Au début de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, les enfants de la banlieue de Londres sont évacués à la campagne. Tom Oakley recueille ainsi William Beech, un enfant craintif. Grâce aux soins et à l'affection de Tom, mais aussi à l'amitié de Zach, un jeune garçon fantasque, réfugié lui aussi, Willie reprend des forces et s'épanouit, tandis que le vieil homme devient plus sociable. Mais cette confiance toute neuve est ébranlée lorsque sa mère, qui est malade, l'oblige à rentrer...
Des héros courageux, d'une grande humanité, une histoire d'amitié inoubliable. Un roman bouleversant devenu un classique.
Good Night, Mr. Tom
Winner of the 1982 IRA Children's Book Award
London is poised on the brink of World War 11. 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.
A good book is a good friend – Un bon livre est un bon ami
