Good Night, Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian (Epub)

Description

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.

User’s Reviews

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

Reviews from Amazon users, collected at the time the book is getting published on UniedVRG. It can be related to shiping or paper quality instead of the book content:

⭐ When I received this book, I read it cover to cover. It would also be an excellent book for young teens. The values passed from Mr. Tom to his student (so to speak) was living a good life, being a compassionate human being and how important love of family is. In our times today we need more Mr. Toms and less of the people that hate life and wallow in what they don’t have rather than in what they could have if they placed their energy in an upward motion rather than down.

⭐ I originally only saw the movie with John Thaw and didn’t know it was based on this book, this is a case of the movie and the book being equally good, the descriptions and depictions of Will’s suffering at the hands of his mentally deranged mother with her religious mania were heartrending. Perhaps not to be read to very young children but definitely suitable for 10 and older.

⭐ I had not heard of the book, Good Night, Mr. Tom, by Michelle Magorian (copyright 1981) until my mother-in-law mentioned it several years ago. She had been evacuated during World War II and recommended it highly. Reading this book was like stepping back into pre-World War II rural England, complete with thatched cottages, heavy country accents, and hard-working, thrifty villagers. (Perhaps I’ve seen too many episodes of the Vicar of Dibley on PBS, but the characters in this story seem very vivid and realistic.)Good Night, Mr. Tom is about a young boy named William Beech who is evacuated from London at the beginning of the war to a safer rural village called Little Weirwold. Nine-year-old Willie is the only child of an abusive, over-religious single mother. We learn that his mother will not allow him to be evacuated unless he can stay with someone “who is religious or who lives near a church.”Tom Oakley, 60-some-year-old caretaker of the local village church and cemetary, is a cranky, embittered old man who ends up with Willie. It soon becomes clear to old Tom that Willy’s life in London was very different. Like many children from poor London neighborhoods, Willie is suddenly exposed to a whole new life in Little Weirwold. He has never seen a cow before, nor picked blackberries, nor slept in a real bed. He knows nothing about fresh milk, squirrels, garden dirt, horses, riding a bicycle, swimming, or even petting a dog. Timid Willie has no friends and cannot read.We learn through the course of the book about Tom’s life as a young man and the tragedy of his beloved wife Rachel. His gruffness begins to fall away as he and his little dog Sammmy help Willie learn to read and to heal. Willie begins to live life as a normal boy with Tom’s kindness and his newfound friend, Zack, a fellow evacuee who is Jewish. Willie makes friends, and his talent for drawing and painting begins to blossom. He becomes a part of life in Little Weirwold. It’s a happy life, in spite of the outbreak of war.The reader begins to forget that Willie is an evacuee. He has gradually become a happy, healthy, pink-cheeked little boy–not Willie any longer, but the “William” that Tom has helped him to be. William and Zack, such opposites, are the best of friends (or, as Zack says, they’re “jolly, jolly fine!”)Then comes a message that William’s mother is ill. She wants him back in London. William must leave his life in Little Weirwold to reunite with his mother. Tom waits for three weeks, but there is no word from William. Fear drives Tom to board the train to London to seek out the boy he was begun to love as his own. . .American readers will learn a great deal about English life during the 1930-40’s: Terms like “blackout curtains,” “Anderson shelter,” “balaclava,” billeting,” “cuppa” “drapers” and “Mackintosh.” Various British accents of the characters mingle to create a realistic portrayal of the island: Tom’s thick country accent, Zack’s “posh BBC” kind of London accent, Glad’s toothless lisp, and even the young Scottish soldier’s speech on the train. Most of all, it is a rich story about realistic characters that unfolds gradually and naturally–or as Tom says, “Everythin’ in its own time.”Although we meet Willie’s mother only once in the book, fairly late, she remains the unseen force that controls William’s life. Willie has been abused, but the abuse is not the focus of the plot. It is the relationships between Willie, Tom, and Zack, which give the story its heart. Ultimately, it is the mother who determines what happens for William and Tom.Good Night, Mr. Tom, is truly a heartwarming story, bittersweet, at times a bit raw, but never contrived. Michelle Magoria received the 1982 IRA Children’s Book Award as a new author. I would strongly recommend this for readers ages 11 and up who enjoy history and are looking for a quality reading experience.

⭐ “Good Night, Mr. Tom” by Michelle MagorianWinner, 1982 International Reading Association Children’s Book AwardNotable 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)It’s not often that a book receives so many honors from so many different groups, making “Good Night, Mr. Tom” very special. The story is set during early World War II when London and coastal cities in England were being bombed. Children in these areas were evacuated to the country where willing families took them in for unspecified lengths of service. (If you recall The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe , the book or film, then you understand this evacuation.)Pale, thin, and small for his age, William Beech (Willie, he is called) is placed with Tom Oakley, a gruff man in his 60’s and resident of Wierwold, a tiny village north of London. What Tom discovers is a multitude of bruises and sores from repeated beatings with Willie’s big belt and buckle that hold up his pants.It’s with this discovery that Tom rises up outside himself to become not only a caretaker for the duration, but eventually a father figure. As a young man, Tom lost his beloved wife and baby son in childbirth and became the town’s recluse. We don’t know his occupation, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he hadn’t been a weaver, much like that one in Raveloe, who also was reclaimed by a foundling, that ol’ Silas Marner.Like Silas, Tom has not had much to do with other villagers until now. Caring for an abused boy brings him out of himself and into the world to assume the care–quite capably and generously–for this bedraggled boy.In the six months or so that Tom has the boy, Willie grows out of his fear into love and friendship. Even at 10 he cannot read, but Tom teaches him. Willie slowly joins a world he didn’t know existed. Also, he becomes very best friends with Zach, another evacuee (his first friend at that).All good things come to an end. Tom receives a telegram from the mother, requesting Willie return home. She is ill and needs him. Willie can barely remember this creature he calls his mother and fears this trip.”Good Night, Mr. Tom” is truly a heartwarming book. Watching not only Will learn to love, but also Tom is a reading experience to savor. Fearing for Will as he returns to the viper’s nest is painful.The first half of the book is about the opening of hearts and thewelcoming of love and relationships. The second half is about family love.This is truly a book well worth the reading!

⭐ It’s a good book and well written but the horrific description of the child abuse will keep me from recommending this book. Fortunately it’s a book, so you can skip that part if it bothers you. I’m glad I didn’t read it as a child.

⭐ Touching, important, and very well written. During WWII, children are sent out of London to a little village fairly safe from destuction wrought by Nazi airpower. Tom, an aging, lonely farmer and unlikely candidate for parenting, takes in a traumatized, weak boy. The relationship between the two is the meat of the story, powerful enough to bring one to tears as Tom rescues the boy from suffering and the pair grow in fondness for one another.I was not enamored as much of the boy’s peripheral relationships with newfound friends, with the exception of his friendship with a Jewish boy. The other friendships seemed to me like filler. Nevertheless, in my opinion the book is excellent on the whole.

⭐ As soon as I started the book, I realised that it was aimed at a young audience. The basic language, the lack of deep hidden meanings and the basic plot were giveaways. I’m glad I persisted because I soon realised, these were the book’s charms. If you’re just looking for something not too heavy to read – something to relax with on your verandah while you have a cup of tea – this is for you. I quickly had an appreciation of the things we take for granted these days (like cars, electric lights and indoor toilets), the simple life, the beauty that surrounds us and the horror of war.This should be prescribed reading for everyone. Go ahead, read it, feel the lump in your throat and the tear in your eye. You won’t regret it.

⭐ I enjoyed this book when I was younger and still enjoy it. Depending on the age of the intended reader, discussion of certain issues would be appropriate. Issues such as child abuse, death and loss, mental problems and a few others do enter into this story, so if you are getting it for a child, the child’s parent may want to read the book to/with the child. It really is a wonderful story and one i would recommend for everyone above the age of ten (depending on parental preferences and child’s reading level this age may need to be adjusted upwards).

⭐ I first read this book in elementary school and loved it then, and I have just re-read it as an adult, and it is still extraordinary. First and foremost, the book tells the compelling story of a young boy from London sent to the countryside during World War II. He leaves behind an abusive mother to live with an old man who has cut himself off from the world since the death of his wife and child. The two bring each other back to life, and it is a joy to read the story of their rebirth. This book is more than an old tale retold, however; plot twists and unique supporting characters make it fascinating, and for a young person, it is interesting to read about a different time and a different country.

⭐ I was so glad to finally get this. I tried ordering it elsewhere and I received a French playwright copy. Not even a great bookstore carried it. It is a great read and my daughters favorite book. I was glad that I could finally get a copy that is hers. It got here fast and we are very pleased. Thanks so much!

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