Goodnight Mister Tom (1981)

As an ardent anglophile, I loved this wartime novel -- the setting in a small town during WWII and the slow unfurling of the characters was just delightful. I read it, initially, because someone I know is annoyed at The War That Saved My Life, and feels that it was a bad knockoff of this book. I have to say that I liked them both, for different reasons, and while they share the major plotline of an abused child benefiting from the London evacuations, I think they are very different books. This one is for a more mature audience, and confronts worse things, I think, or at least, more extreme ones. Nonetheless, a lovely idyll about love and fresh air and kindness. ( )

Will is an evacuee from London, living in the country away from the impending war. Will is a slight boy, severely abused by his mother, frightened of everything and unsure of his own place and self. He is assigned to live with Tom, a gruff 60-ish man who has spent the last 40 years grieving the death of his young wife and their baby. Under Mr. Tom's care and the support of the villagers, Will grows hale, hearty and confident, while Tom himself opens up from his loner ways. I was concerned at first that this would be overly sentimental but readers who enjoyed "The War That Saved My Life" may enjoy the parallel coming-of-age themes. Contemporary kids may be confused by the war references and terminology (putting up the blacks, carrying gas masks, etc.) unless they already know some background info about wartime living. ( )

Just as great as the first time I read it. ( )

Just as great as the first time I read it. ( )

8-year-old Willie is one of the many London children evacuated to the countryside during WWII. He gets placed with the town curmudgeon, Mr. Tom, and thus a beautifully unlikely pair is born. Willie comes from a poverty-stricken part of London and has been physically and mentally abused by his mother. He's small and thin and weak; he's also far behind where he should be in school. But Mr. Tom, despite his gruff exterior (forged by his own tragic backstory), is all kindness and gentleness when it comes to caring for the boy, and Willie soon starts to thrive. He makes friends, finds confidence in himself, and learns that love isn't terrifying or painful. But then his mother writes that she wants him back home and both he and Mr. Tom have some heavy decisions to make.
Oh, but this is a lovely book. I have an absolute soft spot for Evacuated London Children stories, and this is one of the best. Not only is the relationship between Willie and Mr. Tom so very well crafted, but all the other members of the small country village have depth and their stories are lovingly told as well. It's a perfect mix of heartbreaking and happy-making without being at all saccharine. Highly recommended. ( )