Goodnight Mister Tom has always been one of my favourite stories from when I was younger. I remember my mum bought me the book for my Christmas one year after I watched the drama on TV and I loved it. The novel was actually written in 1981 by Michelle Magorian and the drama was first played on TV in 1998. The drama was directed by Jack Gold and I remember it being brilliant. The story is about a young boy called William Beech who was just 10 years old when he was evacuated from his home town, London, where he lived with his mother during the Second World War. William is amongst a group of children brought to a quiet village and a gentleman called Tom Oakley is ...  Read the complete review

My eldest son is in Year 4 (second year of Juniors or 8-9 year olds in old money) and last term he and I read Goodnight Mister Tom together in support of the WW2 syllabus subject that they were following. I found that what is essentially a children's novel (in the vein of The Railway Children and The Chronicles of Narnia) and which appears on the school syllabus, had both the depth and gravity of a novel aimed at adults, whilst remaining accessible to the younger reader. To be frank, I was surprised at how moved I was when reading it. The book, by Michelle Magorian, was published in 1980 and tells the story of a WW2 evacuee, Will, who leaves London to live in ...  Read the complete review

I have always loved reading and have done so from an early age. When I first started high school, I had a great English teacher who gave me some great tips on books and most she recommended, I enjoyed. One such book was this one by Michelle Magorian and I never forget reading it for the first time as I truly loved it and was so caught up in the book. The author: Michelle Magorian is an English author who was born in 1947. Even though, she was raised after the war ended, this era plays quite a big part in this book. She has written mainly books aimed at teenagers and young children as well as some poetry books. This particular book was adapted for TV in ...  Read the complete review

Goodnight, Mr Tom is a heart-warming tale of an evacuee, sent into the country from London, during the Second World War. The evacuee, William Beech, is a young boy who has been separated from his abusive mother, to live out the war in the country. He is “assigned” to Old Mr Tom Oakley, a hardened widower who lost his young wife and small son many years ago. Mr Tom struggles to reach out to poor Willie, eventually realising that he is just a scared, lonely and abused little boy, who has never been taught to read and write. Together they journey through the tale, discovering hidden talents of Willie’s, accepting past memories and seeking out new friends. ...  Read the complete review

Goodnight Mr. Tom is a wonderful tale of emotions concerning a small, meek evacuee (William Beech) drafted into the country from London in World War II and the impact he has on a gruff, unsocialable old country man. (Thomas Oakley) It is a modern, classic tale, the likes of which can be precious few. The tale develops beautifully, showing how William gradually adapts to life in the country, and life in general. At 8 years old, his gruff supervisor soon warms to the new child in his life, bringing back past memories for him. At the same time, his instant impressions of the terrified boy suggest to him that something is badly wrong, and after a wonderful few ...  Read the complete review