Changes

Michael Morpurgo kicks things off with a story about the growth of a relationship between a boy and his badly scarred grandfather that perfectly displays his characteristically lyrical writing style. While Morpurgo’s story is gentle and understated, [[:Category:Geraldine McCaughrean|Geraldine McCaughrean’s]] is pretty much the opposite of that. Vividly written, and punctuated with passion, it hammers home the contradiction that lies in the idea of 'holy war', and is a highly enjoyable read. [[:Category:Margaret Mahy|Margaret Mahy’s]] story is also beautifully written – her depiction of young Elizabeth’s awakening awareness of the tragic nature of war is really well done.

The stories that I have mentioned are some of my personal standouts in the collection, but there are plenty more in there that are well worth reading. It is understandably difficult to have an anthology of short stories from 15 different authors and be guaranteed a consistently top notch read every time. Inevitably, some of the stories are stronger than others, with some authors transitioning comfortably to a short story style, while the offerings of others feel a little rushed and not fully rounded. Furthermore, some of the stories feel too orthodox, and lacking in originality. Nonetheless, as a whole, this anthology of stories of conflict is a strong achievement that will stimulate, intrigue and enlighten younger readers to the complexity of war, and how varied, and so often tragic, its effects can be.