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An Angel for May
Tam is unhappy at home and often takes refuge in the ruins of Thowt It Farm. But then one day he is transported back to the Second World War. Alone and afraid, he makes friends with May, who has been rescued from a bombed-out house. She tries to persuade him to stay at the farm, but Tam is afraid of being trapped in the past forever.
158 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
6 people are currently reading
175 people want to read
About the author
Melvin Burgess
92 books435 followersMelvin Burgess is a British author of children's fiction. His first book, The Cry of the Wolf, was published in 1990. He gained a certain amount of notoriety in 1996 with the publication of Junk, which was published in the shadow of the film of Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting, and dealt with the trendy and controversial idea of heroin-addicted teenagers. Junk soon became, at least in Britain, one of the best-known children's books of the decade.
Burgess again courted predictable controversy in 2003, with the publication of Doing It, which dealt with underage sex. America created a show based on the book, Life As We Know It. In his other books, such as Bloodtide and The Ghost Behind the Wall, Burgess has dealt with less realist and sometimes fantastic themes. In 2001 Burgess wrote the novelisation of the film Billy Elliot, based on Lee Hall's screenplay. Polyphony is typical for his most famous novels.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/melvin...
Burgess again courted predictable controversy in 2003, with the publication of Doing It, which dealt with underage sex. America created a show based on the book, Life As We Know It. In his other books, such as Bloodtide and The Ghost Behind the Wall, Burgess has dealt with less realist and sometimes fantastic themes. In 2001 Burgess wrote the novelisation of the film Billy Elliot, based on Lee Hall's screenplay. Polyphony is typical for his most famous novels.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/melvin...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
October 2, 2011
In present day (mid-1990s), Tam comes across a homeless woman whom everyone calls Rosey, as in Rosey Rubbish. She is described SO unsympathetically as the most disgusting creature ever. But he doesn't do the sensible thing and stay away from her, instead he ends up... wait for it... going back in time with her! And suddenly it's the 1940s and he's on a farm where he meets a young girl named May, who shares the same dog (like, the exact same dog) as 1990s Rosey. Which is kind of a big, screaming hint that May grows up to be feral old Rosey.
This isn't a time travel book where Tam goes easily back and forth a few times before inevitably getting stuck in the Wrong Time - no, he kind of gets stuck straight away. And time passes at the same speed in both times, so when he finally does get home again he's been missing for three days and everyone is super worried. Thing is, he's kind of blase about going home at times. Like, there are times when he realises that his mother will be worried and he has to get back, then times when he's too busy having fun on the farm. Such a responsible chap. Also, he's not that bright. I mean, he eventually figures out that he's right in the middle of the second world war, but then he finds that his 1990s neighbours lived in the same place in the 40s - back then, a little boy and his mother. And he knows the mother as an old lady, so he goes to her - the 1940s her - and is all, Eveline, it's me, Tam! And understandably she is all WTF go away, you unhinged young man. Like duh, Tam, just because you and the dog can time-travel doesn't mean everyone else can.
Anyway, turns out the 1940s farm was destroyed in a fire and the lovely old farmer died, and the young girl (a war orphan already) went crazy and was put into a home. So Tam gets the idea that he can go back and warn them, but then old Mrs. Pickles - the cook/housekeeper in the 1940s with whom he meets up in her 1990s nursing home - tells him that he can't change the past, that what's happened, happened. But he still wants to go back and warn them, but then one night he sees Rosey/old!May and the dog, and the dog has singed fur, and he realises that the fire has already happened. Oops. But he goes back in time anyway to... I don't know. I have no idea what his plan was here. But at least he FINALLY realises that Rosey is May grown up - after, of course, being disgusted at the idea and yelling at her that May is dead. Charming boy!
So then the book ends with him back in the 1990s, telling his mother (at 5am, after having banged around the kitchen so much that she woke up) that the homeless lady is going to live with them now, and that her name is May, and naturally his mother is horrified because she's in their clean kitchen, using the best china, and looks/smells like she hasn't had a bath in fifty years. And that seriously is where it ends, with Tam snapping that her name is May, not Rosey. And like, he's about 12 or so and was friends with this 8-year-old who is now in her 50s or so... how, EXACTLY, is this going to work?!
I was hovering between two and three stars for this but in the end, I don't think I liked it quite enough to give it three. The village- and farm-life in the 1940s was interesting to read about, but I just couldn't bring myself to like/care about May, young or old. Sorry.
This isn't a time travel book where Tam goes easily back and forth a few times before inevitably getting stuck in the Wrong Time - no, he kind of gets stuck straight away. And time passes at the same speed in both times, so when he finally does get home again he's been missing for three days and everyone is super worried. Thing is, he's kind of blase about going home at times. Like, there are times when he realises that his mother will be worried and he has to get back, then times when he's too busy having fun on the farm. Such a responsible chap. Also, he's not that bright. I mean, he eventually figures out that he's right in the middle of the second world war, but then he finds that his 1990s neighbours lived in the same place in the 40s - back then, a little boy and his mother. And he knows the mother as an old lady, so he goes to her - the 1940s her - and is all, Eveline, it's me, Tam! And understandably she is all WTF go away, you unhinged young man. Like duh, Tam, just because you and the dog can time-travel doesn't mean everyone else can.
Anyway, turns out the 1940s farm was destroyed in a fire and the lovely old farmer died, and the young girl (a war orphan already) went crazy and was put into a home. So Tam gets the idea that he can go back and warn them, but then old Mrs. Pickles - the cook/housekeeper in the 1940s with whom he meets up in her 1990s nursing home - tells him that he can't change the past, that what's happened, happened. But he still wants to go back and warn them, but then one night he sees Rosey/old!May and the dog, and the dog has singed fur, and he realises that the fire has already happened. Oops. But he goes back in time anyway to... I don't know. I have no idea what his plan was here. But at least he FINALLY realises that Rosey is May grown up - after, of course, being disgusted at the idea and yelling at her that May is dead. Charming boy!
So then the book ends with him back in the 1990s, telling his mother (at 5am, after having banged around the kitchen so much that she woke up) that the homeless lady is going to live with them now, and that her name is May, and naturally his mother is horrified because she's in their clean kitchen, using the best china, and looks/smells like she hasn't had a bath in fifty years. And that seriously is where it ends, with Tam snapping that her name is May, not Rosey. And like, he's about 12 or so and was friends with this 8-year-old who is now in her 50s or so... how, EXACTLY, is this going to work?!
I was hovering between two and three stars for this but in the end, I don't think I liked it quite enough to give it three. The village- and farm-life in the 1940s was interesting to read about, but I just couldn't bring myself to like/care about May, young or old. Sorry.
November 8, 2023
I saw a blurb on a Melvin Burgess book once, "Melvin Burgess continues his assault on young adult literature." Yes, but in a good way.
Content warnings:
Divorce
Homelessness
Mental illness
Incest
Child born of incest
Abuse
Neglect
Physical assault
Time travel completely ruined
Fire
Death by smoke inhalation
Mental institutions
The Blitz
And probably more!
But this is a great book. Tam doesn't want to deal with his parents' divorce emotions and goes up into the hills behind his house (gotta love the Green Belt) where the ruins of a farm are nestled between two picturesque hills. There he meets a homeless woman and says some pointlessly cruel things to her because it's 1992 and he's in junior high. But she intrigues him. The farm intrigues him. He goes again and is sucked back to 1942, where a girl with some notable problems immediately takes to him and wants him to live with her on the farm. The farmer, the only magnanimous person in the book, lets him know that he can stay for as long as he wants, no questions asked. Tam does venture into the town to find his own house but it's 1942 and everything about him is wrong. It's impossible to blend in his vintage early '90s anorak and haircut and the village lads in their ill-fitting wool suits chase him and beat him. He goes back to the farm and sticks with May, even though she's a bit younger and refuses to go in the farmhouse. The dog kennel is her safe space. The farmer tells Tam about her origin story and her troubles, which are devastating. Tam sticks with May for a few days until he's sucked back to his timeline where he has to deal with everyone who's assumed he was kidnapped for a weekend. The homeless woman is still around. Is there a super-obvious connection that anyone less blind than a junior high boy would spot immediately? How will that work itself out? This is a great, sweet, complicated reflection on how we treat those who are different from ourselves. The writing is so fantastic that it grapples with these complex topics in a respectful way. Loved it.
Content warnings:
Divorce
Homelessness
Mental illness
Incest
Child born of incest
Abuse
Neglect
Physical assault
Time travel completely ruined
Fire
Death by smoke inhalation
Mental institutions
The Blitz
And probably more!
But this is a great book. Tam doesn't want to deal with his parents' divorce emotions and goes up into the hills behind his house (gotta love the Green Belt) where the ruins of a farm are nestled between two picturesque hills. There he meets a homeless woman and says some pointlessly cruel things to her because it's 1992 and he's in junior high. But she intrigues him. The farm intrigues him. He goes again and is sucked back to 1942, where a girl with some notable problems immediately takes to him and wants him to live with her on the farm. The farmer, the only magnanimous person in the book, lets him know that he can stay for as long as he wants, no questions asked. Tam does venture into the town to find his own house but it's 1942 and everything about him is wrong. It's impossible to blend in his vintage early '90s anorak and haircut and the village lads in their ill-fitting wool suits chase him and beat him. He goes back to the farm and sticks with May, even though she's a bit younger and refuses to go in the farmhouse. The dog kennel is her safe space. The farmer tells Tam about her origin story and her troubles, which are devastating. Tam sticks with May for a few days until he's sucked back to his timeline where he has to deal with everyone who's assumed he was kidnapped for a weekend. The homeless woman is still around. Is there a super-obvious connection that anyone less blind than a junior high boy would spot immediately? How will that work itself out? This is a great, sweet, complicated reflection on how we treat those who are different from ourselves. The writing is so fantastic that it grapples with these complex topics in a respectful way. Loved it.
July 8, 2013
Having read Burgess' best known (and most infamous) work 'Junk' this didn't really appeal. I'm glad I stuck with it, it's a quick read and one that doesn't shy away from the controversial issues of mental health and homelessness, wrapped up in fantasy and time travel. Well worth reading.
September 9, 2019
A beautiful book about love, friendship, patience and caring for humanity.
A short tale set in the 1990's with a surreal twist.
Beautiful.
A short tale set in the 1990's with a surreal twist.
Beautiful.
February 9, 2013
Better than Harry potter!
February 6, 2020
Kiek daug šiltų emocijų! O pabaiga.. ❤️
August 6, 2021
well well.... i don't know. It was good but boring???? This book is telling a story with a really good plot but is it good enough? NO. All jokes aside it was not like all the other books I read for school so that is a plus but I think that the ending was very weird for a book written for children 11 years old.
June 10, 2022
Tozzin' story full of feelings and goodness.
Just one problem: Tam is a bit dumb. Took him 158 pages to get what I realised after 10 pages. I mean, sure, it's a children's book, but c'mon!
Read this if you've read anything by the author and enjoyed it. It's more of the same kind of goodness. Don't bother reading if you imagine you're too grown up for children's books.
Just one problem: Tam is a bit dumb. Took him 158 pages to get what I realised after 10 pages. I mean, sure, it's a children's book, but c'mon!
Read this if you've read anything by the author and enjoyed it. It's more of the same kind of goodness. Don't bother reading if you imagine you're too grown up for children's books.
June 12, 2021
Labai jautri ir graži istorija.
February 24, 2014
A really rather satisfying and atmospheric time-shift Y.A.novel about a bag-lady and a boy. The down and out all have a past!
December 29, 2021
so pure
April 21, 2019
Po "Heroino" ir "Niko Deino" šis kūrinys atrodo tartum būtų rašytas visai kito žmogaus. Nieko panašaus į įprastinį autoriaus stilių ir nors istorija sukasi apie vaikus (ar tiksliau vieną vaiką), tačiau čia nėra jokių opių temų, psichologijos ar įtraukiančio siužeto. Paprasčiausia trumpa knygelė persmelkta fantastika, kurią skaičiau labai sunkiai ir tikrai džiaugiuosi, kad nebuvo nė dviejų šimtų puslapių, nes porą kartų norėjau paprasčiausiai mesti šalin.
Knygos mintis apie draugystę, tačiau man trūko logiškų paaiškinimų ir Mėjos motyvo dėl tų kelionių laiku. Nuotykiai aprašomi labai jau banaliai, šuo, jodinėjimas ant kiaulės, kažkokie netikroviški dialogai. Jausmas lyg knyga būtų skirta 10 metų vaikams.
Nuoširdžiai pasakysiu, jokiu būdu nemaniau, kad šis rašytojas rašo tokio tipo istorijas, kažkaip tikėjausi daugiau.
Patiks fantastikos gerbėjams, ypač tiems, kas žavisi kelionėmis laiku.
Knygos mintis apie draugystę, tačiau man trūko logiškų paaiškinimų ir Mėjos motyvo dėl tų kelionių laiku. Nuotykiai aprašomi labai jau banaliai, šuo, jodinėjimas ant kiaulės, kažkokie netikroviški dialogai. Jausmas lyg knyga būtų skirta 10 metų vaikams.
Nuoširdžiai pasakysiu, jokiu būdu nemaniau, kad šis rašytojas rašo tokio tipo istorijas, kažkaip tikėjausi daugiau.
Patiks fantastikos gerbėjams, ypač tiems, kas žavisi kelionėmis laiku.
June 1, 2020
Jau ilgą laiką pastebiu, jog visos knygos vis patinka, vis gerai skaitosi ir bam... Prisikalbėjau. Pirma vasaros diena, pirma iššūkių knyga ir... antras šių metų nusivylimas... 🙈
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Anotacija ir tai, jog tai žymiojo "Heroino" autoriaus knyga žada daug- du pasimetę jaunuoliai, karas, draugystė ir meilė. Bet... Karo čia ne tiek ir daug- ryškesnis gal tik epizodas, kaip sužviegia oro pavojaus sirena. Ir viskas čia taip erzino... Tai, kaip vaikiūkštis elgiasi su savo mama, kaip jis pasipiktinęs visu pasauliu, kaip jis žiūri į žmones, kurie jam nelinki nieko blogo, koks jis išlepęs ir visas tas pateikimas... Maždaug lyg parašyta tam, kad tik parašyt. 😒
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Anotacija ir tai, jog tai žymiojo "Heroino" autoriaus knyga žada daug- du pasimetę jaunuoliai, karas, draugystė ir meilė. Bet... Karo čia ne tiek ir daug- ryškesnis gal tik epizodas, kaip sužviegia oro pavojaus sirena. Ir viskas čia taip erzino... Tai, kaip vaikiūkštis elgiasi su savo mama, kaip jis pasipiktinęs visu pasauliu, kaip jis žiūri į žmones, kurie jam nelinki nieko blogo, koks jis išlepęs ir visas tas pateikimas... Maždaug lyg parašyta tam, kad tik parašyt. 😒
January 12, 2018
I enjoyed the aspect of the book but unfortunately for the most part, I didn’t like how it was presented.
I was so frustrated with how long it took for certain things to happen especially when I had realised half of what would happen not even half way through, and I also didn’t like how it ended so suddenly.
Where I thought should have been emotional was the very opposite, I was more just waiting for the book to finally end.
I feel it could have been written better which is disappointing because I really did find the plot of the book interesting and wished I had enjoyed it more.
I was so frustrated with how long it took for certain things to happen especially when I had realised half of what would happen not even half way through, and I also didn’t like how it ended so suddenly.
Where I thought should have been emotional was the very opposite, I was more just waiting for the book to finally end.
I feel it could have been written better which is disappointing because I really did find the plot of the book interesting and wished I had enjoyed it more.
July 31, 2024
Eep I loved this book! It was so much better than I ever expected...
Tam is fed up after his parents' divorce. One day, he journeys over to the nearby derelict farmhouse, only to meet an old, homeless woman and a dog. Together, they travel back in time to WW2, on a farm with insecure May and her guardian, Mr Nutter.
The twist I predicted, but I just had to give it 5 stars! The writing was so good and the characters so relatable. An incredible book.
Tam is fed up after his parents' divorce. One day, he journeys over to the nearby derelict farmhouse, only to meet an old, homeless woman and a dog. Together, they travel back in time to WW2, on a farm with insecure May and her guardian, Mr Nutter.
The twist I predicted, but I just had to give it 5 stars! The writing was so good and the characters so relatable. An incredible book.
June 21, 2023
Tokia paprasta,bet ne prasta. Nors daug siužeto vingių nuspėjama,skaitant knygą vis tiek užlieja toks šilumos jausmas, įdomi idėja, autorius kaip visada nenuvylė. Nežinau kaip vertinčiau knygą,jei būčiau ją perskaičiusi būdama paauglė, galbūt nebučiau gilinusis į herojų jausmus ir jų poelgių priežastis, dabar skaitydama kažkiek nesąmoningai ir paanalizavau,kas skaitymą net paįvairino.
December 13, 2020
Pabaigoje mėja man nepatiko
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 25, 2021
Neužkabino, kone viskas buvo nuspėjama.
February 12, 2023
Burgess'o kūryba labai giriama, galvoju, paskaitysiu, įvertinsiu. Suprantu, kad paaugliams...bet 1992-ųjų paaugliams.
April 24, 2023
Interesting book.
October 18, 2023
I saw this movie ages ago and decided to read the book. A very nice childrens' book for any age. A very quick read and a wonderful ending.
February 2, 2025
I loved all the problems that the boy had, the relationship between may and the boy was incredible, i couldn’t stop reading, it was sooooo interesting💗
June 10, 2025
Labai graži istorija, patiko!
June 26, 2025
3.2/5
August 19, 2016
Soobie a 12 anni:
Bel libro. Tom è un ragazzo che scopre un passaggio temporale che lo porta negli anni della Seconda Guerra Mondiale dove conosce May, una ragazza che tutti credono un po' pazza. Però quando nel suo tempo scopre che la fattoria brucerà poco dopo, torna nel passato e scoprirà...
Bel libro. Tom è un ragazzo che scopre un passaggio temporale che lo porta negli anni della Seconda Guerra Mondiale dove conosce May, una ragazza che tutti credono un po' pazza. Però quando nel suo tempo scopre che la fattoria brucerà poco dopo, torna nel passato e scoprirà...
April 28, 2023
Puiki knyga, tokia nuostabiai vaikiška, šilta. Ryšys tarp veikėjų nepersotintas dramatiškumu, bet pilnas meilės, šilumos, globos, prisirišimo prie artimos sielos. Istorijos paprastumas mane labai patraukė, net gaila buvo, kad knyga tokia trumpa. Būtinai duosiu skaityti savo vaikams, jei jų turėsiu.
August 2, 2015
I really -really - liked the idea. But I found the story a bit slow and the ending a bit strange.
Also: curious how the same amount of time passes in both places, unlike all the books about travelling in time or between dimensions that I have read.
Also: curious how the same amount of time passes in both places, unlike all the books about travelling in time or between dimensions that I have read.
Read
September 25, 2016I didn't understand this book. I read all the stuff in it but I just didn't pick up why all the things happened. Like what did May have wrong with her and why did the old lady choose Tam to take back in time to see her past.
February 13, 2009
A very different sort of time travel book.
September 7, 2015
Superb characterisation
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews