The Fire Eaters by David Almond

Took this with me into town. Glad I did. Had an hour long wait at the bank, then half an hour on the bus across town. Finished before I reached my final destination.

A well told story where not a lot happens, but a lot happens too, in the life of a little boy, Bobby Burns. He meets a man that eats fire, his father might be ill, he starts school where a bully of a teacher enjoys caning pupils, and the world is preparing for a nuclear war to start. In the midst of this, Bobby spends time with his friends, and prays that everything will be okay.