 the boy in striped pajamas |
| Review Date: June 22, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Janet Fae Smith, rapid river mi |
| I saw the video of the above book, wanted to read it and will be sharing it with the book club that I'm in. |
Take a Journey
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| Review Date: February 14, 2010 |
| Reviewer: PricelessReads, |
I read this book in one day. One work day even, because I couldn't put it down. The way the story is written from a child's perspective is just incredible. It is simple enough to be taken at face value, but also poignant enough for the more advanced reader. I am so glad that I took this journey with Bruno, and I hope you do too.
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Sheltered VS reality
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| Review Date: November 17, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Nancy Ringel, CO |
I read this book because a local book club was reading it, along with the book that I wrote, "What They Could Not Forget: Memoirs of Leo and Wjera Ringel". What They Could Not Forget Memoirs of Leo and Wjera Ringel (paperback)
The concept of discussing two authors approaching the subject of the Holocaust in two totally different ways, spurred various heartfelt discussions. They were discussions of innocence VS maturity, yet for both, the atrocities were inconceivable.
This book was an easy read, yet incredibly thought provoking. I could hardly put the book down. It grabbed my heart. I also watched the movie and was not disappointed by the book or the movie.
All books are not "historical accounts", yet the thoughts and discussions brought on by "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" are just as provoking as those brought on by non-fiction. In this book, it's the innocence and Bruno's family dynamics that are up for discussion, not the historical facts. In various ways, I believe that all families can relate to the dynamics of Bruno's family, in one way or another, to one extreme or another.
Bruno's innocence, cradled in his family VS Schmuel's reality of a brutal, temporary existence thrown in this death camp is as stark as black VS white.
I think this should become a reading staple.
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Ultimately disappointing.
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| Review Date: October 26, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Cathy G. Cole, Phoenix, AZ USA |
First Line: One afternoon, when Bruno came home from school, he was surprised to find Maria, the family's maid-- who always kept her head bowed and never looked up from the carpet-- standing in his bedroom, pulling all his belongings out of the wardrobe and packing them in four large wooden crates, even the things he'd hidden at the back that belonged to him and were nobody else's business.
Bruno is the son of a high-ranking SS officer in Nazi Germany. He and his older sister, Gretel, are growing up in luxury in Berlin when Hitler promotes their father and they find themselves moving to "Out-With" in Poland. Neither of the children have any idea what sort of place Out-With (Auschwitz) is, and they wonder what in the world all the people dressed in striped pajamas are doing on the other side of that tall fence. One day Bruno goes exploring and meets Shmuel, a young boy wearing striped pajamas who lives on the other side of the fence. They become friends.
I had heard many good things about this book, and I looked forward to reading it. If it's read at face value and as if it's a fable, it can be a very powerful book indeed. However, I had problems with it. 99% of the time I have no trouble with my "willing suspension of disbelief." I can turn off my judgement and let the writer tell me a story, and I'll believe it... as long as nothing throws me out of the narrative. I kept getting tossed out of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, and I still have a few scrapes and bruises from the experience.
The character who kept kicking me in the shins was Bruno. I found it impossible to believe that the nine-year-old son of a high-ranking Nazi would be so totally naive about Jews, Hitler, and almost everything else going on in the world around him. Putting that aside, Bruno was a spoiled, petty little brat who-- on rare occasions-- showed a glimmer of humanity, but when push came to shove, he did and said anything in his power to save his own neck. His air of entitlement made him impossible for me to like. (In fact the only character in the book that truly came to life for me was Pavel, the prisoner forced to peel potatoes and wait on the family at table.)
The ending of the book is indeed powerful. Since I normally try my best not to give plot details away, I won't say anything about it here. I'll only mention my own reaction:
You reap what you sow.
Although I did have problems with The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, I am glad that I read the book. I have a feeling that, in this particular case, Boyne's novel would've worked better if I had been a tween or a teenager with less baggage and fewer firmly held beliefs.
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Wonderfully commercial idea - poor book
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| Review Date: August 26, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Helen T, Bristol, UK |
The genius in this book is in the idea:- set a book at a concentration camp told through the eyes of an absurdly naiive German boy who meets up with a Jewish (prisoner) boy every day.
Yet the actual book itself is really dull for the first 130 pages or so (out of about 190). The reason we keep reading is because we know our history and we know something terrible must happen in the end and can't help ourselves. Almost all the 'child-like' touches (such as 9-year old Bruno thinking that the Fuhrer is called the Fury) ring untrue and are clearly devices used by the author to manipulate the reader. Luckily for the author, readers love to be manipulated. What adds to the dullness is that we never get close to any character (not even Bruno, who is merely a cipher for the author's 'child-like' voice). The only real and potentially interesting character is the old Jewish man who plays waiter in Bruno's household. There is an unspoken menace when he is attacked by the young German soldier and a touching tenderness when he tends to Bruno's injury.
It must be said that the ending is a real page-turner and the book, like anything to do with the holocaust, really makes you think and wonder at the cruelty humans are capable of.
But even so, this book is hugely over-rated. |
The Ending Is What Makes This Book Unforgettable
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| 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.
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An interesting look into History
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| Review Date: August 5, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Lover of Books, Eagan, MN United States |
Mr. Boyne did a fabulous job with the story line. You really get to see the world at that time through a naive child's eyes. The beliefs that were held at that time show through this book. The black and white way of life is again shown very well. I'm not sure how the writer was able to write this book but it was well done.
I'm not really sure what more to say since I don't want to give away the plot. After finishing it up, I couldn't pick up another book. It's an emotional roller coaster and I am so glad I finally read it. It's definitely a favorite of the year so far since it expounded on so much that I knew. To see the inter workings of the Nazi from a child's perspective was something that I haven't come across before. Bruno is a little boy who will stay with me for a long time.
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Fabulous read
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| Review Date: June 14, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Monique D. Szczecinski, USA |
| While this book is definitely written on a 4th grade reading level, it was an amazing read. We can never let ourselves forget the Holocaust, although it is most certainly being repeated in other countries. The ending is gut wrenching. What a great, although depressing read. |
Wonderful book/movie; Mr. Maurice's comments on book
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| Review Date: May 5, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Crazy Deer, Duluth/Kunming |
I am a high school English teacher who was thinking of having my juniors and seniors read this book next year. What I wanted to show them was that what the author did by having Bruno die at the end was brilliant...even genious. One's first reaction is to identify with the innocense of Bruno and then to feel so bad for him that he died a death he wasn't supposed to die. Then, and this is where the genious is, one is moved to see that while Bruno's death was unjust, so was the death of the Jews who were with him. We never got to see into the mind of any character like we did Bruno, so we naturally initially identify with him more - but then to come to the point where you realize that you mourn his loss more than the Jews actually helps us to move into a real deep mourning for the Jews and to see our own inhumanity...or at least I did. In the book the Jews are mere characters rather than as people with an incredible depth and who suffered and died terribly, but through this, we come to realize that they were more than mere characters in a story. They were real and their deaths were real. This helps us to us to truely mourn the loss of the Jews...all the Jews...who died there. This is what I think the author's purpose was - it is not just a fable to teach us something - it is a fable to move us to understand the horible suffering of the Jews and to show us that our initial reaction to the story shows our own insensitivity to the suffering of the Jews. The author does this wonderfully.
Thus said, I think that Mr. Maurice's comments are also extremely important to understanding the reality of fact and fiction. I will include a copy of your comments to my students as well. Your comments, Mr. Maurice, are an excellent essay which I can bring out many things as I teach my students about writing and critical thinking. However, I do think that you need to understand that the book never claims to be non-fiction. We have many stories that are considered wonderful literature that are set in real events, which is how I see this book. But, I respect and value Mr. Maurice's comments and thoughts. They are wonderful and I so appreciate them. Thanks for taking the time to post your comments. They will serve my students well and have served me well too. |
May Be Best For Young Adults
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| Review Date: April 20, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Faye Quam Heimerl - Memoir and Children's Book Editor, Westminster, CO |
THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS is told from a 9-year-old boy's point of view, which made it a boring read for me. I understand it was written for young adults, but I still wanted it to include more details to compliment what I already know about The Holocaust. (By the way, did you know the word holocaust comes from "holókaustos," which means burnt whole? I didn't.) Even though I didn't much care for this book, I hope it spurs young adults to dig deep and learn more about World War II and The Holocaust.
Note: See the movie based on this book. It's beautifully filmed as well as compelling.
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Holocaust hokey, Dick and Jane version
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| Review Date: March 22, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Julee Rudolf, Oak Harbor, WA USA |
See family move to Out-With. See German boy meet suffering Jewish prisoner boy. See oblivious boy act selfish, insensitive and save his own skin. See boy finally see boy's world.
The plot of this story is unlikely to the point of ridiculousness. A nine-year old German boy, son of a recently promoted Commandant, moves with his family to "Out-With," where he lives for about a year without, for the most part, getting much more than a few tiny clues about the goings on at the place. Problems with the actions of the characters, plot, and writing abound.
How does an ethnic German, even a child, come up with "Out-With" for a word that sounds like Ow-shvitz? Same question for mistaking "Fury" for "Fyoorer." This language issue is totally distracting in its unlikelihood as is the fact that at least twice during the (relatively short) story the German boy says things that no nine-year-old would say, like (on page 58), "...If you ask me, we're all in the same boat. And it's leaking'," and (on page 78) when he is injured, opening a "wide gash" on his knee, he merely says, "'Oh, dear.'"
Secondly, there is the odds-defying undetected recurring regular rendezvous between the two boys over an extended period of time. Where were the guards? And what was Mom doing all day, every day, that she wouldn't notice his absence?
Third, the birth date issue is probably less likely to occur than a character being struck by lightning several times.
Fourth, the German boy, having seen prisoners a number of times, does not notice that they are emaciated until halfway through the book (p 107).
Fifth, an adult (p 137) recklessly reveals secrets to a child, even saying as he or she does so, "'you mustn't tell anyone - do you understand? We would all get in terrible trouble.'" Why would they risk such a thing when lives were at stake?
Lastly, the writing is so simplistic as to sound like something straight out of a Dick and Jane reader. That is to say, the reading level is about third grade, the topic generally more appropriate for fifth and up. And the character development is nil, making it impossible to care much about any of the non-prisoners.
There are so many fabulous books and movies on this subject that I can't imagine anyone wasting their time reading this terrible tale. Infinitely better: Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl; (my personal favorite) The Book Thief by Markus Zusak; Life in Auschwitz by Primo Levy; Night by Elie Wiesel; Times' Arrow by Martin Amis; and the movies: Life is Beautiful, Schindler's List, The Pianist, and The Sound of Music. |
Stunning piece of fiction
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| Review Date: March 10, 2009 |
| Reviewer: M. Jacobsen, Southeast of Disorder |
By now you probably know the premise of this book: set in WWII Germany, a nine year old boy whose father is a commandant in the Nazi party moves with his family to Auschwitz, where his father has been put in charge of the infamous concentration camp.
There aren't too many new ways to tell this story, but author John Boyne found a unique perspective here. Everything about this story is from the viewpoint of Bruno, the nine year old German boy. While it is fairly easy for you, the reader, to put together the puzzle pieces, we have the advantage of knowing history and knowing what atrocities occured at Auschwitz. Bruno, of course, does not fully understand and this is his story.
This novel is simply stunning in it's simplicity and power. I never saw the ending coming and it just blew me away. After I turned the last page, I set the book down in my lap and just sat there amazed for a good fifteen minutes. Two weeks later, I'm still thinking about this book. I can't get over how powerful it is and I'm recommending it to everyone I know.
It's not necessarily a child's book, despite the youthful narrator. I'd say it might qualify as a young adult's book since they are certainly old enough to understand the powerful ending.
Certainly, all adults should read this one. Then it's up to you to decide what age is appropriate for your children to read it.
Do NOT miss this book! |
Reads Like a Folk Tale
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| Review Date: March 2, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Gaby Chapman, Willits, CA |
Much is missing in this story told from the perspective of a nine-year-old boy whose father is the Kommandant of Auschwitz. I was not even sure if my high or middle school students would recognize what it was about. They do recognize the setting and they do find the cheery voice of the child wending his way through unmistakably dark times a compelling read. The missing specifics make this story read like a folk tale, without time and place, with an edge of unreality, and with completely familiar human truths.
A boy's world consists of his imagination, his friendships, his ongoing struggle to make sense of the adult world that swirls around him. This boy, Bruno, appears at first glance to be unduly naive. But he is not naive; the belief that comfort can exist alongside absolute cruelty is naive. That perspective is like a knife cutting through the twisted intentions of the severely misguided adults, laying bare the only truth: no safe haven exists unless it exists for all.
Even with its lack of factual detail, this book is clearly about a terrible time in history, the Holocaust. While strong readers as young as eight could read this book, parents may want to decide when their child is ready for this information and might want to read it together. Middle and high school kids should be fine with it. In fact, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is one of those books that can be read and appreciated by all ages of readers.
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The Boy In The Stripped Pajamas
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| Review Date: February 3, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Kevin M Byers, |
The setting of my book is in Auschwitz. The main events are when Bruno moves, he meets shmuel, then he sneaks into the camp, and Bruno not understanding what the camp was. I like how the kid is all confused, and they think they're in a farm not a concentration camp. The conflict is that Bruno's parents don't let him talk to shmuel. I recommend this book to other middle school students.
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Good premise but bad style
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| Review Date: January 1, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Sarita, the Netherlands |
When buying this book I didn't know it wasn't written for adults. The style was clearly aimed at children and made the book less enjoyable for me (for as far as a book on this subject can be enjoyable).
Because the story is so unrealistic (I don't think children in Auschwitz were able to sit by a fence every afternoon, Shmuell could have just walked out of the camp) I didn't get taken away by the story as much I would have liked to.
The end sentence was also to obvious.
I think the book would have been better if it had been written from an all knowing perspective. |
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The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas
This book is about a little boy called Bruno it is basted in WW2.One day Bruno comes home and findes out that he is moving 2 “Out-With”.One day he looks through his bedroom window in his new house, and sees the concentration camp,and he goes to explore.The he sees a little boy called Shmuel and they bild a relationship but this is a forbidden friendship because Shmuel is a Jew and Bruno is a Nazi .
This is a funny at time and a tearjerker you will need 15 boxesof tissues !! IF U WANT A BRILLIANT,MARAVELES AND FUNNY BOOK DEFINTELY READ THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS !!!! x
This book is brilliant, i am only 12 but i thought it was MARAVELES !! I thought it was going to be boring because it was about the war BUT IT WASN’T !! Everyone in my class loved it !!:D I think the book was better then the film but the film was good to
A wonderful little book with a killer punch ending like you said. I really liked this one although Bruno certainly is annoying.
I read this earlier this year and thought it was fantastic. It really made me think and stayed with me for a very long time.
Joannas last blog post..New Classics Challenge
So glad I found your site! I like your taste in books!
I read this book just last month and it has to be one of the few books that left quite a huge impact on me. It’s a sad book but I’m happy for Bruno and Shmuel who became firm friends.
Josettes last blog post..Friday Finds (July 4, 2008)
this was one of my favorite reads of 2007. my review is here:
http://books4alison.blogspot.com/2007/11/boy-in-striped-pajamas-by-john-boyne.html
alisonwonderlands last blog post..Keeping Busy in July
Every review I read makes this book sound more intriguing.
Jeanes last blog post..The Devil’s Storybook
I really enjoyed this when I read it a while ago.
My review can be found here:
http://readingadventures.blogspot.com/2008/02/boy-in-striped-pyjamas-by-john-boyne.html
Margs last blog post..100+ Challenge complete
I hadn’t heard of this one, sounds good
tracys last blog post..Beautiful Death by Joely Sue Burkhart
Hi Bart – thanks for stopping by – it’s definitely worth a read if you can lay your hands on a copy
Looked at this one a time or two in the local Waterstones, never quite gone for it though, there has always been something else to make up the 3 for 2 that I wanted more, perhaps I should give it a go, as I’ve heard little but praise for it.
Barts last blog post..The Uncommon Reader