Title: Goodnight, Mister Tom
Author: Michelle Magorian
Major Themes: Abuse, London Blitz, England, World War II
Synopsis: When Willie, an impoverished, abused boy from London, was sent to the countryside to live with Tom, a gruff, unfriendly but gentle man, neither of them could have known which direction their relationship would take.
I can’t remember why I purchased Goodnight, Mister Tom. I had never heard of this book or its author before, but I got it for some reason and added it to my pile to preview before putting them on the shelf. It took a few months, but last week I picked it up to read—and was immediately drawn into the story.
Publisher’s description:
Tom tucked a blanket round him, drew up a chair by the fire, and watched Willie fall asleep. The tales he had heard about evacuees didn’t seem to fit Willie. ‘Ungrateful’ and ‘wild’ were the adjectives he had heard used, or just plain ‘homesick’. He was quite unprepared for this timid, sickly little specimen.
Britain, 1940. With World War Two raging all around, young children are being sent from their homes in the city to the countryside for safety. When eight-year-old Willie Beech first arrives on Tom Oakley’s doorstep, neither is quite sure what to make of the other.
Brought up in terrible poverty, Willie is terribly shy, and totally unprepared for village life—but the gruff-but-gentle ‘Mister Tom’ quickly takes him under his wing. Neither he nor Willie could ever have predicted the journey they will go on together—nor the unbreakable bond that will be formed. Then, Willie’s cruel mother summoned him back to war-torn London. Would he ever see Mister Tom again?
My thoughts:
Whew, what a ride. Goodnight, Mister Tom is an incredible story. What would have happened to a child like Willie had not someone taken the time to love and accept him? Before going to the countryside, Willie had never known what it was to be loved. I found myself in awe of the way Tom Oakley cared for him. And it was not only Tom, but the entire village. The power of love is illustrated vividly in this book, as a boy who had never known anything but fear and degradation became a lively, confident, happy boy. And then, the bottom fell out of his life. Would he ever recover? I turned pages as fast as I could to find out what happened next!
This book is not easy to read; the abuse is ugly. However, it is worth reading for the beauty that comes out of such ugliness. This is one that will stick with me for a long time. I will be putting this in the Young Adult section of our library, rather than the children’s section.
WARNING: Abuse is either vaguely mentioned or briefly described throughout the book. A few words, such as damned or gosh show up rarely. Chapter 17: Terrible abuse, baby dies. Chapter 18: Boy vaguely describes to another boy how babies are made. Chapter 20: Someone commits suicide. Chapter 22: People killed in the London Blitz.
Age levels:
Listening Level—Ages 12 – 15
Reading Independently—Ages 12 – 15, 15 and Above, Adults
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Hardcover | Audio CD
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
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