An Angel for May [Library Binding]

Definitely a children's book which is not necessarily a bad thing but will probably disappoint those who have seen the film version. The screenwriter added a lot of depth and sophistication that the book simply does not have. Books do not have to be quite this dumbed down for children. Much of the pleasure they get from reading comes from puzzling out complex plot developments and recognizing subtle details. Still Melvin Burgess' book did inspire an extraordinary film which preserves its basic story and its principle themes.

The themes are the need to find a purpose or direction outside yourself and the recognition of inter-generational ties that exist because we all share the experience of having once been young. The intriguing title is a reference to the almost heaven-sent appearance of a 12-year old boy in the midst of WWII Yorkshire, England.

But things are a bit more complicated because 12- year old Tam (Tom in the film) is from "present day" Yorkshire. Things are not going so great for him there. He is the self-absorbed only child of separated parents, seemingly with no friends, and is a bit displaced having spent most of his life in London. One day he follows a stray dog and a bag lady to an abandoned farm in the hills outside town and suddenly finds himself transported to that same spot early in WWII.

It was a working farm back then, run by Sam who is also taking care of 10- year old May, an orphaned evacuee whose whole block (terrace) was destroyed in a German bombing raid. The story is told from the point of view of the totally disoriented Tom who runs into town after his arrival and manages to get himself into a lot of trouble. The seemingly confident and resourceful May comes to his rescue.

May has picked up on Tam's dislocation and distress, sensing in him a kindred spirit who needs her help coping with the horrors of wartime Britain. This is where POV in the film becomes important. May is a huge dichotomy, at times a spunky and charming girl, her childhood and wartime experiences have turned her into a traumatized victim. POV means that readers must learn about her at the same slow pace it is revealed to Tam, he soon learns that she has a phobia about being indoors, the result of being trapped for days in the rubble of her home. She takes her meals outside and sleeps in a kennel.

But May is protective of Tam who seems to her even more lost. The need to appear strong for him motivates May to overcome her own fears. When Tam discovers a way to return home he elects to do so, believing that Sam will give May a good home.

Back in his own time, Tom's account of his adventures is not believed and he learns that Sam was killed in a fire during the war. The remainder of the book centers on his efforts to return so that he can finish helping May.

The adaptation does a good job of smoothing out the rough edges and major plot holes in the story. It also benefits from the visual subtleties that the young actors bring to their characters. May has a multi-dimensionality that makes you understand why Sam sees qualities inside her that make it so important that she be brought back from the brink. The book has difficulty getting this across to the reader but that is one of the film's strengths.

If you see the film first you will probably get significantly less enjoyment from reading the book, although the comparison would be very useful to anyone wanting to learn the fundamentals of writing an adaptation. There are few adaptations that improve on the original story to the degree found in "An Angel for May".

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