Book info

• Title Just Henry
• Author Michelle Magorian
• Year 2008
• Genre Historical

An absorbing post-war adventure from the award-winning author of Goodnight Mr Tom. WWII has ended, but Henry is fighting his own battles. He misses his father who died a war hero, and his only distraction is the cinema. When Henry develops an old camera film he uncovers a mystery and events spiral until his life resembles the drama of his beloved big screen. Like a bomb waiting to explode, Henry's world is about to unravel...

Thoughts

I probably wouldn’t have read this if I hadn’t quite enjoyed Goodnight Mister Tom, but I’m glad that I did pick it up. It follows a similar pattern, chronicling the trials and tribulations of a boy as he learns the world around him is a little bit different than he first imagined.

Obviously, it’s written for kids so it was easy to read and quick to whip through, but I still enjoyed it. The way the story unfolded, so that Henry’s prejudices against others and against his own family were gradually revealed and dismissed, was clever and it helped you remain on his side, where you might otherwise have washed your hands of him long ago!

I think my only complaint would be that the Mrs Beaumont character provided too easy of a solution at times. She had endless space in her multiple houses to put up characters that needed a bed, and she also appeared to have endless money for ice creams and heating, where everyone else was struggling to make their rations last. It didn’t quite add up, but given that everything worked out in the end, I won’t quibble too much.

Rating: 3 / 5