Goodnight Mister Tom Book Review
I've never really been an avid reader or someone who would read the book before watching the film, which is strange considering I want to write and illustrate children's books! My family usually ridicule my inability to read books without illustrations but maybe that's because I haven't found the right book. I've recently started reading the special edition Harry Potter books illustrated by Jim Kay and am currently on the third one so I guess that's a start! Beginning this project, I had a better understanding of Goodnight Mister Tom through the 1998 film adaptation however wanted to read the book as I thought it would provide a more accurate narrative. Goodnight Mister Tom was written by Michelle Magorian in 1981. The idea came to her while sitting in a laundrette, thinking about nature and the colour that surrounded her, greens and browns in particular. She thought about the trees and leaves, 'A young slim Beech tree and a sturdy oak tree' and from here started thinking about the characteristics they have as people, how they would act, what they would look like and how they would present themselves. Soon after, the story of William Beech and Mister Tom Oakley came into reality. After finishing the book, I thought it would be beneficial to write a review and air my ideas.
The story begins with Will's evacuation to the countryside at the outbreak of World War II, where he is taken straight to the door of a blunt and quite hostile Tom Oakley. His mother's only instruction was that he was to be with someone religious or they at least lived near a church. The two protagonists are at first wary of each other, the audience comes to realise that Tom lost his wife and newborn son due to illness, which explains his hostility. When Will arrives he is incredibly shy and reserved after an abusive life in London with his mother, where he was told he was bad and his behaviour was sinful.
These initial character descriptions introduce us to the characters and give you an insight into their appearance and contrasting personalities. Since tragically losing his family, Tom keeps himself to himself, he hardly speaks to anyone in the village and people have learnt not to get in his way. This resentment is seen to lift as the story progresses and Will enters his life. This young boy who has arrived with a small brown carrier bag with nothing but a toothbrush, belt and a letter to "Whom it concerns" describing how misbehaved Will is. Tom soon discovers how malnourished and badly bruised he is, physically and mentally, and instinctively tries to look after him. Its Tom's persistence, patience and kindness that grows their bond and Will slowly begins to trust Tom, with the understanding that he'd never do anything to upset or hurt him.
I like how Magorian has thought about all the details of evacuation and how much of an unfamiliar landscape the countryside would be to Will. From descriptions like the one below, you can see how fearful he is, or has been told to be of anything unfamiliar. For example, Toms dog Sammy terrifies him as he has never seen one before and doesn't know how to react.
As the story progresses Will gradually becomes less fearful of his surroundings and opens up to Tom a bit more. Used to being bullied in London for being illiterate, it takes a while to break down those barriers however his love of learning becomes prominent when he starts to meet new people like his new school teacher, Annie Hartridge, who he builds a strong bond with and other people in the village who treat him with kindness. In Chapter 3, Will goes into the village post office to post a card when he is first introduced to Zach. Will is enamoured by his mannerisms and appearance, he "Could not take his eyes off him." In Chapter 6 Will meets Zach when he turns up at his front gate and is immediately fascinated by his confidence and his overly positive attitude, they soon become friends.
Before Zach, Will had never had a friend before so this friendship means a lot to him; in turn, he becomes more vocal and confident from hearing Zach's funny way of talking, huge vocabulary and love of telling stories. This meeting is a turning point in the story and the audience starts to see his character progress, Magorian shows these changes through subtle hints of his skin fattening up and getting healthier, he learns to eat, run and play.
Like the other children in the village, he attends school and starts in the lower class as he is illiterate but with hard work and dedication he joins his friends in the higher class soon after. As Wills confidence develops, he finds a love of acting and is spurred on by Zach who says he's a natural. The ability to pull on many emotions as displayed when he plays Scrooge in 'A Christmas Carol' shows the pain he's been through, as its easy for him to step into those roles. With each chapter, you build a better sense of what Wills been through and the torment he's suffered at such a young age, its easy to say that it pulls on your heartstrings and is an emotional read for any age. Will is such a kind-hearted person and only wants to be liked by people so is appreciative of the love he becomes accustomed to from Mister Tom. It's a stark contrast from the upbringing he's been used to in London, with his mother associating any action or emotion he has with sin.
This book has such powerful themes of love and family in the non-traditional sense, the relationship between Tom and Will is as strong as a parent-child bond as they've encouraged each other to grow and found happiness in each others company, pushing through their sufferings. Much of the story is based around the countryside and Will's progression, coming to terms with such a new environment and realising the compassion and love that people have for him. The book roughly follows Todorov's narrative of 'Stability, Chaos, Stability' with the chaos being when Will returns home after his mother writes saying she is ill and wants him to return to London. After adapting to his new home, he is fearful of returning to his mother's beatings.
When he arrives in war-torn London, he is treated horrifically by his mother and is left to look after her baby after she leaves them in a cupboard, tied up and locked in. Tom becomes increasingly worried after having no response to his letters so decides to go to London to find him. Although the writer leaves much of the house and cities state to the reader's imagination, its an emotional read knowing the circumstances and brutal conditions he's been left in. Luckily, Tom rescues him and his now dead sister, and after an awful hospital experience, sneaks him back to the countryside, Will is relieved that Tom cared enough to come and get him but it takes a long time for him to recover from this terrifying experience. This contextual element highlights the theme of darkness and fear brought about by war as it has affected everyone around him.
Soon after the rescue, Tom adopts Will so he doesn't have to go into care after hearing of his mother's death and having no other family to look after him. The two are happy once again and Will is relieved that he gets to live with Mister Tom. The story continues and Zach and Will go on holiday with Tom to the seaside where Will learns to swim and float. I enjoyed this chapter as it showed the childhood Will should've had, being around friends and having the opportunity to go on adventures. They share many experiences together before Zach returns to London after hearing his father has been injured and Zach then tragically dies in an explosion. The heartache and sadness Will feels projects onto the reader, knowing how close the two were it takes a long time for Will to find some kind of normality and a way to live without his best friend. Through friends and family, he comes to terms with it and realises that Zach is always going to be with him and their bond can never be broken. Retrieving Zachs red bike and teaching himself to ride is a heartwarming part of Wills story of survival and recovery.
In summary, I enjoyed Goodnight Mister Tom although it was emotional at times, it was incredibly moving and shows how deeply the kindness of strangers can impact someone's life. I think it's a good read for all ages and has good morals for children, even if they mightn't fully understand the context. I feel confident in creating a book cover that considers some of these themes and shows the positivity Will has had in the countryside.
The story begins with Will's evacuation to the countryside at the outbreak of World War II, where he is taken straight to the door of a blunt and quite hostile Tom Oakley. His mother's only instruction was that he was to be with someone religious or they at least lived near a church. The two protagonists are at first wary of each other, the audience comes to realise that Tom lost his wife and newborn son due to illness, which explains his hostility. When Will arrives he is incredibly shy and reserved after an abusive life in London with his mother, where he was told he was bad and his behaviour was sinful.
"Tom took a second look at the child. The boy was thin and sickly-looking, pale with limp sandy hair and dull grey eyes."
- Chapter 1, Page 3
"Tom was well into his sixties, a healthy, robust, stockily-built man with a head of thick white hair. Although he was of average height, in Willie's eyes he was a towering giant with skin like coarse, wrinkled brown paper and a voice like thunder."
- Chapter 1, Page 3
These initial character descriptions introduce us to the characters and give you an insight into their appearance and contrasting personalities. Since tragically losing his family, Tom keeps himself to himself, he hardly speaks to anyone in the village and people have learnt not to get in his way. This resentment is seen to lift as the story progresses and Will enters his life. This young boy who has arrived with a small brown carrier bag with nothing but a toothbrush, belt and a letter to "Whom it concerns" describing how misbehaved Will is. Tom soon discovers how malnourished and badly bruised he is, physically and mentally, and instinctively tries to look after him. Its Tom's persistence, patience and kindness that grows their bond and Will slowly begins to trust Tom, with the understanding that he'd never do anything to upset or hurt him.
I like how Magorian has thought about all the details of evacuation and how much of an unfamiliar landscape the countryside would be to Will. From descriptions like the one below, you can see how fearful he is, or has been told to be of anything unfamiliar. For example, Toms dog Sammy terrifies him as he has never seen one before and doesn't know how to react.
"Sniffing and scratching among the leaves at the foot of the tree was a squirrel. He recognised its shape from pictures but he wasn't prepared for one that moved. He was terrified and remained in a crouched position. Willie stayed motionless, hardly breathing."
- Chapter 1, Page 12
As the story progresses Will gradually becomes less fearful of his surroundings and opens up to Tom a bit more. Used to being bullied in London for being illiterate, it takes a while to break down those barriers however his love of learning becomes prominent when he starts to meet new people like his new school teacher, Annie Hartridge, who he builds a strong bond with and other people in the village who treat him with kindness. In Chapter 3, Will goes into the village post office to post a card when he is first introduced to Zach. Will is enamoured by his mannerisms and appearance, he "Could not take his eyes off him." In Chapter 6 Will meets Zach when he turns up at his front gate and is immediately fascinated by his confidence and his overly positive attitude, they soon become friends.
"You're William Beech, aren't you?"
Willie nodded. "Pleased to meet you. I'm Zacharias Wrench."
"Oh," said Willie.
"Yes, I know. It's a mouthful, isn't it? My parents have a cruel sense of humour. I'm called Zach for short."
Willie nodded. "Pleased to meet you. I'm Zacharias Wrench."
"Oh," said Willie.
"Yes, I know. It's a mouthful, isn't it? My parents have a cruel sense of humour. I'm called Zach for short."
- Chapter 6, Page 103
Before Zach, Will had never had a friend before so this friendship means a lot to him; in turn, he becomes more vocal and confident from hearing Zach's funny way of talking, huge vocabulary and love of telling stories. This meeting is a turning point in the story and the audience starts to see his character progress, Magorian shows these changes through subtle hints of his skin fattening up and getting healthier, he learns to eat, run and play.
Like the other children in the village, he attends school and starts in the lower class as he is illiterate but with hard work and dedication he joins his friends in the higher class soon after. As Wills confidence develops, he finds a love of acting and is spurred on by Zach who says he's a natural. The ability to pull on many emotions as displayed when he plays Scrooge in 'A Christmas Carol' shows the pain he's been through, as its easy for him to step into those roles. With each chapter, you build a better sense of what Wills been through and the torment he's suffered at such a young age, its easy to say that it pulls on your heartstrings and is an emotional read for any age. Will is such a kind-hearted person and only wants to be liked by people so is appreciative of the love he becomes accustomed to from Mister Tom. It's a stark contrast from the upbringing he's been used to in London, with his mother associating any action or emotion he has with sin.
This book has such powerful themes of love and family in the non-traditional sense, the relationship between Tom and Will is as strong as a parent-child bond as they've encouraged each other to grow and found happiness in each others company, pushing through their sufferings. Much of the story is based around the countryside and Will's progression, coming to terms with such a new environment and realising the compassion and love that people have for him. The book roughly follows Todorov's narrative of 'Stability, Chaos, Stability' with the chaos being when Will returns home after his mother writes saying she is ill and wants him to return to London. After adapting to his new home, he is fearful of returning to his mother's beatings.
When he arrives in war-torn London, he is treated horrifically by his mother and is left to look after her baby after she leaves them in a cupboard, tied up and locked in. Tom becomes increasingly worried after having no response to his letters so decides to go to London to find him. Although the writer leaves much of the house and cities state to the reader's imagination, its an emotional read knowing the circumstances and brutal conditions he's been left in. Luckily, Tom rescues him and his now dead sister, and after an awful hospital experience, sneaks him back to the countryside, Will is relieved that Tom cared enough to come and get him but it takes a long time for him to recover from this terrifying experience. This contextual element highlights the theme of darkness and fear brought about by war as it has affected everyone around him.
"They turned to see Zach standing at the doorway in his pyjamas. He ran across to the sofa and looked down at Will's inert body."
"I knew you'd bring him back," he said fiercely, tears in his eyes."
"I knew you'd bring him back," he said fiercely, tears in his eyes."
- Chapter 17, Page 331
Soon after the rescue, Tom adopts Will so he doesn't have to go into care after hearing of his mother's death and having no other family to look after him. The two are happy once again and Will is relieved that he gets to live with Mister Tom. The story continues and Zach and Will go on holiday with Tom to the seaside where Will learns to swim and float. I enjoyed this chapter as it showed the childhood Will should've had, being around friends and having the opportunity to go on adventures. They share many experiences together before Zach returns to London after hearing his father has been injured and Zach then tragically dies in an explosion. The heartache and sadness Will feels projects onto the reader, knowing how close the two were it takes a long time for Will to find some kind of normality and a way to live without his best friend. Through friends and family, he comes to terms with it and realises that Zach is always going to be with him and their bond can never be broken. Retrieving Zachs red bike and teaching himself to ride is a heartwarming part of Wills story of survival and recovery.
"He turned over and listened to the wind howling through the graveyard. He was warm and happy. He sighed. It was good to be alive."
- Chapter 22, Page 433
In summary, I enjoyed Goodnight Mister Tom although it was emotional at times, it was incredibly moving and shows how deeply the kindness of strangers can impact someone's life. I think it's a good read for all ages and has good morals for children, even if they mightn't fully understand the context. I feel confident in creating a book cover that considers some of these themes and shows the positivity Will has had in the countryside.
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