Rating: 
Summary: One of the Best books I've Ever Read
Review: I first read this book as a teenager in Junior High school and have read it many times since in the past 10+ years. It is a wonderful story of an abused boy and a gruff old man who find in each other what they have always wanted, a father for the boy, and a child for the man. Both boy and man have been damaged and they help each other heal and grow. I just love this book and would recommend it to anyone, child or adult. It is a very heartwarming, at times vividly graphic depiction of child abuse and the aftermath. Take heart, it has a happy ending!
Rating:
Summary: A fantastic touching novel for young people
Review: I first read this book in elementary school and loved it then, and I have just re-read it as an adult, and it is still extraordinary. First and foremost, the book tells the compelling story of a young boy from London sent to the countryside during World War II. He leaves behind an abusive mother to live with an old man who has cut himself off from the world since the death of his wife and child. The two bring each other back to life, and it is a joy to read the story of their rebirth. This book is more than an old tale retold, however; plot twists and unique supporting characters make it fascinating, and for a young person, it is interesting to read about a different time and a different country.
Rating:
Summary: An Empowering Story
Review: This book has the power to make you laugh, cry, and want to sing. It is a story of a young boy learning how to live life with joy and without fear, and an old man remembering how to live life. This book is like a dear friend to me. When every I am unhappy I come and read this story, and I feel that my passion for life is renewed. An excellent book for people of all ages.
Rating:
Summary: The Most Saddest And Greatest Book I've Ever Read
Review: Set in pre WW2 Britain this award-winning novel describes
the birth and growing pains of affection between two strangers, joined by the bizarre circumstances of war. Eight-year-old Willie Beech is one of many London kids sent to the country for safety in the late 30's. Recognizing their children as the country's most precious assets, London parents reluctantly
sacrifice the presence of their offspring by entrusting them to the care of country folk. Paired with Tom Oakley, the crusty recluse who lives next door to the church, the lad arrives terrified of everything: the friendly dog, asking questions,
even of smiling. Expecting nothing, he dares not hope to be recognized as a human being. Not that he has had anything to smile abobut in his miserable years alone with a mentally- disturbed, abusive mother. Mr. Tom, as the boy calls him, quickly realizes that the boy is in desperate need of healing: for his tortured body, his twisted mind and his lonely young heart. As the dour man cares for the sick child (malnutrition, bedwetting, nightmares) he develops an unspoken but deep fondess for the unloved and friendless boy. Compassion for Willie brings out Tom's long-buried tenderness. It takes many months for Willie's true self to emerge: good country air, tender care of his battered body, cultivation of his active mind, and the boon of natural socialization with his peers. Gradually sloughing off his urban shell of fear, Willie makes his first friends, learns to read and write, and then discovers his natural talent as an artist. But these evacuees are only temporary residents of Little Weirwold; we realize that eventual separation and future heartbreak are inevitable. What happens when their rightful parents reclaim these kids? This is a heartwarming tale of the transformation of a rejected weakling into a healthy, lively and accepted member of a generous country village. It is also a story of gradual healing and rejoining of the human race by Mr. Tom, the embittered host--who never came to terms with the death of his young wife and infant decades earlier. We learn many details of Britain's preparation for war and the blitz. But this story is really about the value of human relationships. Two separate entities can become a self-contained family unit, but will the authorities permit the boy to stay with the older man, who is no blood kin? Magorian provides touching insight into the mysteries of friendship and the nature of grief, as one abused little boy takes the country cure. GOOD NIGHT MR. TOM presents readers with an historical setting for contemporary understanding of child abuse issues.
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