The books of the prose writer L. A. Hartung are well known to Tomsk residents. A teacher by profession and vocation, the basis of his works was the theme of developing the character of a teenager, the attitude of youth to the problems of adults and participation in solving these problems. The book, whose release coincides with the centenary of the writer’s birth, includes two stories. The first story for teenagers is about children who grew up early during the Great Patriotic War, about the complex tragic relationships between adults. The second story is autobiographical. For the first time, the author spoke in detail about his difficult period of life, after deportation from his homeland to the city of Tomsk. The book will be interesting for both children and adults.