Michelle Magorian

Goodnight Mister Tom

As an evacuee, Ralph received a good education, but after the war Ralph's working-class father resents his education and his ambition to be an actor, and is furious when Ralph is sacked from the paper mill. The story traces Ralph's struggle to reconcile the disparate strands of his life.

Cuckoo in the Nest

Godnatt Mister Tom

It's 1949 and life is bleak for Henry. He misses his father who died a war hero, and he escapes from his annoying stepfather and stepsister whenever he can by going to the movies. One day he meets Mr. Beaumont, a man who also loves films and agrees to lend Henry a camera for his school project. Henry is disgusted to learn that he's been put in a group with Jeffries, the son of a man who went AWOL, and Pip, who was born illegitimate. Henry begins to learn that tolerance and friendship are more important than social stigmas when he processes the film and makes an alarming discovery. Like a bomb waiting to explode, Henry's world is about to unravel, and he will need his new friends to keep disaster in check.

Just Henry

An absorbing post-war adventure from the award-winning author of Goodnight Mr Tom. WWII has ended, but Henry is fighting his own battles. He misses his father who died a war hero, and his only distraction is the cinema. When Henry develops an old camera film he uncovers a mystery and events spiral until his life resembles the drama of his beloved big screen. Like a bomb waiting to explode, Henry’s world is about to unravel . . . In this Costa Award-winning novel, Michelle Magorian takes a lens to post-war Britain, revealing its prejudices, its quirks and its warmth.

WW2 has just ended and twelve-year-old Rusty comes back home to Britain after being evacuated to the US. The greyness and bleakness of life in England is a shock, but even worse is adapting to the strict discipline of her family, including a brother she's never met, after the warmth and openness of her adopted American family. Rusty is sent to an horrific boarding school, before finally running away as her search for happiness becomes more and more desperate.

Back Home

A Spoonful of Jam

Warm and humorous story set in the hot summer of 1947, giving an insight into how families coped with the return of fathers in post-war Britain. Readership level: 12+.

Spoonful of Jam

Tystnad, tagning

A classic love story from the award-winning author of Goodnight, Mister Tom. It is the summer of 1943 and war continues to rage. For Rose and her sister Diana, it’s a time of independence and self-discovery as they find first loves. But when Rose uncovers an extraordinary love story from another war, she is forced to question that love. Rose is about to discover a secret that will change everything. Michelle Magorian combines her rich style with a refreshing take on wartime women in this classic coming of age story.

A Little Love Song

Der Junge aus London

Now featuring gorgeous new cover art, this classic, powerfully emotional, award-winning novel is the perfect read to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II. London is poised on the brink of World War II. Eight-year-old Willie Beech is evacuated to the English countryside and lands on Thomas Oakley's doorstep, timid and scarred from abuse. Mr. Tom, a gruff but kindly old man, is deeply moved for the boy, treating him with a gentleness he's forgotten he's even capable of. With Mr. Tom's help, Willie leaves behind his hateful past and learns to love a world he never knew existed, a world of friendship and affection and joy. But then a telegram comes, and Willie is ordered to return to London. When weeks pass without word from him, Mr. Tom sets out for London to once again rescue the boy he's come to love as a son. This heartwarming and much-honored classic is an excellent choice for independent or shared reading.

Good Night, Mr. Tom

What would you rather, parents whose dreams are bigger than yours, or parents who have no dreams for you at all? How would you cope in a small boat with eight angry people giving you a bellyful of flack? Who'd you prefer to have as a friend, an old wrinkly who's there for you or a couple of mates who make you feel small? Ages 10+.

Be Yourself

Kate Agnew

An Interview with Michelle Magorian

Per la prima volta nelle librerie italiane, Buonanotte, signor Tom è un classico moderno che figura tra i cinquanta libri più amati di sempre dagli inglesi. Adattato più volte per il cinema e il teatro e vincitore, fra gli altri riconoscimenti, della Carnegie Medal, è un commovente romanzo dalle atmosfere dickensiane che conquisterà grandi e piccoli. Nel 1939, allo scoppio del secondo conflitto mondiale, nel timore dei bombardamenti tedeschi il governo inglese decide di evacuare migliaia di bambini dalle città e di sistemarli in campagna presso le famiglie disposte ad accoglierli. Uno di questi bambini, Willie Beech, trova alloggio presso Tom Oakley, un uomo di mezza età che vive solo, dopo la morte della moglie, nel villaggio di Little Weirwold. Il piccolo è traumatizzato: si spaventa per un nonnulla, bagna il letto tutte le notti e ha il corpo ricoperto di lividi e cicatrici. Con il tempo, le attenzioni costanti e l’affetto del signor Oakley consentono a Willie di riacquistare stabilità e serenità, ma anche di inserirsi felicemente a scuola e stringere legami di amicizia con i bambini del villaggio. L’incanto della nuova vita si infrange però quando la madre costringe Willie a tornare a Londra. Tom, inquieto per la mancanza di notizie, decide di andare in città per sincerarsi delle condizioni del bambino. Riesce a trovarlo dopo una serie di peripezie, ma fa una terribile scoperta... «Così dovrebbe essere un primo romanzo di successo: grandi personaggi da amare e odiare, momenti di dolore e gioia, e una storia meravigliosa che sa come agguantare le emozioni». «The Guardian» «Una storia avvincente e toccante, che riesce a bilanciare il suo lato cupo con molta luce». «The New Yorker»

Buonanotte, signor Tom

The Front Room

Hemlängtan

A tender and heart-warming tale about new siblings.

The Smile

Goodnight Mister Tom Teachers Booklet

12-year-old Josie attends a finishing-style stage school where she is firmly told she has no acting ability. Fortunately she finds herself cast by a boy in an American comedy - but mistaken for the star she is kidnapped and imprisoned in a dockside warehouse. Managing to escape, she and a fellow runaway take refuge in the Theatre Royal, Stratford. They are offered work by the legendary Joan Littlewood, founder of the Theatre Workshop Company. Much to Josie's surprise this leads to a role in a Saturday-morning film. However, the kidnappers haven't given up yeat and they are on Josie's trail.

Michelle Magorian

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