Back Home [Paperback]

Michelle Magorian (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

‘Rusty Dickinson was sent to the United States from England at the age of seven in 1940 to survive the war. When she returns in 1945, she finds a country and a family she neither understands nor likes, and vice versa.A marvelous look at the complexity of mother-daughter relationships." —ALAN Review.

1984 Best Books for Young Adults (ALA)
1984 Children's Books (NY Public Library)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Rusty, 12, faces disturbing changes on many fronts when she returns to England after spending five years in America to avoid the perils of WW II. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Michelle Magorian was born in Portsmouth, England, and grew up in such diverse places as Perth, Australia, and Singapore. She now makes her home in London.

An actress, dancer, and writer by profession, Ms. Magorian has worked with numerous touring and repertory companies, and spent two years training as a mime at Marcel Marceau's world-renowned L'Ecole Intenationale de Mime in Paris, France. An absorbing interest in the history and nature of children's books led her to try her hand at writing for younger readers. Good Night, Mr. Tom -- Which is her first book -- grew out of a short story she had written about the meeting of the two main characters. As Ms. Magorian explains, "I had to know what happened -- so I wrote the book."

Her other writing credits include a television play and poetry.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (May 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0064404110
• ISBN-13: 978-0064404112
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,257,684 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoughly absorbing, August 9, 2001

By 

"grungegurl" (Edinburgh Scotland UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Back Home (Paperback)

I really loved this book! Apart from the good use of language and feeling, the theme of the story is one that I can relate to. I moved to America from Britain when I was four years old and returned when I was eleven. All the complicated emotions that Rusty experiences (sadness, alienation, depression, despair) are ones that I also had to face. In the end, I also ,like Rusty, managed to come to terms with living in Britain. I recommend this book to anyone who feels like an outsider, or is interested in the time period during and after the second world war.It is really descriptive, and the words paint a very realistic picture of life in the 1940's. I just couldn't put this book down. If you enjoyed "Back Home", you should check out "Goodnight Mister Tom" which is also by Michelle Magorian.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sad, but interesting, June 20, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Back Home (Paperback)

Virginia Dickenson is sent to America from England as a 7 year-old to be sheltered from World War II. She spends five years with a family there, and gains the name Rusty. When she gets home, life changes dramatically. She feels unloved and her mother expects better behavior, and enforces rules strictly. When Rusty's father comes home from war, he cannot believe that she answers him back, and doesn't take "because I said so and I am the man of the house" as a suitable answer. He sends her to an even stricter all-girl boarding school, where she is an outcast. She doesn't know latin, french, or algebra and is made fun of because of her accent. Then she meets a boy who hates his all-boy school, too, and was sent near where she was in America for the war. They discover (on a prohibited secret night visit to the woods) a cabin. Can Rusty survive boarding school?

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Back Home, October 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Back Home (Paperback)

Rusty (Virginia) Dickenson, a spirited 12 year old girl, was sent to America five years ago to be sheltered from World War Two. The war has since ceased, and when Rusty returns to England, nothing seems quite right: her mother enforces loathsome disciplinary regulations, and the starchy manner that Rusty is expected to behave in seems impossible for her charismatic nature. The poverty of post-war England reflects nothing back home in America where Rusty always felt accepted. Rusty is shipped off to an all-girl traditional boarding school where she struggles to hold her faith in the goodness of the human spirit. That is, until she meets a boy her age who was also shielded from WWII in America. Their platonic friendship and a Cabin in the Woods is about to change every prejudice Rusty has of England.