History Literature / GoodnightMisterTom

* {{Foreshadowing}}: When one of Mrs Beech's neighbours is asked where she went, the lady states she said she was "going to the coast. A few chapters later, it is revealed she [[spoiler: committed suicide.]]

* CantHoldHisLiquor: In the original novel, in Salmouth, Will, Tom and Zach consume a gallon of locally-brewed cider and, not realising quite how strong it is, end up sitting around for the rest of the evening drunkenly teasing each other. The page-long passage is frequently cut from juvenile editions.

* TheFundamentalist: Will's mother threatens him with {{Hell}} for even the slightest offence, and sees alcohol and sex as inherently sinful.

* AssholeVictim: Even though it was suicide, none of us felt a need to shed a tear or pity Will's horrible excuse of a mother.

** The Second World War seems to impact on peoples' lives only slightly in Little Weirwold. The farming community gets on with life as though their workload hadn't just tripled, and people regularly consume things such as bacon and eggs, fresh lemonade, butter, roast chicken, cocoa, chocolate and cake that would have been rare treats during rationing. However, somewhat justified especially in the beginning of the book before William went back to his mother, suring the first 6 months of the war. Rationing was introduced in January 1940, 4 months after William arrived. His brithday party was only a week after war began, so it's affects on the avalbility of food would not have been felt yet. Little Weirwold is also rural, and therefore would have greater access to many rationed goods like butter, meat, and eggs.

%%* TitleDrop

** The Second World War seems to impact on peoples' lives only slightly in Little Weirwold. The farming community gets on with life as though their workload hadn't just tripled, and people regularly consume things such as bacon and eggs, fresh lemonade, butter, roast chicken, cocoa, chocolate and cake that would have been rare treats during rationing. However, somewhat justified especially in the beginning as the book takes place in the first 6 months of the war. Rationing was introduced in January 1940, 4 months after William arrived. His brithday party was only a week after war began, so it's affects on the avalbility of food would not have been felt yet. Little Weirwold is also rural, and therefore would have greater access to many rationed goods like butter, meat, and eggs.

** The Second World War seems to impact on peoples' lives only slightly in Little Weirwold. The farming community gets on with life as though their workload hadn't just tripled, and people regularly consume things such as bacon and eggs, fresh lemonade, butter, roast chicken, cocoa, chocolate and cake that would have been rare treats during rationing.

A book by Michelle Magorian, set in the village of Little Weirwold in Britain, during UsefulNotes/WorldWarII.

* IdyllicEnglishVillage: The story largely takes place in the [[UsefulNotes/TheWestCountry West Country]] village of Little Weirwold,

* DeathByNewberyMedal: [[spoiler: Poor Zach. Not, as one might have thought, [[BigFriendlyDog Sammy]].]]
* DeathOfAChild: Tom's baby son William [[spoiler:and Will's baby sister.]]

* FishOutOfWater: Both Tom in London, and William in Little Weirwold.

* GrumpyOldMan: Tom, of course.

* TheHermit: Tom.

* {{Jerkass}}: Will's mother.

* SexIsEvil: Will's mother taught him this.

* TitleDrop
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl Carrie and Ginnie.

* YouAreWhatYouHate: One possible interpretation of one of Will's mother's neighbours mentioning a lot of banging sounds at night as if the furniture were being moved around is that Will's mother is a prostitute. Her fanatic hatred of sex could be a result of this.
** Almost certainly. Will's mother's neighbour also mentions that Mrs Beech takes in lodgers, who have her bedroom and she sleeps downstairs - "or, that's what she says". It's also how she would have [[spoiler:fell pregnant with Trudy]].

* FilmOfTheBook: A TV movie was made in 1998 and was fairly loyal to the book while missing out a lot of the emotion which made it great.

* BritishAccents: Eye dialect is extensively used to flavour the text. the Little Weirwold folk speak with West Country accents, William's mother speaks with a cockney accent (as does William in the start of the book, developing a distinct idiolect as the book progresses) and Zach speaks with a "posh B.B.C. accent".