Book Review | The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

Rating

5 stars – a small book with a killer punch ending

Description

The story of “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas” is very difficult to describe. Usually we give some clues about the book on the cover, but in this case we think that would spoil the reading of the book. We think it is important that you start to read without knowing what it is about. If you do start to read this book, you will go on a journey with a nine-year-old boy called Bruno. (Though this isn’t a book for nine-year-olds.) And sooner or later you will arrive with Bruno at a fence. We hope you never have to cross such a fence.

Why did you choose to read this book?

I picked up a copy of The Boy in Striped Pyjamas when it appeared in the bargain bin at the supermarket – and thought it would be a nice light read…hmmm…not quite!

The Book Review

If you have never read this book I suggest you go out today and buy a copy – it is quite a compelling and extremely well written book – and don’t let its YA status put you off either.

I will admit that the first couple of pages felt quite clunky to read but once I settled down I pretty much read it from cover to cover in a couple of hours on a wet and windy Saturday afternoon.

This is the story of Bruno – a nine-year-old boy who has to leave his beloved home – with five floors and a banister that you can slide down – to live in a house with only three floors in a place called Out-With. This is the story of Bruno – a nine-year-old-boy who doesn’t understand why he can’t go out ot play with the little boys who appear at the bottom of his garden. This is the story of Bruno – a nine-year-old-boy who goes out to explore one day and sees ‘a dot in the distance become a speck and that spot becomes a blob and that becomes a figure and that in turn becomes a boy in striped pyjamas.’

This is a story about a time in history most of us would like to forget – but that we should be forced to remember – and the terrible things that can happen when people keep secrets from each other…

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Where is 'Outwith' and who is Bruno? How is he connected? Soon he will meet the boy in striped pyjamas and befriend him. But why must the boy stay behind the wire?

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A powerful story - not a history lesson

Review Date: December 28, 2008

Reviewer: A Reader, Chicago, IL

When I first started reading, I didn't find the simplistic writing style appealing and thought I would be glad to finish the book so I could move on to another more challenging. It wasn't long before I became engrossed in viewing the situation through the eyes and voice of the 9 yr old boy, Bruno. I did not critique what I was reading from the perspective of what a 'real' 9 yr old living in that era should or should not have known about Nazi Germany. I decided to write this because I was disappointed by the comments of a couple of the other reviewers who were upset that the book did not include historical accuracy. I never thought I was purchasing a history book, and therefore did not expect to receive a history lesson. To me the message of the story is broader than the era it is set in. This is the tale of an unlikely friendship between two 9 yr old boys. That friendship is allowed to grow because of their innocence, and because they do not judge one another by their stations in life. It's a very powerful, moving fable. I loved it for exactly what it is.

Amazing

Review Date: December 9, 2008

Reviewer: ,

As a twelve year old I found this book to be amazing , very breathtaking , and is a must read for all children interested in these terrible time . I found my self stuck to this book and could not put it down , I will with out a doubt recommend this for anybody who is thinking about reading this book !! I LOVE IT !!!!

The Ending Is What Makes This Book Unforgettable

Review Date: August 16, 2009

Reviewer: Nancy Grisso, Tehachapi, CA USA

The ending is what makes this book unforgettable. Some have billed this as a children's/YA book, I think that this book is anything but. Told through the eyes of 9 year old Bruno the son of a Nazi Commandant, we see his burgeoning friendship with another child a Polish Jew. The only thing that separates them is a fence. Bruno's naivety is quite startling when you, the adult reader, can see what is around the corner. Bruno is just a kid, thinking kid thought, living in a kids world that has always kept him sheltered. But one day, reality will hit and with it a lesson is learned - an no one will ever be the same. I highly recommend this book to any adult and even to a middle schooler who is studying the Holocaust. This book gives quite a startling look at this time in history from a child's perspective. Though criticized for factual inaccuracies, that is not the point the book is trying to make. Whether it was Auschwitz or Bergen Belsen, it really doesn't matter. This is a story told though the eyes of little boys living in a grown up world.