John Boyne

Bored and lonely after his family moves from Berlin to a place called "Out-With" in 1942, Bruno, the son of a Nazi officer, befriends a boy in striped pajamas who lives behind a wire fence. Reprint.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

A Fable

Signe

"We're all in the same boat. And it's leaking."

Miranda Montenegro

The manner in which war affects and destroys the experience of childhood, which is supposed to be happy and carefree period

Archie Williams-Lawton

Before reading this book I had seen people reviewing this book and saying how controversial it is. And after reading the book, I kinda sympathise with people saying it’s controversial. Yes it sort of is because of the depiction of the Jews and the war consantration camps. And I just want to point out, IT IS A WORK OF FICTION. Anyway, now final thing the ending. I have heard everyone say “oh they shouldn’t just be sad about Bruno dying, other people died As well,”. I GET IT. But it is written from the Natzi side of things so obviously they are only going to care about the boy. It is written from a Natzi point of view.

The book was nice it had a sad ending it just wasn’t something I’d normally read 

Mia Salman

SO BADD I HATED IT. I WOULD GIVE IT 0!!! 

Gracie

SO BADD I HATED IT. I WOULD GIVE IT 0!!! 

BUTTTTTTTTTTT Gretel was cool.

The story of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is very difficult to describe. Usually we give some clues about the book on the back 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.

Fences like this exist all over the world. We hope you never have to encounter such a fence.
--back flap

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

anjali

One of the very first books on the Holocaust I read, which since then I have made a subject for my study for years. The book revolves around ten year old Bruno, whose father works for the Fuhrer in the army, and his new found friend, Shmuel, the Jewish kid from the other side of the barb wire. Bruno and Shmuel begin to share a wonderful friendship, and reality has a way of getting in the way of things like friendships. The ending left me outraged and heartbroken.

baku

Do you know why there’s a game called “Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader”? Cause most of the time, they are. Not this kid, though. But that’s not the only inaccurate part here. 

There were so many historical inaccuracies and farcical details in “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas,” so if you’re looking for an accurate representation of what really happened in the Holocaust, look elsewhere. There are plenty of insightful reviews on this piece that I could not have said any better.

maitha mana

A story that captures the innocence of youth and a friendship that overpowers barbed fences. No person should ever experience a death of a best friend. Except they both died together thinking it would be their last adventure, which it was. The last chapter just brought me to tears, especially how Bruno and Shmuel were discussing future get-togethers and the fact they were still holding hands in the darkness. I also love how Bruno uses Shmuel's name as a noun, an example of this would be his theory behind his mom's depression and that's her not having a Shmuel of her own. It's books like these that truly highlights the importance of friendship.

The following quotes are mentioned in the last chapter of the book and are the ones I found most powerful:
'He took hold of Shmuel's tiny hand in his and squeezed it tightly, "you're my best friend, Shmuel," he said. "My best friend for Life."

'Bruno found that he was still holding Shmuel's hand in his own and nothing in the world would have persuaded him to let it go.'

My emotions are in complete ruin.

Date read: September 25 - September 27, 2019 

 Actual Rating: 3.00 STARS 

My first reaction after reading this book: disappointed. 

I tried to dive into it with my mind off the movie because I wanted to have a little knowledge and understanding of it as much as possible, but I failed. I just can't get the movie off my mind while reading this. I kept finding the scenes from the movie to this book and I hate myself for spoiling myself too much. 

But regardless, If I didn't know or watch the movie before this, or if I didn't know anything about the history, which not all people are knowledgeable about, I think I would be more clueless than not. Maybe because it was more focused on Bruno's perspective, the naivety and innocence of him and Shmuel, that made me as ignorant as them. The details about what was really happening were as little as what a child like Bruno can provide with his little perspective. 

Truthfully, it was also less emotional than the movie, and imagine how I expected to cry, even after I convinced myself not to compare both of them, but ended up with dry eyes. Or maybe because the movie has more detailed visualization and has provided a detailed perspective that it became more emotional than the book. I don't exactly know. But I must admit, I felt quite sad. Knowing the full root of the event, how these little young boys were being caught up into the war in the past and how unaware they were about the whole situation, it was actually depressing. 

Maybe this is exactly the disadvantage of having to go into a book with so much expectation and with any form of comparison. I am curious as to how I would really react to this book if I did read this without knowing anything.

Ally

audiobook

it was exactly like the movie. bruno seemed more naive and annoying in the book

Melissa Palmer

Winona 

This book is ass. If I could give it 0 stars I absolutely would, but unfortunately that would prevent me from leaving a review here to tell you to NOT READ THIS TRASH BOOK. I won't say much other than that this book - and its subsequent film adaptation - has done so much damage to the memory of the Holocaust with its revisionist history crap. Its an insult to the people who were ruthlessly exterminated during the Holocaust: the Jews, Roma, the LGBTQ community, the political dissidents, the disabled, etcetera. Its also a denial of the mass brainwashing and propaganda campaigns that Hitler instituted once he rose to power (read: the Hitler Youth), in order to present some superficial "The Nazis were people too! They were victims too" crap that minimises the depraved actions of a highly militarised fascist state. 

Read  this review here  for a more detailed understanding of just how disgusting and offensive this book is. 

Don't read the sequel when it comes out later on (yes, there's a sequel, barf).

Jess

I had to read this for school, the only reason I finished it was so I could update my Goodreads.

If you start to read this book, you will go on a journey with a nine-year-old boy named Bruno. (Though this isn't a book for nine-year-olds.) And sooner or later you will arrive with Bruno at a fence.

Fences like this exist all over the world. We hope you never have to encounter one.
--back cover

The Boy In The Striped Pajamas

Nessa Luna

It’s a bit of a shame that my mum already spoiled the ending for me, because she’d seen the movie (which I plan on watching as well). But still I rather enjoyed reading this story.

There were a lot of characters in this book, first there is Bruno’s family; father, mother, Gretel (who is repeatedly called a ‘Hopeless Case’) and Bruno. Bruno’s father is a very important man in the German army, and in this story he becomes the commandant of Auschwitz (which Bruno thinks is called ‘Out-with’, even after being corrected by both his father and Gretel). They move to a house close to the camp, where Bruno hates it. There are soldiers all over the house, one of them being Lieutenant Kotler who’s just an ass. Then, one day Bruno decides to go exploring. He meets Shmuel, a Jewish boy who’s in Auschwitz with his brother, father and grandfather. The two become friends and they tell each other stories about their lives.

One thing that bothered me was the fact that Bruno seemed oblivious to the things that were happening in the camp. He thought Auschwitz was called ‘Out-With’, that the Führer was called ‘The Fury’, he had no idea what the word ‘Jew’ meant, and I just found it hard to believe that. He’s the son of the commandant of the camp, a very important man in the German army, and he doesn’t know all that stuff? His sister was supposed to be a member of the BDM for two years already, and he was supposed to become a member of that other group (of which I have forgotten the name, oh damn) in a year, when he turns ten.

Yes, of course, him being oblivious to all of this is better for the story, so he would not have hated Shmuel from the start, but I would have liked it better if the boy had hated Jews and then met Shmuel and decided that not all Jews were bad and they still became friends.

Other than that, I liked the story, I liked their friendship. It was a well written story, though I was a bit sick of reading about people’s mouths shaping like an ‘O’, and Gretel being a ‘Hopeless Case’ the whole time (why is she a hopeless case?!). I am going to see the rest of the movie soon, I’ve only seen a couple of tiny parts when my mum was watching it.

Bored and lonely after his family moves from Berlin to a place called "Out-With" in 1942, Bruno, the son of a Nazi officer, befriends a boy in striped pajamas who lives behind a wire fence.

Mythos

This is a book that wasn't created to bring awareness to the Holocaust. It causes sympathy from the readers towards the Nazis as we tend to feel how ignorant the child was in terms of the situation. This was likely not the case in real life, as they were required to be aware. This tends to lead to misinformation as well as a lot of other details that are inaccurate. The authors themselves tend to ignore what the Jewish community actually has to say. It's rather concerning how schools will use this to educate people about the Holocaust.

1/5 stars
This is a book that wasn't created to bring awareness to the Holocaust. It causes sympathy from the readers towards the Nazis as we tend to feel how ignorant the child was in terms of the situation. This was likely not the case in real life, as they were required to be aware. This tends to lead to misinformation as well as a lot of other details that are inaccurate. The authors themselves tend to ignore what the Jewish community actually has to say. It's rather concerning how schools will use this to educate people about the Holocaust.

Anushree Taparia

Nine-year-old Bruno is bored and lonely since his family moved from Berlin. It is 1942 and his father, a Nazi officer, has a new posting in a place called 'Out-With'. It isn't long before Bruno finds a new friend, a boy in striped pyjamas who lives behind a wire fence.

Katherine Yang

Irritating but the ending goes for the jugular.

Anum Memon

Ivy X

haurora

NINO CON EL PIJAMA DE RAYAS, EL

Arturo Hernández

This is a tale about the innocence we all have during our childhood, about war, about discovering the good and the bad without really understanding the differences between them.

Fran Lewis

Interesting read.. I was almost afraid to read the last chapter as I was afraid of what was going to happen.

Ren Sparks

I had a sinking feeling in my stomach the entire time I read this because I knew what was going to happen at the end. it’s genuinely such a beautiful and heartbreaking story.

The boy in the striped pyjamas

Emelie

** spoiler alert **
           4,5

The only thing i Didnt like about the book was the ending.. But otherwise it was a fantastic read! 

The book is written from a 9 year old boys perspective whos dad is working for the Fury, aka Hitler.. Since it's from Brunos perspective (the name of the boy) it was a little naive but also Understandable since Bruno thought his dad was a nice man. 

The relationship between Bruno and Schmuel was beautiful and heartbreaking, since Schmuel was "on the other side of the fence" and was a jew. 

Their relationship showed that kids doesnt care who you are, where you from, what you look like etc. As long as you nice, you'll be friends!

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Reviews

Highlights