The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - John Boyne

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

By John Boyne

  • Release Date: 2006-09-12
  • Genre: Historical Fiction for Young Adults
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 2,037 Ratings
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Description

Two young boys encounter the best and worst of humanity during the Holocaust in this powerful read that USA Today called "as memorable an introduction to the subject as The Diary of Anne Frank.”  

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 to a new house far, far away, where there is no one to play with and nothing to do. A tall fence stretches as far as the eye can see and cuts him off from the strange people 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 from his own, and their meeting results in a friendship that has devastating consequences.

Reviews

  • I loved it

    5
    By brianna.piedra
    It was a touching and significant portrayal of an important matter that left me feeling numb. Nonetheless, it was also a compelling narrative that enlightened me as a reader on the struggles of individuals affected by the event. The fact that these experiences can be inherently distressing added to the effectiveness of the story. I cried throughout the book, and my tears have left stains on their pages.

  • What happens next?

    4
    By adina allen
    I can see why some people would think “You can’t show this to kids!” Nevertheless, it’s an important story. It shows the hardships of innocent people so that we can remember to make sure it never happens again. My biggest problem with it is the writing style. We don’t actually meet “the boy in the striped pajamas until halfway through the book. Up until then it’s all exposition. Frankly, a lot of the flashbacks should have happened later on, not early on. Also it sometimes shows how Shumel is feeling as if he is the main character. This is fine, but for at least 80% of the book Bruno was the main character, and only his thoughts and feelings were shared. If Shumel was going to be treated like a main character then he should have been introduced sooner. However, despite all these flaws John Boyle was able to make me ask the question any successful author has to make their audience ask: What happens next? P.S. The ending was very ironic and surprising.

  • Incredible book

    5
    By Zomeister91
    This book is incredible! It describes the point of view of a child from the Holocaust, a naive one at that, so well. Bruno is a lovable character and his relationship with Shmuel turned out disastrous.

  • Absolutely heartbreaking

    5
    By hrlucas
    I used to read this as a kid and I never fully grasped what was truly happening. The author made you grow very attached to Bruno and how pure he was. Which made the ending even more heartbreaking.

  • Nice story

    5
    By anessa the G
    This book was the most clear and straightforward story about the Holocaust, stating every detail and most important, sad moments in the life of a young innocent child who saw all that happened to the Jews and did better in this situation that the authorities. The lesson of true friendship was beautiful to read about when the narrator uses the language of love for a friend. Bruno did anything he could just to be with his friend Shmuel for a very last moment at the end. The story also had the saddest ending too. I loved it, the moral and characters and everything!! Highly recommend!!!💯

  • Good

    5
    By lol bad 09
    I watched the movie it was a good one and the ending was sad but that’s just what happened I really liked it well I can only read the samples but I really want to read the book now.

  • 🤔🤔🤔🤔

    5
    By in memory Albus Dumbledore
    I own the book but have not read it my brother said it is really good and he hates reading can’t wait for him to get to the end😈😈😈😈

  • Amazing

    5
    By Tristen59804
    I read this book a while ago but it’s amazing and good emotion jerker

  • Amazing!

    5
    By Thepinklilly~
    I haven’t seen the movie but read the book. This was an amazing book to read and it’s sitting with my favorites. The storyline and descriptions are perfect. I totally recommend it, even though it has a sad ending.

  • No!

    1
    By annoyingorange823
    Don’t say that you like this book with an ending like that. Can’t believe they made this for children. This is NOT kid friendly.

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