It was for their own safety, of course, London was too dangerous, one of the prime targets for Hitlers bombing campaign, so the relative safety of country villages was thought to be the answer. Ah, Mister Tom, if only that were so easy for you to convince yourself with just words, because the moment eight-year-old evacuee, Willie, comes to stay at his home in Little Weirwold, Goodnight Mister Tom beautifully shows just how difficult it is for us to follow through on our own constituents. 🌸When you welcome someone into your home, you also welcome them into your heart. And Michelle Magorian’s first novel poignantly shows exactly that - a heart-warming and emotional read that gently reminds us how kindness and love can bring happiness and joy to those hearts that have never had the chance to receive it. 🫶🏻🫶🏻 Guardian children's fiction prize relaunched: Entry details and list of past winners". The Guardian 12 March 2001. Retrieved 4 August 2012.

As I mentioned, I read this book when I was ten and now twelve years later this book was still beautiful. It has aged extremely well. I love wry humor - I love humor that is never outwardly spoken, but you have to find it in the little subtexts - those little nuances that indicate that it is said with a lilt that makes it a humorous tone - blink and you'll miss it. And these little moments of Zach spouting his signature phrase touched my heart at how it added such levity to the seriousness of the scene. And --- and then, my heart broke when Ms. Magorian led us down a path of Zach's fate that I was not prepared for. 🥺🥺 He was standing quite still, feeling both paralysed and yet at the same time filled with a flood of energy. This is such a great story, it’s about the transformative power of kindness and understanding, of patience and friendship. My favourite charater is Tom. He is really kind to Willie, and he was caring for him, unlike his mum, who was horrible and usally beat him up.As he observed it tumble and fall between the wood and hot coke, it occurred to him that strength was quite different from toughness and that being vulnerable wasn’t the same as being weak.” I would recommend this book to children above the age of 9 as it is a good book but some parts are sad and parts of it could be quite disturbing for younger children.

I honestly have to ask- how did this novel get such a high rating? It was easily one of the worst novels I have ever read. Both Mr Tom and Williams lives change for the better as they develop a bond and both come out of the shells. Both learn to trust again after hardships they have both faced and develop into a lovely fatherly son team. Curious Night at the Oliviers". Olivier Awards. 28 April 2013. Archived from the original on 1 May 2013 . Retrieved 29 April 2013.Good Night, Mr. Tom study guide contains a biography of Michelle Magorian, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. The novel has been adapted as a stage musical and as the film Goodnight Mister Tom (1998). In 2003, it was listed at #49 on the BBC's survey The Big Read. [4] The most recent theatrical adaptation, Goodnight Mister Tom, won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Entertainment. [5] Plot [ edit ] Tom Oakley, or "Mister Tom" as William calls him, is a reclusive and ill-tempered widower in his sixties. He is avoided by the community and vice versa. William's mother wanted William to live with someone who was either religious or lived near a church, and Tom takes in Willie. Though initially distant, Tom is moved after discovering William's home life and treats him with kindness. William grows attached to Tom and his dog, Sammy. It’s about how a man who once lost so much is at last given the chance to show what a truly good man he is, what a wonderful Father he could have been if fate hadn’t robbed him of that opportunity so many years before.

I still laughed (seriously, Zach and I need to be best friends) and I still got teary at certain parts and I still got a warm feeling in my tummy at that epilogue. Joining the ranks of John Boyne’s The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas and Lois Lowry’s Number the Stars comes Michelle Magorian’s Goodnight Mister Tom, a touching tale of wartime woes. Inspired by Nina Bawden's own experiences of living as an evacuee in a Welsh mining valley as a child, Carrie's Waris now considered a modern classic. Funny, sad and thought-provoking. I think I’ve seen this film at least ten times (five of those viewings were on successive video days on the afternoon of every end of term, The Railway Children in the morning, of course.). However, everything is thrown into confusion when Willie is suddenly recalled to London by his neglectful and abusive mother. After several weeks with no letter from Willie, Tom Oakley becomes concerned for his welfare and sets out to London in search of him.Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review* Tom is deeply fond of Willie from the outset, but loathes to admit that he loves the boy as it is a vulnerable position for him. Willie evokes all of his old emotions related to the tragic events of his life, and in that way, Willie initiates a process of healing for Tom. Tom and Will form a deep connection, so much so that Tom is informed through a dream that Willie is in danger while in London. Tom's adoption of Will at the end of the novel allows Tom to finally step into being a father, a role that was cut short for him previously in life.

Some found themselves being expected to sing for their supper by helping on the farms they were sent too. To avoid a gang of bullies during the summer holidays, 12-year-old Elsie eagerly accepts a role in a play at the local theatre. The child reading this book will get to learn the difference between when an adult misbehaves and when an adult actually cares.The friends were pointless, apart from Carrie, who was just stupid. There was literally no reason for the friends to exist, other than filler. Carrie was a local girl who wanted an education. She, and the novel, were so ridiculous I found myself wishing they’d just ban women from school so she could shut up for a bit. I’m a feminist, and the book made me wish women couldn’t go to school. Yeah. She was literally that annoying. Michelle Magorian's classic wartime story is a superbly written and deeply moving tale, which shows that even the most unlikely people can become exceptional parents. In the tense period just before Britain enters what will be WWII, Will, a young boy from London, is sent as an evacuee to the country where he is going to live with Mr Tom, an uncommunicative and what seem to be (on the surface) a grumpy old man. Their encounter will change them both. It will, above all, radically change Will's life. His happiness comes to an end when he is summoned to return to his mother in London and a life of abuse and cruelty. Willie's mother pours anger on him for his new found happiness and hatred for his being friends with Zach because Zach is Jewish. she has hidden a baby she has secretly given birth to.