Goodnight Mister Tom - Michelle Magorian

Advantages: Beautifully written, emotional, enjoyable
Disadvantages: None

I read this book when I was 12 and regard it as one of my favourite childhood books. It is an incredibly touching story, set during World War II. William Beech is an 8 year old boy who is evacuated from London because of the bombings and he is sent to safety in the countryside. He is taken in (reluctantly) by Tom Oakley, a grumpy widower. It soon becomes clear that William has been cruelly treated by his mother. She regularly beats him and sends ...
...is staying with can also beat him. However, Tom refuses to use it. William is a weedy boy, who looks sickly and ill. He is clearly frightened and distressed and thinks that Tom will beat him like his mother does. He frequently wets the bed, but Tom is very understanding, and as William becomes more comfortable and happy, the bed wetting stops. William goes to school but cannot read or write. With tuition from "Mr. Tom" he flourishes. He also has ... Read review

Advantages: Emotional. Gripping. Addictive.
Disadvantages: None at all.

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) 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 ...
...the terrified boy suggest to him that something is badly wrong, and after a wonderful few months for William, the suspicions are raised again, when William's mother summons him back to London. Magorian develops the emotions and love between characters very well, shown by William's precious friendships, his reaction to a terrible piece of bad news, and most touching, how he and 'Mr. Tom' develop a bond that cannot be separated. Could it be this that ... Read review

Advantages: Heart Warming, Emotional, Suitable for all Ages
Disadvantages: None

...the journey Willie travels in Goodnight Mr Tom, he also has to see is best friend Zach being called back to London, after his parents are injured in a bombing attack. His positive outlook on life assures Willie that everything is going to be okay, and he'll be back before you know it. Unfortunately this is not to be. Within a few days Willie is stunned by some dreadful news, which affects the local residents of the country village and leaves his ...
...I first read Goodnight Mr Tom when I was at Primary school, and the heartbreaking story of William Beech has stayed with me through my teenage years and young adult hood. Michelle Magorian's expert storytelling never left me, and it was only during the last couple of years that I was able to re-experience the wonders of this tale. Through-out the entire tale of Good Night, Mr Tom the characters are well introduced and expertly placed throughout the ... Read review

Advantages: Great story and characters
Disadvantages: No wizards, so you might have to persude non-bookish kids to read it

I bought this book for my godson as an Xmas present recently, I had been itching to do so as soon as I thought he would be able to read it. This was my absolute favourite book as a child. The storyline is set in the early years of the Second World War, and the main character is an evacuee to the countryside. This aspect of the Second World War always interests children as it is about them. The main character, William, is an abused and undernourished ...
...insane mother. He finds himself in the care of Thomas Oakley, a retired country man who has led a secluded and reclusive life since his wife and son died in childbirth. William makes his first ever friends in the country, and forms a very strong relationship with a Jewish boy of the same age called Zach. William, with the help of everyone in the village, especially Tom and Zach, blossoms and discovers a talent for art, quickly catching up educationally ... Read review

Advantages: Addictive, Emotional
Disadvantages: None

...I paid £4.99 for Goodnight mister Tom and i read it in a couple of days from start to finish i couldn't put the book down as it was so gripping and you can actually get into the lives on the characters. Goodnight mister Tom is based in war time Britain in 1939 and a young boy called William Beech about 8 or 9 years old is evacuated to the country and placed with a gruff old man called Thomas (Tom) Oakley. After a few months there the pair warm to ...
...saw the TV adaption of Goodnight mister Tom first and then the book i prefer to read the book as the TV adaption edits a bit from the book. If you saw the TV adaption of Goodnight mister Tom i would recommend you buy the book as it is a great read from start to finish. ... Read review