A review by firstwords
Good Night, Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian

5.0

I was reminded of this young adult novel when reviewing the Book Thief. This is a good read for a high school/college student, although some younger readers could probably handle it. Reading it for the first time myself at this age, it contained parts that were very shocking and graphic in their explanation. Without rehashing the synopsis, it is a very engaging story of a young boy sent to England's countryside during WWII, to live with the "curmudgeonly old man" archetype of Mr. Tom. Some of the usual interaction you would expect from a story of this sort by now are there, but mostly it is a much deeper, more sincere look at the relationship between these two. I strongly recommend this book for young adults age 12-26, or for adults wanting an enjoyable read. This is also a good novel for someone looking to move from "pulp" titles to deeper novels, as it is a straightforward storytelling style (without being boring) with clear character development and storyline. I will likely reread this at some point.

As was mentioned in passing earlier, there are some pretty rough bits at the end of the book, as far as treatment of children. Just be aware when handing it off to someone to read.