I have mentioned before in these pages that we live now in a publishing world which frequently seems to equate size with merit; the big fuss is aimed at the (literally) big books. In such a world, the short book is often overlooked, on the mistaken principle, I believe, that you can't say anything weighty if you don't use enough words to require the felling of half an acre of woodland. The truth is that a few words in the hands of a skilful writer can be worth a few paragraphs from someone apparently holding shares in Scandinavian paper mills.

Ronnie's War is a slim volume that proves this point well. It's the story  four stories, in fact  of Ronnie Warren, 11 years old when we first meet him in "Blitzkrieg". Ronnie's father is away fighting in the Royal Artillery. Ronnie and his mother believe he's in the far east, but they can't be sure. What Ronnie is sure about is that he's not going to spend this glorious September Saturday afternoon on a trip to "nervy" Aunt Edna's house. After an argument, he parts from his mother on bad terms. Not a tragedy on any other day, perhaps, but this turns out to be a fateful one: it's the start of the blitz, and suddenly bombs are raining on London.

Next time we meet Ronnie, in "Top Bunk Boy", he's been evacuated to Lancashire, facing both the difficulties of settling into a new life as well as problems with a violent teacher at his new school. In "The American Captain", Ronnie and his mother are reunited as they escape London for a spell to live with an uncle in Essex. This short story neatly deals with themes of prejudice, betrayal and love, as Ronnie worries that his mother is falling for a GI, and falls in love himself with the daughter of an interned Italian.

Finally, in "Man of the House", it's VE Day, and Ronnie is on the verge of early manhood, trying to decide what to do with his life as the war in Europe comes to an end. But for Ronnie and his mother the war is not over until they receive news, either good or bad, of Ronnie's father. Four vignettes, then, which quickly yet subtly build a full picture of what ordinary life was like for a child who spent their entire adolescence under the cloud of war.

With the exception of the dramatic bombing and rescue that open the book, the materials with which Bernard Ashley builds this picture are generally the mundane, the small, the commonplace. However, it is of such stuff that real lives are made, and through which real emotions and experiences are felt, and this is what makes the book a success: the creation of an emotionally rich journey for Ronnie, and therefore for the reader too. Written in an easy and simple style, the book makes a perfect introduction for a younger reader looking to understand the "war at home".

If I had a criticism, it would be that the cover, and perhaps to an extent the title, do not do the book justice. Inside, however, the pages are beautifully designed, with silhouettes of aircraft punctuating the stories.