Guided Reading Questions for Good Night, Mr. Tom by Michelle Magorian
English 8 – Ms. Wanzer
NAME ___________________________
CHOOSE THREE TO FOUR QUESTIONS FOR EACH CHAPTER (EXCEPT WHERE
THERE IS ONLY ONE). ANSWER THEM IN COMPLETE SENTENCES,
PLEASE!
Meeting
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Describe Tom Oakley and Willie/Will physically.
What do you know about Willie’s mother?
What is the setting of Good Night, Mr. Tom (time, place, etc. – be specific!)?
Where did the bruises on Willie’s body come from? How do you know?
What are the physical and behavioral clues that Willie has been abused?
Who is Sammy?
What perception do the “townies” have about the evacuees?
Why does Willie tell the dog he’ll kill him? What reaction does he expect from
Mr. Tom?
9. How do Mr. Tom’s parenting methods differ from Will’s mothers?
10. What do you learn about Mr. Tom’s life?
Little Weirwold
1. How does Willie react to Sammy?
2. What indication is there that Willie is intelligent?
3. Who is Mrs. Fletcher? What does she agree to do for Mr. Tom? Why is she
surprised by his request?
4. What can you conclude about Mr. Tom’s relationship with his neighbors before
now?
5. Who is Lucy? Describe her personality and physical traits.
6. What is the purpose of blackouts/blackout curtains?
7. What did Willie’s mum send with him to Mr. Tom’s house?
8. What does Tom enjoy about having Willie there?
9. What strange thing does Willie do when he sees the bed?
10. By the end of this chapter, Tom is “blowing the dust” from the pots of paint in the
attic. What might this mean?
11. By the end of the chapter, Will and Tom have both shown surprise, confusion, or
shock. Find one example of each. Explain why each one is feeling this way.
Saturday Morning
1. What has Willie done during the night that embarrassed him?
2. Willie calls the bruises “marks of his sins.” What does that tell you about how he
views himself?
3. Why does Will cry when Mr. Tom asks him to write a letter home>
4. When is Willie’s birthday? Why doesn’t Willie understand the significance of
birthdays?
5. Did Willie have friends at home? Why or why not?
6. What excuse does Willie give for not being about paint?
7. Why does Mr. Tom’s comment “good” mean so much to Willie?
8. What rule does Mr. Tom give Willie about gate? Why?
9. Who are the Littles? What do the Littles tell Mr. Tom about Willie and his past?
10. What is an air raid shelter? What is its purpose?
11. Describe the town. How is it different from London?
12. Who are Mr. and Mrs. Miller?
13. Who is Charlie Ruddles? What does he want Tom to buy?
14. Who is getting more our of their relationship – Willie or Tom? Why?
Equipped
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Who is Dobbs?
What are the items that Willie and Tom get in town?
Why is choosing candy so significant for Willie?
When Mr. Tom offers to read the comic to Willie, how does Willie react?
Why doesn’t Tom want to go into the artist’s store?
What kinds of books does Willie get from the library?
Why is Miss Emilia Thorne so surprised that Willie is with Mr. Tom?
What are the rituals Will develops with Mr. Tom? Why might Tom change his
rituals for Willie?
Chamberlain Announces
1. Who is Mr. Chamberlain and what does his announce?
2. What is an Anderson shelter? Draw a picture of it.
3. How do Willie’s previous interactions with religion contradict what he
experiences at church?
4. Describe three different people Willies sees at church.
5. Why has everyone come to church?
6. Why doesn’t Willie take off his shirt while he’s helping to dig the trench?
Zach
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
How is Zach different from the other children?
What is Zach’s assessment of Willie?
How does Mr. Tom surprise everyone at the vicar’s meeting?
What did Willie and Zach do while Mr. Tom was out?
Why does Zach change Willie’s name?
An Encounter Over Blackberries
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Why were Grace and Carrie angry?
Why does Willie fall when he tries to race Sammy?
Why does George come to Mr. Tom’s house?
Why isn’t Lucy invited?
What does Willie learn about eh other kids?
What does Willie say he likes to do?
School
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
How does Willie feel about school and why?
Why is Willie separated from the other kids at school?
Why does Tom “get a lump in his throat”?
What does Mr. Tom learn about Willie’s abilities?
Why do Carrie and the others come by Willie’s house?
Why does Mr. Ruddles get mad at Mr. Tom?
Birthday Boy
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
What does Will do every morning before school? Why?
What was Will’s favorite birthday gift?
Why is Mr. Tom glad he purchased this gift for Willie?
Does the birthday party surprise Willie? Why?
How does Willie impress the others?
What would you have wished for if you were Willie and why?
The Case
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
How do things change in the next seven weeks?
What does Zach show the other children?
Name three ways Zach is different from his friends.
What scares Will about inviting the other kids to Mr. Tom’s house?
How has Mr. Tom been helping Willie to learn?
Friday
1. Mrs. Fletcher realizes that “behind [Mr. Tom’s] scowling manner was a kindly
old man.” What traits does she see in him that she did not before?
2. Why are these traits noticeable now when they were not before?
3. Is Tom a different person – a “changed” person? Why or why not?
4. What has changed him? Why?
The Show Must Go On
1. Why is Willie such a good actor?
2. What do you think gave Willie the ability to become someone else – the old,
dirty, homeless man, so easily?
3. Are people who can act, or enjoy acting, happy with who they are?
4. Why is it easier for some people to become someone else/act like someone else?
Who might have trouble doing this?
Carol Singing
1. What does Will mean when he observes that Tom’s scowl means “he was just a
bit shy”?
2. Why don’t the villagers sing the first time Tom plays the carol on the organ?
3. What does Tom mean when he says the villagers will “send at least the first four
pews to sleep”?
4. What changes, if any, in Tom’s character do you observe in this chapter?
New Beginnings
1. To what does the title of this chapter refer?
2. What does George’s black armband indicate?
3. What does Ginnie’s reaction to the news that Carrie wants to go to high school
show about her personality?
4. How does Will do with the writing portion of the lesson?
5. How does the possibility of Carrie entering the high school reflect what was
happening in society during the war?
Home
1. Why doesn’t Will remember ever having looked into his mother’s eyes?
2. Why do you look into some people’s eyes and not others? What does eye contact
in our society mean?
3. Who has changed since Will has been gone – he or his mother? How has the
person changed? What evidence from the book do we have of this
transformation?
4. Why does Will look so different physically?
5. Does emotional change bring about physical change? Give examples from the text
to support your response.
6. Describe the differences between “Willie” and “Will.” Use at least three
examples for each persona from the text.
The Search
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
How would you describe Mr. Tom’s reaction to Will’s departure?
What leads Mr. Tom to decide to go to London?
How would you describe Will’s neighborhood?
How does Sammy help in the search for Will?
What do you think happened? Why does the apartment smell?
Rescue
1. Name three character traits Mr. Tom exhibits in this chapter, as well as
throughout the book until now. Give a minimum of two supporting details from
the text (things he says or does) for each trait observed.
2. Why do Will’s arms hurt when he lets go of Trudy?
3. Why are the wounds “on the inside” always harder to heal than those “on the
outside”?
4. What does Tom mean when he tells the doctor that Will might need to scream (pg
222)?
Recovery
1. Why is the phrase “Everythin’ has its own time” so important to the following
people?
 Will
 Tom
 Zach
 Mrs. Beech
What does it mean to each of them? Relate the phrase to each of their lives.
The Sea, the Sea, the Sea!
1. Why is Will important to Zach?
2. Why does Zach feel like he could “do and be anything and anybody and Will
would still like him”?
3. How does this vacation (or “holiday”) compare to vacations you have taken with
your family? Share similarities and differences.
Spooky Cott
1. How else could Geoffrey have handled the situation that he did?
2. What traits does Geoffrey possess? Give two supporting details for each trait.
Name a minimum of two traits.
3. Why do some people, like Will’s mother, have “nothing to live for,” while others,
like Will, have “the rainy nights and wind and the slap of the sea…” when they
both live in the same world?
Back to School
1. What is Carrie’s attitude towards beginning high school?
2. In what point of view is Good Night, Mr. Tom written (1st person, etc.)?
3. What might Will’s nightmare at the end of the chapter represent?
Grieving
1. How can a horrible experience like losing a loved one make you more “whole” as
Will mentions?
Postscript
1. “Strength was quite different from toughness and being vulnerable wasn’t the
same as being weak.” Explain this quote and relate it to your own experiences –
two different ones. Use two from your own life and one from the text.