Good Night, Mr. Tom - Softcover

Magorian, Michelle

Softcover

ISBN 10: 006440174X ISBN 13: 9780064401746

Publisher: Harpercollins Childrens Books, 1986

Synopsis

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 on 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.

About this title

Review:

The gruff and surly Mr Thomas Oakley is less than pleased when he is landed with a scrawny little city boy as a guest, but because it is compulsory that each villager takes in an evacuee he reluctantly agrees. It soon becomes obvious to Mister Tom that young Willie Beech is hiding something, and as the pair begin to form an unlikely bond and Willie grows in stature and in confidence he begins to forget the past. But when he has to return to war-torn London to face his mother again he retreats into his shy and awkward ways once more.

Goodnight Mister Tom is one of the most touching and powerful stories ever written. As the relationship between Willie and Tom begins to transform them both, Magorian¹s powerful yet gentle writing tugs at the heart, taking the reader on an incredibly emotional journey that never once stoops to unnecessary sentimentality. --Susan Harrison

Review:

"An engrossing and poignant story, with much sunlight tobalance the darkness." -- "The New Yorker""Powerful."-- "The Read-Aloud Handbook"by Jim Trelease

About this edition

• Publisher: Harpercollins Childrens Books
• Publication date: 1986
• ISBN 10: 006440174X
• ISBN 13: 9780064401746
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336