Good Night, Mr. Tom
by Michelle Magorian
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Book Summary Information
Author: Michelle MagorianEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1986-11-13
ISBN: 006440174X
Number of pages: 336
Publisher: HarperTeen
Book Reviews of Good Night, Mr. Tom
Book Review: Goodnight Mr. Tom
Summary: 5 Stars
As World War II was raging on , young Willie Beech had no choice but to be evacuated from his unsafe home in London. However his home was not only unsafe because of the war, but also because of his abusive and bigot mother.
William "Willie" Beech, a timid 9-year-old, gets evacuated from Deptford to Sussex, and is taken in by Tom Oakley because of the war. Oakley is a widower who has allowed himself to become bitter ever since his wife and child died of scarlet fever 40 years before. As they get to know each other they cause the other to open up, and Tom even helps Willie to read and write and encourages his talent for drawing. Eventually Willie is called back to London by his mother, and Tom gets worried when he doesn't write back. His love for Willie is shown even more as he goes to London looking for him. After awhile Tom finds Willie tied up and malnourished with his mother's baby lying dead in his arms. Disgusted by what he has found, Tom takes Willie back to the country and later adopts him. His mother is later found to have committed suicide.
Goodnight Mr. Tom was an excellent reading experience. Its strong points were its characterization which could affect most reader's emotions and its effective descriptions. Another strong point of the book was that it had some very deep themes in it, such as child abuse and losing loved ones. I would recommend this to all adults and children alike; anyone could be interested by this masterpiece.
The best part of the book was its deep character detail which made you feel as if you actual knew the characters. For example, throughout the book you can see how Willie changes from being a timid and sickly little boy, to a stronger more confident young man. This can also be seen as Mr. Tom begins to care more about Willie and even looks for him when he doesn't write back.
In addition, the book had amazing elaboration which really gives you the feeling of how it was back in those times. For example, during the night Mr. Tom has to put the black things over his windows so that the spies cannot see the light coming out of his house. Throughout the book many other things about the war are described such as hearing bombs in the distance and the whole evacuation process.
Another good, but at the same time sad, thing about Goodnight Mr. Tom was the deep themes incorporated to make it a well rounded story. Examples of these deep themes were when Willie was getting beat and starved by his mentally ill mother and also when the death of Mr. Tom's wife and child were described. This gave the book more meaning and these dark themes also made the reader have sympathy for the characters.
The synergy of the deep characterization and the great detail provide for a magnificent book. The deep themes make the book even more meaningful, as they show the troubles of child abuse and issues with mental health. Overall, Michelle Magorian's book is a sad yet heartwarming tale that will continue to stay in reader's minds for years to come.
-C.Duncan
Summary of Good Night, Mr. Tom
Winner of the 1982 IRA Children's Book Award
London is poised on the brink of World War II. Timid, scrawny Willie Beech--the abused child of a single mother--is evacuated to the English countryside. At first, he is terrified of everything, of the country sounds and sights, even of Mr. Tom, the gruff, kindly old man who has taken him in. But gradually Willie forgets the hate and despair of his past. He learns to love a world he never knew existed, a world of friendship and affection in which harsh words and daily beatings have no place. Then a telegram comes. Willie must return to his mother in London. When weeks pass by with no word from Willie, Mr. Tom sets out for London to look for the young boy he has come to love as a son.
?A small, timid refugee from wartime London?and from a sadistic mother?and a lonely villager who has reluctantly accepted the child form a bond of love and trust that is deeply touching. Michelle Magorian has created a vivid cast for an English story with universal and timeless appeal.? ?Zena Sutherland, IRA Children?s Book Award Chair. ?An engrossing, vividly detailed novel.? ?BL. Winner, 1982 International Reading Association Children's Book Award
Notable Children's Books of 1982 (ALA)
1982 Best Books for Young Adults (ALA)
1983 Fanfare Honor List (The Horn Book)
1982 Young Adult Editors' Choices (BL)
1983 Teachers' Choices (NCTE)
Notable 1982 Children's Trade Books in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)
1988 Choices (Association of Booksellers for Children)
Children's Books of 1982 (Library of Congress)
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