This book was as wonderful as I remembered. Heartbreaking and heartwarming in equal measure, beautifully written and a classic!

This is a lovely book although at times it's a sad and grim read. Willie is an abused and neglected child who at the beginning of WW2 is allocated to an elderly reclusive widower when he's evacuated from Deptford, London to the rural community of Little Weirwold. They've both been damaged by their experiences of iife but with patience, kindness, love and a strong community great things can happen,

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House who are publishing a special 40th anniversary edition. I have given Goodnight Mister Tom by Michele Magorian five out of five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have to admit I was surprised that I had never read this book before; this would’ve definitely been a book I would’ve loved when I enjoyed reading Michael Morpurgo. However, I’m so glad I finally picked it up because this book absolutely ruined me and is a new found favourite!

This is an incredibly emotional, touching and hopeful story based around WWII and evacuees. One evacuee in particular, Willie Beech. When we first meet Willie, he’s a frightened and traumatised boy who has been abused and neglected by his mother. That is until he moves to Little Weirwold and meets Tom Oakley, a grumpy man who keeps to himself. As they become acquainted with one another, the friendship, love and happiness that starts to blossom between the two is unmatched. I found myself smiling, tearing up and in awe at this book.

We’re introduced to more evacuated children in the town who also become a special part of Willie’s life and my life too. This book is beautifully written; from the atmospheric descriptions to the accented language in which they speak in Little Weirwold. The best way I can describe Goodnight Mister Tom is with an oxymoron: an uplifting tearjerker.

I definitely want to watch the movie adaptation to Goodnight Mister Tom in the near future as I’ve heard lots of wonderful things about it although I expect I’ll bawl my eyes out more at an adaptation. I would recommend this book to absolutely everyone.

I haven't read this book for years, since I was a girl. It made me cry then and made me cry now. The fear that Will feels resounded even more now that I'm a parent and I wonder at the cruelty imposed. Thank heavens for the kind Mister Tom who took him in and rescues him. It is a book where humanity and kindness wins against cruelty. The setting of WW2 is one that alway interests me as my own parents were small at this time and my Mother had evacuees stay with her. This is a book that I recommend to all children to read.

A beautifully written book, which I have read to many many Year 6 classes. Still has the power to make me cry. I timeless classic.

Such a great classic. Will always make me cry but never to old to read this book.
This will always have room on my bookshelf.

This review will be extremely biased because Goodnight Mister Tom is my all time favourite book. With that being said, I really enjoyed this edition. The extra story of Tom's younger years added further depth to his character and was thoroughly heart warming and heartbreaking at the same time. Please, if you have not read Goodnight Mister Tom, I implore that you do. It is a beautiful story of love, trust, growth and compassion, and it has made me cry literally every time I have read it (which is a lot of times btw...).

I can't believe as a 28-year-old, this was the first time I've read Goodnight Mister Tom. I'm sure I would have watched the movie as a child but I feel like the book packs so much more emotion; I'm actually glad I waited until I was an adult to read it as the themes, characters, and events made such a big impact that my childhood self would probably have overlooked.

The story centres around a young, sickly boy, Willie, who is sent to the countryside as an evacuee during World War 2. His mother strongly expresses that she wants him to stay with a God-fearing adult, which is how Willie finds himself on the doorstep of solitary, cantankerous Mr Oakley who lives in a cottage on the outskirts of the church graveyard. The two appear to be polar opposites and it takes a while for them to grow accustomed to each other, but soon, friendship blossoms and the two become inseparable. That is until Willie is summoned back to London to care for his sick mother and isn't heard from again...

Emotional doesn't even cover how much this book touched me deep in my heart. The writing is flawless with beautiful, rich descriptions, and the character-building truly makes the book come to life. I desperately wanted Tom and Will to find happiness, as they complemented one another so well and you could see how much happier their lives were when they were together.

Of course, this is a war story so death is forever lurking around the corner. I appreciated that the author didn't just make this a happy story from start to finish; elements of grief provided realism and terror at a time when people were often scared, alone, and worried for the safety of their loved ones.

It was an honour to read the 40th edition; I particularly loved the extra short story about Rachel and Tom's life together before she passed away. It was an intimate glimpse into their pre-war lives and was a surprise treat after the main story had concluded.

I've read a lot of WW1/WW2 books, but this is by far one of my favourites. It is such a heartwarming story that can be read and enjoyed by children and adults alike. Here's to the next 40 years of people both discovering and rereading this wonderful, timeless classic.

I first read this book age 11 and it’s stayed with me ever since, one of those stories you want your children to read.
It deals with Childhood abuse, mental health issues, grief, loneliness and love in such a safe way that it never drags you down and isn’t inappropriate for children. A wonderful book for all ages.

So good, heartbreaking and gutwrenching. Would highly recommend this book and then some. Hope it still is in libraries on bookshelves.

It is such a beautiful story. It is such a touching novel that deal with many difficult issues such as war, death and child abuse. Despite this, it also shows how hope, friendship and love can help us through those hard times. It is certainly a tear jerker but also uplifting in parts, particularly at the end.

I would definitely re-read this at some point in the future and think it would be a great novel to be used in schools for children ages 10+, particularly if learning about the war and it’s implications.

I first read this book back in the 1990's at school. Our teacher read it to us in class, and I got told off for not paying attention. In actual fact, the teacher was reading far too slowly for me and I'd raced ahead in my own copy and was about 10 pages ahead of the rest of the class. But I'm not still bitter at all...
I'm not going to give an overview of the plot, but rather about the fact that I loved this book when I was 11, and I love it still now. It's wonderfully written with so much emotion. It gives a perfect glance into a war-time child's life - both from the point of view of those who were evacuated from London, but also from those living in the villages who took the children in. And Tom is such a brilliant character - so curmudgeonly and grumpy, yet as his story unfolds you start to realise why, and understand why Will coming to live with him is such a turning point.
The end of the book (don't worry, no spoilers) is heartbreaking, and I don't think I really appreciated it as an 11 year old. It was certainly much more challenging to read about as an adult, with a child of my own.
Overall, a stunning book, and one which well deserves the modern classic label.

An absolute classic. I loved this book as a child and it hasn’t lost its magic! This is one that everyone needs to read at least once.

I already owned a copy of the original book. It is a book that really love. I bought it after watching the fantastic Jonh Thraw Television movie. The book as usual was been more in dept and vivid. It is something that is timeless and can be read, again and again. It stands the test of time as a classic. It was great to get the additional material in this book. I wanted to know more about his son and his wife. This provided that material. It was a worry that it might sit well with the original material, but it was perfect. If you don't already own it, this is the book to go for. If you do it is worth double-dipping for the new material. A true Classic.

Goodnight Mister Tom has stood the test of time and remains a beautiful book. The bonus short story in this edition is a lovely thing, Highly recommended.

I absolutely loved this book as a child, and then as a teenager, and now, as an adult, it still is basically perfect. The characterisation and writing is effortless, it's completely immersive and equally uplifting and heartwarming as it is bittersweet and heartbreaking. It's a book that can be reread over and over again and shared with children and adults alike. The writing is so evocative that I could remember when reading this edition now, exactly what I thought and felt when I read it for the first time as child. Absolute magic.

How wonderful! I enjoyed this book, it's immensely touching with well written characters. Absolutely nothing I did not like about this story set in the UK during WW2 period of child evacuation. I loved the developing relationship between Tom and Willie. This special edition also features interesting background to the story which I also loved. I'm not surprised it received literary awards. My thanks to Netgalley and Penguin for a digital copy in exchange for my review.

Heart-breaking, heartwarming, beautifully written - this is a modern classic for a reason. A really special book.

I read this many years ago when it was first published in 1981, and loved it. I was surprised it was only a runner up for the Carnegie Medal, but delighted when it won the Guardian Fiction Award. I was worried about reading it again, but it was just as good as I remembered. Willie Beech is evacuated from London to the country during the Second World War, leaving behind an abusive religious nutter of a mother, and placed with the reclusive Tom Oakley – a widower. Though there is a lot of sadness in this book its message is one of hope and found-family.

This book has been around for 40 years and is a little younger than me.

It has unfortunately taken me 40 years to read it. Not that I was unaware of the title or the positive impression it had on my daughter reading it as a teenager.

I think I can also remember my children enthusing over a TV adaptation with John Thaw as the title character.

What a pleasure to read it for myself and suggest it was my great loss not to have picked it up beforehand. A story ideally simulated to a young reader which champions the life of one boy forced to leave London as an evacuee.

Tom Oakley is an elderly man; a bit of a loner and stuck in his ways. He is reluctant to take this frail boy in but as he has a room free is obliged to do his bit.

What happens thereafter is a heartwarming adventure of people being forced to change by circumstances but finding in the process genuine loyalty and trust in another person which without any sloppiness is clearly perfect love.

Such a contrast in the lives of people coming to terms with the early days of World War II. Many children couldn’t settle in the countryside and ran away but despite many mishaps and difficult times young William and Tom strike an unbreakable bond.

To receive love you first have to be brave enough to love and care for others. This story shows even then things can be unpicked and even unconditional love can be betrayed. But there are so many uplifting moments here that it has understandably become a classic.

I loved the opportunity that this edition also brings with insights from the author.

There is nothing contrived or illusionary here but a story that captures life in dark times, difficult circumstances and reflects reality and the struggles of growing up.