Good Night, Mr. Tom !FULL!
I really liked this book because you don't know what will happen next so its very exiting. The characters in this book are all quite different which makes it not be boring. my favourite character in this book is Ginny because she decided to take a test that girls didn't usually do. 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.
Good Night, Mr. Tom
I enjoyed this book as it is a moving story about a boy who was evacuated in the war. His home life was not good so he was lucky to get evacuated. The person he was living with was nice and the boy liked where he was.
This is not a light-hearted story. The author does not shy away from descriptions of abuse, nor does she spare details when describing the horrors of the Blitz, which effect more than one character in the novel. However, there is a sweetness and a goodness to this story which balances out its more heartbreaking aspects. Its sense of place is phenomenal. You come to love the characters in the small village, and as the book lasts for most of the war, you also begin admiring their courage and every day heroics.
Tom introduces the boy into his home and quickly takes note of his sickly and quiet demeanor. Tom makes arrangements so that Willie can be comfortable in his home: he fixes him his own jacket peg, and prepares a meal. While they eat together, Tom notices bruises on Willie's legs. Tom goes out to do some errands. Willie sits in the house and quietly reprimands himself that he must "be good" like his mother told him. Willie starts to fear that Mr. Oakley will discover that he is bad and punish him. Willie goes to visit the graveyard next to Tom's cottage. There, he encounters a young man and woman. The woman is Mrs. Hartridge, the teacher at the local school.
In the first two chapters of the book, we get a deep insight into both protagonists. Right away, we are shown that Willie is a nervous, fearful boy with a history of abuse from his mother. This abuse has clearly shaped his mannerisms, which Tom notices right away. Willie fears possible punishment so much that he often stays quiet. Because of being abused, Willie sees the world as an innately dangerous place where there is violence lurking in every corner. He easily becomes frightened of mundane things, such as the squirrel in the graveyard. Willie's religious upbringing is one focused on abstaining from the sins of the world. We see that Willie tries so hard to be a good, sinless boy that he hides himself, incapable of communicating with Tom in certain moments.
This was a film made for tv so I'm not sure how much of an audience this has had across the pond in the states but its a lovely movie. That's the only word for it, lovely. Not good or great but lovely.
Back with Mister Tom, William is much damaged by his ordeal and is also blaming himself for the death of his sister as he had not been able to provide enough milk to feed her whilst locked away, and becomes very depressed. Later, when his favourite teacher Annie Hartridge has a baby, William is shocked to learn from Zach that a woman cannot conceive a child on her own and realises that his mother was having a relationship with a man, even though she had previously told him that it was wrong for unmarried couples to live together or have children together (something which society, in general, had regarded as unacceptable at this time). Tom is traced by the authorities, who have come to tell William that his mother is dead, having taken her own life. They also offer him a place in a children's home, as they've been unable to trace any other relatives who may have been able to take care of him. But luckily, the authorities realise that William has already found a good home, and allow Tom to adopt him.
In the months following, William grows closer to Carrie, one of his friends. One night, on returning home to Tom (whom he now calls "Dad"), he thinks back on how much he has changed since arriving in Little Weirwold and realises that he is growing. And he hasn't forgotten about Zach.
The mood is dampened by the appearance of Mrs Beech (Hope Groizard) like a stormcloud across the back balcony, and the singing falls silent as she escorts her son William (tonight, Jasper Simmons) on to the platform. This is another motif of the production: the nature of the war means that the music of everyday life is repeatedly interrupted by a minor chord, often in the form of a telegram bearing sad news of a loved one in Europe. Thanks to the impetus of the performances, though, we are never asked to dwell on these moments for too long, and we keep smiling through. 041b061a72