The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

By: John Boyne

Narrated by: Michael Maloney

BONUS FEATURE: Conversation between the author and the editor, David Fickling.

Berlin 1942

When Bruno returns home from school one day, he discovers that his belongings are being packed in crates. His father has received a promotion and the family must move from their home to a new house far far away, where there is no one to play with and nothing to do. A tall fence running alongside stretches as far as the eye can see and cuts him off from the strange people he can see in the distance.

But Bruno longs to be an explorer and decides that there must be more to this desolate new place than meets the eye. While exploring his new environment, he meets another boy whose life and circumstances are very different to his own, and their meeting results in a friendship that has devastating consequences.

Critic reviews

"Certain to be one of the publishing sensations of 2006." -The Observer (U.K.)

"A memorable and moving story." -The Oxford Times (U.K.)

"A small wonder of a book." -The Guardian (U.K.)

"A book so simple, so seemingly effortless, that it's almost perfect." -The Irish Independent

"An extraordinary book." -The Irish Examiner

Lynda

It is so important to the enjoyment of this book to know nothing of it's content before hand. The story unfolds through the innocence of nine year old Bruno and comes to it's predictable, but still stunning conclusion with a gut wrenching punch. This book should be a must read for every high school English class. Certainly appropriate for adults as well, please, read this book.

Impactful

This is a unique view of the Holocaust. We have to remember & teach about this event to make sure it isn’t repeated.

Good Book to Introduce the Holocaust Tweens

My daughter selected
this book to read for summer reading for school. I also read it, so I would know what it was about and be able to discuss it with her. This subject is new to her, so she was basically looking at it from Bruno's innocent viewpoint. She was not able to "connect the dots" on some of the events in the book. I plan to talk with her to explain what happened. It is a good platform to get the conversation going. She will be studying the Holocaust in school this year and visiting the museum in DC. This book and our conversation will give her a good foundation on the subject. I appreciate that the book did not go into much of the terrible details of things that took place at this time in history. I, as a parent, can give her the details I feel appropriate for her age. Great Book!

Empathy

Heartbreaking. Innocence lost. Beautiful.
Bruno represents innocence and their friendship is so pure. So hard to come up with the words to describe this book because it is both ugly and beautiful in its truth.

What an amazing story line

This book was absolutely amazing! This was by far my favorite book. It’s amazing how the author brings in all the emotions in the story.