Goodnight Mister Tom is less about the impact of World War II on children in the forties than about the personal developmental journey of the young William Beech. Arriving in the sleepy countryside village of Little Weirwold alongside the latest cohort of evacuees, he soon finds himself handed over to the gruff Mr Tom. The William we first meet is a silent, cowering and fearful boy, notable only by his silence and skinny frame. Michelle Magorian does brilliant justice to his character by exploring his thoughts and rationale behind his behaviour. As he begins to feel at home in his new environment with Tom and Sammy, (Tom's enthusiastic canine companion), his character starts to become more natural and at ease, as does that of Tom. When Will befriends fellow evacuee Zach, he has met his polar opposite. An exuberant child full of confidence (and who is at times rather precocious), Zach helps to pull Will out of his silence and into childhood.
As I've said, this story although set against the backdrop of wartime Britain is so much more. It is a careful, yet at times painful exploration of the complexities of child abuse and neglect. Goodnight Mister Tom helps track the progress of Will as he escapes from abuse, showing both the impact on development and character as well as starkly illustrating the difference between good and bad environments. A very careful and skilled handling of difficult CP issues.
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