Customer Reviews
An Ending You'll Be Talking About 
2008-06-01
While not a realistic Holocaust story, that is clearly beside the point. The simplicity and naïveté with which Boyne portrays the main character in this story is both striking and startling. This was a book written to elicit discussion and an emotional response from readers and succeeded on both counts.
Startling, even when you know your history 
2008-05-19
This book wowed me. I lived to see this horrifying event through the eyes of a 10-year-old. Going into this book, I thought I knew what was going to happen, but by the end I was very surprised at the turn of events. I think that anyone of any age, even if it looks like it is a younger kids book with larger print, but if you like the history of the holocaust and even if you know nothing about it, I think that you would find it enjoyable.
Well Done! 2008-05-02
Books about the Holocaust are never easy to read. Some are downright terrifying and some make the reader nauseous. This book however approaches this period in history from a new and interesting angle and tells a tale of what might have happened, and in doing so opens up these stories to a whole new generation of readers. The book was originally marketed as a children's book, and then remarketed as adult fiction because of the content. The author claims it is just a book, and soon it will be a major motion picture due out in the fall of 2008.
This is the story of two boys who lose everything they hold dear, yet the reality of their loss is completely different. Bruno's life is changed when his father is given a new job and they move from their five-story home in Berlin to a new home in the country that is only three stories tall. He has lost his 3 best friends in life, and his home with the banister and the attic window that looks out over all of Berlin. His new bedroom window looks over small huts in a fenced-in area where everyone wears striped pajamas. One day while being rebellious and doing what he should never do, he walks along the fence and meets a boy with whom he shares a birthday. Shmuel and Bruno meet most days and sit on the opposite sides of the fence and talk. As their friendship grows Bruno's youthful innocence is challenged.
The novel is told in the third person narrative, but told from a nine-year- old's perspective. Though the reader knows that the story takes place at Auschwitz, Bruno cannot pronounce it, and misunderstood the name from the beginning. Yet in not naming the place the author leaves the story as a much broader tale.
This book is extremely well-written; it takes the reader to a place and time we should never forget, and it reminds us of the human element in all stories. John Boyne has written a book that could become required reading for all school children, and maybe all adults should read it also, lest we forget. So pick it up and walk with Bruno and Shmuel as they develop a growing friendship just sitting and talking through a barbed- wire-topped chain link fence.
(First Published in Imprint 2008-05-02.)
A Must Read 2008-04-21
Since reading this book I have bought 5 copies for my 6th grade classroom. This story pulls you into the life of 9 year old Bruno who is unable to understand the life that his family leads. Seeing the Holocaust through his innocent eyes takes the reader on a journey that is riveting. The connection that he forms with Schmuel through the fence and beyond truly speaks to the wisdom of children. When you close the last page, give yourself a few minutes to be with Bruno. Unforgettable!
Create Your Own Review 2008-03-27
Gaela C. review of The Boy In The Striped Pajamas by John Boyne, March 19, 2008.
The Boy In The Striped Pajamas is a timeless tale about two boys, a Nazi Commander's son, Bruno, and a Jewish prisoner, Shmuel, at Auschwitz, a concentration camp in Poland. Both boys become friends even though a fence separates them and their worlds. Both boys are too young to understand what is going on around them. The story ends abruptly when the Nazi Commander's son goes to the other side of the fence. This short book packs a punch and will definitely leave an impression. The Boy In The Striped Pajamas is a good read for adults as well as kids. John Boyne's simple and honest narrative gives this book power that unexpectedly comes from a child's point of view.
Highly recommended for adults and teens alike 2008-07-14
This is an excellent addition to Holocaust literature for young adults. When nine-year old Bruno and his family move to "Off with" because of the "Fury", he is confused and angry- throughout the book, Bruno never really learns what is happening next door. Showing the camps through the eyes of a child on the outside of the fence was a novel technique and allowed for spare descriptions that underlined the looming horror. Once Bruno befriends a young Jewish boy, the reader knows the story isn't going to end well. Despite that knowledge, and the fact that the actual friendship is so unrealistic, Boyne's writing is so powerful that I still found myself tearing up at the end. I highly recommend this book for adults and teens alike.
The Holocaust through the eyes of a child 2008-07-02
Bruno is an innocent and sheltered nine-year-old boy from Berlin. His father is an officer in the German army during WWII. After "The Fury" comes to dinner, Bruno is told that "The Fury" has great things in store for his father and they suddenly move from their family home to a not-so-nice house in "Out-With." From his new bedroom window, Bruno can see a high fence. The dirt area inside the fence is barren except for many low huts inhabited by a large number of people, all wearing striped pajamas.
Bruno, who dreams of becoming an explorer, follows the fence until he meets a thin, sad boy named Shmuel, who is sitting on the other side of the fence. The boys discover that they have the same birthday and decide that they are destined to be best friends.
Because the story is told through the eyes of an innocent and sheltered boy who does not understand what "Out-With" is really all about, the violence and brutality is more subdued than in other Holocaust stories I have read. This actually made the ending even more disturbing, as Bruno doesn't see it coming.
What a beautiful, yet powerfully written story...not just for kids 2008-06-29
My wife borrowed this book from a friend who had just finished it while we were out at the beach for the weekend. He didn't tell her what it was about except to say that it was a must read. When I went to bed last night I picked it up and started reading it. I woke up the next morning and finished it about an hour later...I couldn't put it down. What a powerful story written in such a simple way about a very complex subject. I have just finished writing my recently Bar Mitzvahed older son who is away at camp that I am going to send him this book and I am crying because the story really got to me. I am Jewish and lost over 100 relatives to the Camps during the war. It is sometime very hard to explain what happened during the war and especially hard to get kids to understand what happened to the Jews and others in the Camps. This is a must read for kids and their parents. It is very simply written so it is very easy for kids to read and understand. Yet it is so compelling that even adult readers will appreciate it. Most books of this genre are/were written by Camp survivors and never from the other side. While this story does not make any effort at rationalizing or appolgizing for what the Germans did it does tell the story from that side of the fence. This is a story that you can discuss with your kids at many levels, there are even some thought provoking questions provided in the back of the book that will make for some very interesting discussions.
Cheap sentimentalism 
2008-06-24
In my view, this book is to tragedy what pornography is to erotism. The author seems to think that what really happened in Auschwitz was not poignant enough and that it would be a great idea to add another turn of the screw by inventing a totally incredible story. I am not a fanatic of realism. In fact, I love fantasy, but I think that some subject matters benefit from a sober treatment. If someone wants to read a good book about Auschwitz, he or she should turn to Primo Levi's "If this is a Man", in which the Italian author tells of his experience there with great honesty and sensibility. I can assure you that it is moving enough. By comparison, John Boyne's novel looks superficial and cheap.
One to remember... 2008-06-21
I had to read this book for school and honestly wasn't looking forward to it.
The book is very powerful, and has a central theme of humility and the ultimate value of human life. I was amazed with the ending - it was not what you expect, but had a lasting impression on me.
I like how the author used the fence to symbolize the division between Jews and Nazis - it was something young children could understand but that adults would also find interesting.
I would definitely recommend this to someone.
