I read this many many years ago but I have to say it was just as engrossing and wonderful as I remembered, a classic that truly doesn't age. The developing relationship between William and Tom is just beautiful and the writing captures the emotions and nuances perfectly. An excellent new edition that I know will issue as well now as it ever has.

I’ve always loved this book and really appreciated the chance to re-read this after many years. A great way to learn about the life of an evacuee with a focus on the relationship between William, an abused evacuee from London, and Tom, a lonely and withdrawn host. There are heartwarming moments and moments for tears but this is definitely a book all children should read.

This book should be a core one for all KS2 children. What better way to get children to learn about evacuees then jumping right into into story about a boy who has had a hard life at home and then is sent off to a strange old man and his dog. He soon realises that life can be so different. A heartwarming tale about love, loyalty and new beginnings.

Trigger- death of an infant

I first studdied this book at school, and upon a second read for this 40th anniversary edition, it maintains all the joy and emotion as the first read.

This is the story of William and his journey to the country as he starts a new life as an evacuee. Beautifully written, with characters that will never leave you, this edition includes the original short story that was the inspiraton for the book.

Thanks to Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, I know it's very well known but it's not one I had read previously in childhood. The way the characters spoke reminded me of my grandparents (who are from Devon & Cornwall. I'm not sure where the book was set?) which was very comforting and the journey Will went on with Tom, Sammy, Carrie, and Zach was so lovely. I really enjoyed the additional short at the end about Tom and Rachel's life, it referred back to the paint pots he'd bought her in the main book which was a nice touch for this 40th anniversary edition.
The only part I disliked was literally one word, 'golliwog', which made me cringe so hard. I'd like to see it replaced with something way less racist; I appreciate it's a word probably used in war time but it wasn't appropriate then and it certainly isn't now. It would honestly out me off buying the book, which is sad because it really is great otherwise.

It was such a joy to revisit this beautiful story after many years. This story never dates, the love and hope we find in its pages are eternal and outweigh the sorrow and sadness we find there too.
Truly beautiful, was the added short story of Tom & Rachel setting out on their short time together.
This book will remain fresh for very many years to come and if you’ve never read it then you are missing out on something truly heartwarming.

It was such a pleasure to have the opportunity to revisit this wonderful story. It hasn't lost anything in the years and is as fresh today as when I first read it many years ago. The writing is so descriptive that it really did transport me back to the 1940s and made me feel for what the characters were dealing with, both with World War 2 and with the terrible things happening and the loss which the story involves. I couldn't help myself feeling drawn into their world and feeling emotions along with them all.

The characters are wonderful, Mister Tom and young William are, of course, the main characters and the story revolves around them. I loved the way Tom opens up and having William with him changes his life. Also how he, in turn, brings William to life, giving him love and support, through kindness; something very new in William's life. The secondary characters just help to complete a brilliant story.

I did enjoy the prologue about Micelle Magorian's influences for writing the story and also the epilogue with Tom and his wife, Rachel's, story. There is also the edition of the lyrics she wrote for Mister Tom the Musical too.

This isn't an easy read and does deal with some of life's hardest issues, however, it is written in such a way that there is always hope and because of that, it makes the story a joy to read. I am going to get a copy for my ten-year-old granddaughter, I know she will love it too.

Goodnight Mister Tom had already seeped into the recesses of my brain as a children’s book to match the credentials of those such as Wind in the Willows. The story of an evacuee from the East End of London to the wilds of somewhere, it could be predictable. In some ways, though, it set the pattern for other books that followed.

At the same time, the glory of the writing stopped any hint of the mundane. The prose sweeps along, heightening the senses, deepening the pain, excruciating the agony. Having started, I wanted to finish. But I needed the space to sink myself in this world, so marvellously brought back into reality.

It is a tour de force of settings as a character. The village, the city, the countryside, can only be that time and that place. Kids in the countryside could roam free of many parental controls, to run and laugh, and walk for miles to school. That was the way it was. Poor city kids were sewn into their underwear for winter, padded with newspaper to keep them warm. The whole contradictory range of kindness, pettiness, ‘jobs-worth’, and blind bravery. And all this while waiting for Hitler to do something, and then Dunkirk, and then the Blitz.

The spirit of the book changes as the war progresses. Will and his friends start growing in a different direction–kicking against the old world, coming to terms with the new, in which anything is possible. Even girls going on to gain scholarships to the High School (school change at age 11-12)!

I wondered what all the fuss was about with this book. Now I’m in on the secret, and it’s wonderful. If you haven’t read it, grab this anniversary copy, with some nice extras at the back. It’s like Wind in the Willows for another generation.

‘Goodnight Mister Tom’ -Michelle Magorian
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
⚠️ Child abuse, neglect and infant fatality ⚠️

I was delighted to see this title pop up on NetGalley recently! Written by Magorian in 1981, this year marks the 40th Anniversary of its publication.

Undoubtedly, ‘Goodnight Mister Tom’ is a relic from my childhood and one that I distinctly remember reading in school. It’s themes sparked pain, fury and warmth into my heart in equal measures. Some 16 years have passed since I last read it, yet it is still as visceral, distinctive and heartbreaking as I remember.

Characterisation is one of the strengths of this novel. Tom Oakley with his gruff, yet sensitive and consistent nurture he provides, perfectly contrasts with William Beech; a polite and timid boy, suffering sickening consequences due to the unrelenting wrath of his mentally unstable mother. *Sob*

This is one of those novels that evokes such emotion that you are left with no other choice but to hold it near and dear to your heart.

The 40th anniversary is the perfect reason to revisit a children’s classic. It still gives you goosebumps as you follow each emotional step in the relationship between a gruff loner and a timid evacuee trying to find their way with each other. But there is much to learn for both of them and the threat of war on the horizon means that every moment is precious. This is a slice of life that doesn’t shy away from tragedy, but it also will make you smile through your tears.

I haven’t read this book in well over a decade, so it was wonderful to be reminded how pleasant it was to spend time in Tom & William’s company all over again. The additional short story was heartbreaking but in a lovely way. It was the perfect time to release this brief but important development in Tom’s character and will entice readers into picking up this new edition.

It's a heartfelt tale that never lets you down.

I don’t usually read historical drama but over lockdown, I have varied my genre and read several of these books all set in Britain during World War II.
They have all been different from one another including this one.
This is about a little boy evacuated to the country. I often think about evacuee going from their loving family in the city to strangers in the country who may or may not treat them well. This however was different as William was sent from an abusive home having never experienced love or joy to..... a grumpy man. A grumpy loving man who widowed at 20 and grieved and then forgot how to integrate with people. William was an unwanted house guest initially but as Mr Tom was a loving, gentle man under his gruff exterior the two of them saved one another from their own traumas. The story was about about the growth of both William and Mr Tom. It is filled with joy in parts and sadness in others. A heart warming story.
This copy is the 40th anniversary copy and includes a prologue from the author about her inspiration for the book and an additional chapter at the end about the death of Thomas’s wife as well as a few songs from the musical.
A sheer joy for older children and adults alike to read.
Many thanks to #GoodnightMisterTom #NetGalley for the opportunity to read this treasure of a book.

I enjoyed Goodnight Mister Tom, but wasn’t quite as unreservedly enthusiastic as many reviewers.

The story is of an abused and traumatised young boy evacuated to a small village at the start of the Second World War, where he is taken in by a grumpy, reclusive old man and of how they both heal as they grow to love each other. It could have been sickeningly sentimental, but is very well done so that it is actually touching and humane. Tom Oakley didn’t actually seem that forbidding to me at the start, but William’s bemusement in the face of friendship and kindness was very convincing, as were his slow acceptance of the goodness of the people around him and his discoveries about himself.

The book isn’t all sweetness and redemption; there is sorrow and loss, plus one very dark episode, but overall but is a warm and fulfilling tale. I did think that it ran out of steam rather in the closing chapters; a seaside holiday was almost Enid Blyton-esque in its idyll and Will’s final coming to terms with what has happened to him didn’t ring nearly as true as the earlier parts. Nonetheless, this is an involving and touching book which I can recommend.

(My thanks to Puffin Books for an ARC via NetGalley.)

Fantastic book. I’m a teacher and used this as our class novel. The children really enjoyed it.
A good insight into the situation evacuees found themselves in during the Second World War.

Goodnight Mister Tom is such a classic, beautiful book. I hadn't read it for many, many years but it still touched me in the same way it did the first time I read it when I was young. It's such an emotional read and I look forward to reading it to my little boy once he is old enough.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

Lovely modern classic. First time that I have read it and really enjoyed it. Well writeen and unforgettable characters. Will look forward to reading it again with the kids.

Thanks to Netgalley and publishers for allowing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I shared this with my two children, we all loved reading it. An emotional story with great characters.

This was one of my favorites in primary school and I'm glad it was still as good as I remembered it being. I still cried several times, especially at the short story as I knew what was coming there but had forgotten elements of the main novel. The musical songs were also great and really seemed to match the characters.

This is an absolutely beautiful modern classic. I hadn't re-read the book for many years, probably since I was a teenager, but it still made me incredibly emotional. It is always billed as a children's book but it is so much more than that. A fantastic story that can and will be loved by all ages for a very long time to come.

Utterly brilliant, for adults as well 9-12s! Heart breaking, heart mending and so much more

I am most definitely way beyond being 9-12, but of course, at one time WAS. I never came across this, as I was beyond the target age when it was published first in the early 80s, but I absolutely know I would have completely adored it, surrendered to it, immersed myself in it, wept buckets, giggled a lot, and identified in some way with all the young characters. The advantage of reading it as an adult, is that my inner 9-12 engaged with all of that – only this time, I identified with all the adults in some way, too – even the less than pleasant ones, as Magorian manages to give the most dreadful one, some kind of compassion for the depth of their damage.

Set just before the outbreak of the second World War, and on into the Blitz and beyond, this is the story of William Beech, a small, undernourished, terrified, friendless 8 year old Londoner, evacuated to the country. He has had unbearably cruel beginnings. He is billeted with Tom Oakley, a reclusive, outwardly grumpy man in his sixties. ‘Mister Tom’ is a tender and loving man, but one of those so touched by a personal loss, as a young man, that he has built a carapace of irascibility as self-protection from his own sensitivity to the pain of others. A beautiful mutual lesson of healing happens between the two. There is so much JOY in this book, despite it sometimes holding deep and painful suffering. William finds a wonderful band of young friends, and each of the children has their own journey, and will make the reader (whether child or adult) think about many things. It is also a book full of wonderful childish mischief, humour, and the utter magic of friendship. The book has something of everything – including a dog and a horse!

Prepare for the enchantment of reality.

I’m thrilled to have had this 40th anniversary republication offered as an ARC. It also contains an account by the author of its gestation, a postscript story of Tom’s traumatic bereavement as a young man ( the genesis for the book was initially two short stories, one about Willie’s initial arrival as an evacuee, and Tom and Willie’s first day together, and the other, the story of Tom’s loss). There are also four song lyrics, from the book of Goodnight Mister Tom, - the Musical, which Magorian also wrote.

I was so impressed with this that I have immediately bought Magorian’s 1987 Puffin published ‘Back Home’

It has been many years since I last read this novel and it was the draw of the new short story that really piqued my curiosity.
The book is as good as I remember it being and it still made me cry more than once, I wish I could remember if the tears came at the same point as when I was younger.
The new story was interesting but I am glad that the novel took the form it did ultimately.

I am pleased that after 40 years the book feels as fresh and up to date as it does, unlike other classic children's books that I've revisited with my nephew