The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne, is a powerful book about a friendship between boys who almost seem to live in opposite worlds. Bruno, who comes from a wealthy family, lives in Nazi, Germany, and has a good life, and then Shmuel, who is a Jewish boy and lives in a Nazi death camp. Bruno’s father is in charge of Aushwitz (or Out-With as Bruno calls it. He also calls the Fuhrer the Fury), and Bruno is very lonely because they are forced to live next to Aushwitz. Bruno meets Shmuel, who is also very lonely. They become friends, despite the world around them and the fence in between them.

I liked how the author tells the story from the point of view of a 9-year old, and really captures that age. Here are some examples; for Bruno’s belongings he says “belonged to him and were nobody else’s business.” And his father’s office is “out of bounds at all times and no exceptions.” He calls his sister Gretel the “Hopeless Case”. I also like it that the setting is during World War II. I can relate to Bruno’s loneliness, before he met Shmuel. When I first moved to Sitka, I was lonely and wanted a friend, and then I found one, named Miles. Though he did not live behind a fence, he later became one of my best friends. This book is full of emotions; sometimes I felt dislike, other times even humor, but at the end I was just sad.

I rate this historical fiction book a 5 because it was very well written, and as I said before, the author captured the point of view of a 9-year old completely. I would recommend this book to people who like powerful stories, people who like researching WWII, and people who are looking for a good read. This is a sad and powerful book that you should read.

Reviewed by Elias Antaya (5th Grade, Harborview)