Notes

William Beech learns to embrace life when he is adopted by an old man in the English countryside during the Second World War. This book traces the growing affection between elderly, unsociable Tom Oatley and 9 year old William Beech, one of the 1939 evacuees from London’s East End. William is timid, undernourished, and has suffered both mental and physical cruelty from his mother. Tom’s response to the boy’s obvious need for care and love is both sensitive and generous. William’s transformation to a happy, whole person is not without its difficulties, but the reader will feel great satisfaction over the final outcome.