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A review by bermudaonion
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
4.0
Bruno and his family lived in Berlin during World War II. His father was an officer in the Army. Bruno was a typical nine-year old - his life revolved around family, friends and school. When he found Maria, his family’s maid, packing up his belongings one day, he discovered that his family was moving. Bruno was very unhappy at “Out-With” (as Bruno called it) at first. His sister Gretel was three years older than him and they really didn’t get along that well, so he had no one to play with. His father was working and his mother was distant.
From his bedroom window, Bruno could see Auschwitz concentration camp and all the people in it and couldn’t understand why they had to stay on their side of the fence and he had to stay on his. He decided to go exploring one day and encountered a young Polish boy, Shmuel, on the other side of the fence who shares his birthday. The boys struck up an unlikely friendship and met almost daily to talk.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne is a great book that will really make you think and leave you teary-eyed and sad. It’s about blind ambition and prejudices and how both can cloud our judgement and affect everyone around us. I didn’t see the ending coming and it left me feeling shocked. It’s written at a Young Adult level, but I’m not sure I would classify it as a Young Adult novel. Some knowledge of Nazi Germany is required in order to truly understand the book.
From his bedroom window, Bruno could see Auschwitz concentration camp and all the people in it and couldn’t understand why they had to stay on their side of the fence and he had to stay on his. He decided to go exploring one day and encountered a young Polish boy, Shmuel, on the other side of the fence who shares his birthday. The boys struck up an unlikely friendship and met almost daily to talk.
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne is a great book that will really make you think and leave you teary-eyed and sad. It’s about blind ambition and prejudices and how both can cloud our judgement and affect everyone around us. I didn’t see the ending coming and it left me feeling shocked. It’s written at a Young Adult level, but I’m not sure I would classify it as a Young Adult novel. Some knowledge of Nazi Germany is required in order to truly understand the book.