Goodnight Mister Tom

Name: Goodnight Mister Tom
Rating: 4.68 (8700 reviews)

by Michelle Magorian

First published 1981

Amazon

4.7(8,700)

When London children are evacuated at the outbreak of the Second World War, Willie Beech is placed with the reclusive widower Tom Oakley in a rural village. Willie arrives frightened, undernourished and unable to read, but Tom’s patient care and the friendships he forms gradually allow him to experience security, learning and affection for the first time.

The novel contrasts the communal life of the wartime countryside with the abuse and deprivation Willie has known in London. Evacuation, air raids, bereavement and the threat of forced return give the story its historical structure, while the relationship between Willie and Tom examines how trust and chosen family can be rebuilt after trauma.