The Great Patriotic War has ended. Yesterday's elementary school graduates who survived it come to an unusual “men's school” for them. Here, not only the learning of new living conditions takes place, but also the formation of character, the maturation of the main character, on whose behalf the story is told. (back cover) ABOUT THE AUTHORAlbert Anatolyevich Likhanov is a famous writer, author of many books for children and youth, the total circulation of which exceeds 30 million copies. The writer’s works have been published abroad more than a hundred times. The work of A. Likhanov was awarded the Lenin Komsomol Prize, the State Prize of the RSFSR, the Great Literary Prize of Russia, the Russian A. S. Green Prize, the A.I. Bunin and other Russian awards, as well as many international prizes. In 1987, on the initiative of the writer, the Children's Fund was created and he headed it. Now A. Likhanov is the chairman of the Russian Children's Fund, president of the International Association of Children's Funds. These public organizations help children in need, save them, and protect their rights. Children, their lives, relationships with each other, with parents and adults are the main theme of the writer’s work.