Our John Willie

By Catherine Cookson and cookson catherine

Book Overview

Two orphans, one deaf and mute, struggle to stay alive by relying on their own wits and stolen food from a formidable recluse. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 067251897X
• ISBN13: 9780672518973
• Release Date: January 1974
• Publisher: Bobbs-Merrill
• Length: 191 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Hardship and aventure in historical England

This story is set in the year 1852. Davy Halladay, the main character of the novel, is a teenager, and his brother, John Willie, is ten years old. These two boys are inseparable, and having grown up in a fairly loveless family, care for one another and look after one another. John Willie is deaf and dumb and is treated by most people as if he is an idiot, but Davy is convinced that his brother understands much, despite his handicap. The Coxon family, who live in the same street as the Halladays, are particularly cruel to John Willie, and even Davy, who defends his brother, fears them. The boys and their father live in the north of England, in the river Tyne country, somewhere near the town of Durham. The village they live in is very small and most people know one another by name. The Halladay family occupies a house owned by a mining company, as does everyone else in the village, and indeed most males in the place work in the coalmine. This is a hazardous and backbreaking job. Davy has worked down the mine for several years, however, the company refuses to employ John Willie. Last year, though, Davy persuaded the bosses to let John Willie accompany him at work. Leaving his younger brother above ground would have meant that there would be nobody to defend him. One day there is a disaster in the mine and Davy becomes lost in the utter darkness that ensues. What has happened to his father, and where is John Willie? Are they all right or dead? Can Davy find his way to the surface, or is the path forever blocked with rubble? Right from the opening paragraph of the book this is a story of action and adventure. The story moves along at a fast pace and Davy and John Willie must overcome one difficulty after another. This is a realistic book and the story reveals the many hardships which poor people actually had to suffer in times past. The book, however, is certainly not a boring history lesson, and the reader may be surprised at how fun learning can be. This is a novel with the theme of `caring,' for family, for friends and even for strangers. Charity is something which makes the world a nicer place, but its real power lies in its ability to change the human heart, to make us better people. The book is also about struggling to overcome trouble, even problems that have plagued us for years. Escape from defeat can come from sources we least expect. The characters in the book are well drawn and Miss Peamarsh stands out as a particularly interesting person. She is a feisty and capable woman, but also aloof. We certainly like and care about most of the people Cookson has created, and in the case of bad people, as indeed there are a few in this book, we hope for their defeat. Cookson is a popular author and she writes particularly well for young readers. This book would suit readers from grades six to nine and would be excellent for a school book report.