The Children's Hour, Ed. Richard Zimler & Rasa Sekulovic

Charity anthologies, like charity gigs, can turn out to be poisoned chalices. A lacklustre bill, or below-par outings, leave well-meaning punters feeling bilked. These "stories of childhood", produced to support Save The Children, deliver a masterclass in how get it right.

Both children's authors and those not usually so viewed appear – from Nadine Gordimer to Ali Smith; Junot Diaz to David Almond; Nicholas Shakespeare to Meg Rosoff. The great bulk of the pieces, inspired by the experience of children in all its shades of joy and pain, are original contributions.

So enjoy a moving, disturbing but pretty often funny spectrum of young lives and dreams, from Shakespeare's Tasmanian youngster learning about his rackety ancestry to Ali Smith's splendid conversation with her 14-year-old self.