from India. I know it's for children but it was so relatable and Dhami talks about such real problems in this book. She touches on immigration, racism, homesickness, mental health problems, the burdens on a parent and the burdens that children bear. Especially as someone from a South Asian background, this story really hit home with me. I found it very poignant and moving and really did not expect to like it as much as I did!
5/5⭐️
December 17, 2023
VERY GOOD! THE UNEXPECTED PART IN THE END :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 1, 2017
It took me a while to get into this book as I'm not usually a fan of fictional diaries. If I hadn't enjoyed Narinder Dhami's Bindi Babes series, I probably wouldn't have even picked this book up, but I'm actually really glad I did. Once I got into the story, it had the same fun mysteries, witty characters, realistic friendships and heartwarming family moments that I love those books for. I have nothing but praise for the storyline with Milly's and how that was dealt with. I feel like it could have been made into this huge reveal with loads of overdone foreshadowing, but instead it was talked about in a really mature and normal way - exactly the way I would expect real people to talk about it, which was so awesome to see.
Though I admit I couldn't get on with the diary format in the beginning, overall I do think Dhami did a better job of it than most other books I've read - there was some direct speech but it was hardly ever huge blocks of dialogue or long conversations - stuff that I find it hard to believe anyone could remember that perfectly. It did also add insight into what the main character (and her gran in the sections from her diary) was thinking, in the way I think a normal girl would comment on what she was writing about. On the whole, I ended up liking a lot of things in this book, and I don't have any major complaints. Can't wait to read more of Narinder Dhami's books!
Though I admit I couldn't get on with the diary format in the beginning, overall I do think Dhami did a better job of it than most other books I've read - there was some direct speech but it was hardly ever huge blocks of dialogue or long conversations - stuff that I find it hard to believe anyone could remember that perfectly. It did also add insight into what the main character (and her gran in the sections from her diary) was thinking, in the way I think a normal girl would comment on what she was writing about. On the whole, I ended up liking a lot of things in this book, and I don't have any major complaints. Can't wait to read more of Narinder Dhami's books!
October 13, 2014
I remember reading this book when I was in Form One and loving it!
Read
October 9, 2015it is a really interesting book and its twists and turns keeps us engrossed into it
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June 13, 2017she is the best Arthur
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews