Cinema Paradiso

By DAPHNE LEE 

Tots to Teens 

IN January this year, Michelle Magorian's won the Costa Award for children's books, for Just Henry (Egmont Books, 703 pages, ISBN: 978-1405227575).  

Magorian has written a number of books sets during the second world war and the period following it. I have read Back Home and the absolutely amazing Goodnight Mr Tom, and, for some reason or other, I thought she was another one of the many dead white women authors whose work I enjoy. Magorian is actually just 62 and, hopefully, still has many books left in her. 

Just Henry (Magorian's first novel in 10 years) deals once again with the sorts of problems and situations that arose in the aftermath of war. It is set in an English seaside town in 1949 and tells the story of Henry Dodge, a 14-year-old boy who lives with his mother, step-father (Uncle Bill) and stepsister (Molly), and his paternal grandmother. His father was a world war 2 hero who sacrificed his life to save a fellow soldier. Henry is scornful of his stepdad's attempts to better himself through education, and his gran encourages the boy's negative feelings by constantly criticising Bill and Molly, and nagging Henry's mum.

Henry avoids the tension at home by spending as much time as possible at the cinema. He's crazy about films and this leads to him being assigned a school group project about the cinema. The trouble is, Henry has to work with two other boys: Pip, an illegitimate lad; and Roger Jeffries, the son of an army deserter. Henry baulks at the thought of having to spend time with these social outcasts, but their new history teacher, Mr Finch, is determined that everyone should be treated equally in his classroom. 

It's when the three lads eventually become the best of friends that the fun begins. With, Grace, a girl who defiantly declares herself "the family disgrace" because she has been expelled from 12 boarding schools; and a fairy godmother in the shape of a fellow film enthusiast, Mrs Beaumont, Henry and his friends learn to navigate a world that is controlled and crippled by social prejudice and class divisions. 

The negative reactions of people towards someone like Pip (because he is illegitimate) and, by association, Henry, will seem extreme and bizarre to those of us who are used to the relatively relaxed morals of the 21st century, but seeing, through Henry's eyes, the way things used to be, helps us understand just how little thought and reason go into shaping people's notions of right and wrong. Blind acceptance of social norms and a reluctance to question established beliefs and practices lead to the perpetuation of all kinds of injustices. At least, we know that Pip would not be a social pariah these days, but I think other forms of bigotry still exists. 

Magorian doesn't shy away from the ugly and painful aspects of life, or the suffering and unfair treatment children have to endure simply because of their tender years (as readers of Mister Tom would know only too well), but her story isn't unbearably grim as plenty of good things happen. For a start, there are the films, and the spell they cast on their audience. Henry, Pip, Jeffries and Grace all regard the cinema as a place of refuge in a cruel world, as well as a way out of it. Movies directly and indirectly help them to create better lives for themselves. 

Then there is Mrs Beaumont who reminds me of all those kindly characters Noel Streatfeild loved to create for her books. Mrs Beaumont is always there to lend a listening ear or shoulder to cry on; she's ever ready with a brilliant suggestion or inspired solution; she's the provider of a variety of emergency supplies - produced when least expected and most needed - from books and cameras to spare rooms and human resources. 

Sure, she may be a little too good to be true, but I think she's exactly what Henry, and the story and the reader need to keep spirits up and hopes alive. 

Last week I wrote a little about historical fiction and how useful it is in making past events real and even relevant to us. Magorian's books certainly do this for that not-too-distant period in Britain's history.

Books by Michele Margorian:

Goodnight Mister Tom (1980)

Back Home (1984)

Waiting for My Shorts to Dry (1989)

Who's Going to Take Care of Me? (1990)

Orange Paw Marks (1991)

A Little Love Song (1991)

In Deep Water (1992)

Jump (1992)

Not a Swan (1992)

A Cuckoo in the Nest (1994)

A Spoonful of Jam (1998)

Be Yourself (2003)

Just Henry (2008)