The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
-
-
4.5 • 2K Ratings
-
-
- $8.99
-
- $8.99
Publisher Description
Two young boys encounter the best and worst of humanity during the Holocaust in this powerful read that USA Today called "as memorable an introduction to the subject as The Diary of Anne Frank.”
Berlin, 1942: When Bruno returns home from school one day, he discovers that his belongings are being packed in crates. His father has received a promotion and the family must move to a new house far, far away, where there is no one to play with and nothing to do. A tall fence stretches as far as the eye can see and cuts him off from the strange people in the distance.
But Bruno longs to be an explorer and decides that there must be more to this desolate new place than meets the eye. While exploring his new environment, he meets another boy whose life and circumstances are very different from his own, and their meeting results in a friendship that has devastating consequences.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
This YA novel is written in a light and dreamy tone, which makes the fact that it’s about the Holocaust that much more disturbing. John Boyne’s bestseller follows Bruno, the naïve son of a Nazi commandant, who lives outside a concentration camp but doesn’t quite understand what’s going on there. Bored and lonely, Bruno forms a secret friendship with a boy he meets on the other side of the fence. The story is heartbreaking, and there’s so much to ponder and discuss here: about childhood innocence, about being a complicit bystander, and about the ability for evil to coexist comfortably with everyday life.
Customer Reviews
What happens next?
I can see why some people would think “You can’t show this to kids!” Nevertheless, it’s an important story. It shows the hardships of innocent people so that we can remember to make sure it never happens again.
My biggest problem with it is the writing style. We don’t actually meet “the boy in the striped pajamas until halfway through the book. Up until then it’s all exposition. Frankly, a lot of the flashbacks should have happened later on, not early on. Also it sometimes shows how Shumel is feeling as if he is the main character. This is fine, but for at least 80% of the book Bruno was the main character, and only his thoughts and feelings were shared. If Shumel was going to be treated like a main character then he should have been introduced sooner.
However, despite all these flaws John Boyle was able to make me ask the question any successful author has to make their audience ask: What happens next?
P.S. The ending was very ironic and surprising.
High School Reader
I thought it was an amazing book. I'm a freshman in high school. We read the book along with the book "Night" by Elie Weisle. It's a amazing book to. A note to parents though.. I advise that you read the book first. To determine if your child can handle it. The information. They will need a basic understanding of the history. If you plan to watch the movie as well, I advise the same thing. Especially for the ending bit.
WOW
AMAZING!!this is a book from the poring of view of the holocaust by a nine year old!at the end I was balling my eyes out!!you will for sure Cry your heart out!!<3