The drama, the cruelty, the courage and the consequences of war feature in this collection of stories from Joan Aiken, Eva Ibbotson, Jamila Gavin, Elizabeth Laird, Geraldine McCaughrean, Margaret Mahy, Michelle Magorian, Michael Morpurgo, Eleanor Updale, Celia Rees and other top children's authors. From the Crusades to 1970s' Beirut to the Falklands, many aspects of war are explored in a collection of work that speaks powerfully to today's young readers.

These are stories of love, devestation, family, friendship, loss and ultimately of hope that sweep throughout history and across cultures.