Share-A-Book Saturday (17)

This is something I found over on Just Another Book Addict =), and I thought I'd do my own. There are so many great books out there that get overlooked (especially if they've been out for a while)!

Every Saturday, you share (recommend) a book, preferably one that you haven't reviewed yet. It's just a way to get other books out into the blogging world. This is NOT a review.

Today I'm going to recommend Goodnight Mister Tom by Michelle Magorian.

London is poised on the brink of World War II. Timid, scrawny Willie Beech--the abused child of a single mother--is evacuated to the English countryside. At first, he is terrified of everything, of the country sounds and sights, even of Mr. Tom, the gruff, kindly old man who has taken him in. But gradually Willie forgets the hate and despair of his past. He learns to love a world he never knew existed, a world of friendship and affection in which harsh words and daily beatings have no place. Then a telegram comes. Willie must return to his mother in London. When weeks pass by with no word from Willie, Mr. Tom sets out for London to look for the young boy he has come to love as a son.

There's just something about books set in historical England that I love. I read this one years ago, having heard of it by word of mouth (it's the author's most famous work). I was totally captivated by the story, which revolves around a young evacuee and the man who takes him in.

After reading Goodnight Mister Tom, I found that the author had written a number of other books, many of which were set in the 1940s in England. I remember reading and enjoying A Little Love Song, Cuckoo in the Nest, and A Spoonful of Jam (probably my second favourite of her books, after Goodnight Mister Tom). For whatever reason, Michelle Magorian's books are not readily available on Amazon.com; most of them seem to be out of print. But if you can get your hands on them, I'd definitely recommend reading them... especially if (like me) you enjoy well-written historical fiction.