You may know much about World War II, but did you ever wonder how children lived through this man-made disaster that killed twenty-nine million civilians in Europe? Read about eighteen ordinary children whose childhood changed due to extraordinary events not of their making. How did they make sense of their world? They collected and traded bomb shrapnel instead of baseball cards; instead of watching cartoons, they ran out in the morning to see what last night’s bombs had destroyed; and boys played with live ammunition like your sons do with Fourth of July firecrackers.

Read these true stories and share them with a friend. Ponder the bravery of the ten-year old girl traveling alone to her faraway home. Worry about the three-year-old watching her house burn. Cheer for the fearless boy who provides food for his family or wonder how it was possible that, in the middle of a large bombed-out city, a four-year-old brings a live chicken to her mother. These stories also talk about overwhelming fear, bottomless sadness, the heartwarming kindness of strangers and enemy soldiers, as well as childhood joys. At the end you may agree with the motto of the last chapter Never Again War.