The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Reader reviewed by truzyboy

John Boyne has  written a brilliant book he has explained  everything very well, he has used the main character as a small boy which makes him ask lots of question as he doesnt know exactly what is going on.

The story is about a boy called Bruno who moves away from Berlin as his Father has had a promotion so, they move to a house called Out-with which is next to a concentration camp. He then meets a boy called Shmuel who is on the other side of the fence that Bruno soon makes friends with. Then there friendship suddenly comes to an end.

The good bits about the book are the fat that it is based on a historic event.it leaves you hanging on every chapter it makes you have many emotions like sadness, happiness and excitement.

Reader reviewed by Sophie

    The boy in the Striped Pyjamas is weird book. It is not what anyone thinks it is when they first pick it up off a  book shelf. You want to keep reading it when you first start reading it, but then things start to change rapidly towards the end.

The book is magical book that tricks you into thinking that you know what is going to happen next. You are always surprised about what happens next, unless you know what went on in the concentration camp so you know what happened to Shmuels grandfather. Nothing ever really occurs that you expect it to.

The author of, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, John Boyne has taken great care in planning exactly what is going to happen in each chapter to each character. He has woven all the little secrets into the book, and at certain points, you understand a bit more of what is going on each time.

The story is about a young, bouncy, adventurous, full-of-energy boy called Bruno. Bruno lives in a really big house in Berlin with his sister, mother and father. Also in the house are the servants including Maria who Bruno get al0ng well with later on. When his father gets promoted to Commandant the family are very impressed with him, and hold a celebration. Everyone is happy about it except from Fathers mother. With this job, Father gets a home in Auschwitz Right next to the concentration camp. Mother is not really happy with this, but she goes along with the idea of that. When Bruno tells Mother about the strange people on the other side of the fence, she realises that there are Jews there and they are badly treated.  Bruno is very curios of the people that he goes exploring.

Reader reviewed by Stealthysmirth

I think John Boyne, the author has written this book very well. It gives a very good and detailed description of what its like for Bruno growing up next to Auschwitz.

The story itself is set in a concentration camp in Poland (Nazi Germany) in world war 2.

Read this book and discover a secret friendship between people who arent supposed to know each other, and find out the joys and difficulties of their lives.

The book is also good because it doesnt just give you a history lesson, but it describes Brunos adventures as well. Following the life of someone who doesnt understand what seems so obvious. Bruno is blissfully ignorant until the very end, an end the reader wont even expect.

Its not just Bruno; it also shows evidence for what it was like for other types of people in the war, e.g. the soldiers, the house workers and gives you true outcomes to the consequences back then.

I would recommend this book to a friend but not under 10 at least, the book is good but what its about is sad, especially for a young person.

Reader reviewed by Danul

My review of The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas

 

The boy in the striped pyjamas is the fourth novel written by the Irish writer John Boyne and his first novel aimed at children. It is a tale about an odd friendship of two boys in horrendous circumstances.

 

Bruno is a nine year old boy growing up in Berlin in World War two. He lives in a big house with servants his mother father and his twelve year old sister Gretel. Brunos father is very important to the fury and wears a fancy uniform. One day Bruno comes home to find his father wearing a different yet still fancy uniform and the maid, Maria, packing his things into a trunk even the things at the back of his wardrobe that were nobody elses business. Brunos father then announces they are moving to a place called Out-with.

 

When Bruno gets there he immediately misses school, his old house and especially his three best friends Daniel, Karl and Martin. His new house is smaller and always full of soldiers and there is no one to play with. One day Bruno Had nothing to do so went into the forbidden back garden and saw on the other side of the fence a dot, that became a spec, that became a blob, that became a figure, that became a child.

 

I enjoyed this book and I believe it is best with some background knowledge of world war two. I prefer the book to the movie because I built up what the characters looked like and how they spoke in my head and then when I watched the movie it contradicted everything I had built up in my mind. However I think the movie would have been better if we hadnt read the book and spoilt the ending. I disliked the fact that the film is so undetailed around what happened in Berlin and before Bruno met Shmuel. I thought the ending in the book was a bit vague but I guess the author intended you to make up your own mind.

 

I would recommend this book to someone who is old enough to understand and truly appreciate it. It is a good read and I believe almost anyone old enough will enjoy it if they know a bit about world war two.

Reader reviewed by i love chickens

The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas

The story is set in the middle of the World War 2, it tells us the story of a young eight year old boy called Bruno. Bruno goes on an adventure into his garden and comes across a young Jewish boy on the opposite side of the fence. Bruno becomes good friends with this young Jewish boy called Shmuel. The two boys go on an adventure together but there adventure comes to a very sad end. Bruno and his family moved to a new house in outwith because Brunos father gets a large promotion from his boss the Fuhrer (Hitler).

I would recommend this film to a younger generation of people, because it teaches people a lot about what happened in the war and what the soldiers did. !!!

Reader reviewed by Ethanol!

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The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas   

I think John Boyne did a very good job of the book. He really described the concentration camps and set the scene very well. He made Bruno a good age and used him very well in the book.

The story is set in World War 2, a story seen through the innocent eyes of Bruno, the eight-year-old son of the commandant at a concentration camp, whose forbidden friendship with a Jewish boy on the other side of the camp fence has startling and unexpected consequences.

The good bits about the book are that it is suitable for all ages. It is good that it is based on a very famous event in history. 

 

Reader reviewed by Symes

 

John Boyne has wrote a fantastic book here. The book tells a story with all kinds of different elements. The sadness which suddenly strikes towards the end of the book really catches the reader. Bruno who is an innocent boy who seems to be able to make friends with just about everybody.

Bruno was unfortunate to make friends with somebody who was in such a bad situation because it severely affected their friendship even though it was still strong.

The writer gave the image that Father was a man who never let anything get in the way of his work. 

Mother was a character who seemed a bit out of place at her new home and needed something to pass the time;  Lieutenant Kotler.

Gretel was a 12 year old girl who seemed to take an interest in current events she was also the annoying old sister of Bruno.

Overall, a very good read and worth reading 8/10. 14+

Reader reviewed by Gnome

24/3/11

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas review

The author of this book is John Boyne who was born in Ireland in 1971; he has written four other novels which have been translated into 17 different languages.

The story is about a German boy called Bruno and a Jewish boy named Shmuel who was a prisoner at Out-With (Auschwitz). He wore prison uniform of striped pyjamas hence the title of the book.

Bruno moved from Berlin to Out-With, with his family because of his Fathers work. He had no friends at Out-With apart from his sister Gretel (the Hopeless Case). He went exploring and discovered a fence which he followed because he saw a black blob in the far distance. To his surprise he discovered it was a boy sitting alone staring at the ground. The two boys soon became best friends. Bruno visited his new friend secretly every day for more than a year until unfortunately the story ended tragically.

The best part of the book is how you are always left in suspense and that is what makes you want to read more of the story.

In my opinion I dont think there were any weak points that stood out enough to grab my attention.

I would not recommend the book to any one because it is not my type of book I prefer more factual books. I think many adults ranging from of about 30 and onwards would enjoy reading this book more than anyone lower I think would not enjoy this book as much.

Reader reviewed by Georgia.

The boy in the striped Pyjamas is a very good book in many ways. The author made it really easy to feel what is happening in that time and made it clear how people felt.

The story line was very good it makes Children who take things for granted make them look at things in different ways like being in a nice warm home in your own bed to being in a cold, damp, crowded room.

What I think is good about the book is that is really makes you understand what other people feel like.

If I recommend it to people I know, I would recommend it to a class to read it.

 

Reader reviewed by tractors

Review

I think it is a very good book because the author puts suspense by making the speaker pause before actually saying it. He is also very good at setting the scene as in the way that he explains the boy sat at the fence. John Boyne is a good writer in the way he is good at telling the story but actually telling a true story as well.

It is a very good story because it actually tells you how horrifying the German war camps were. And it also is very good because it just keeps drawing you in as each chapter continues then calming the story to an end.

I think that there is a bad point like he could have made the end a bit more detailed. Also he could have explained what happened to the family at the end e.g.: where did they go what did they end up doing as a job or did the family stay together.

Yes I would recommend it to someone but not a child but an adult because it is quite a complicated for a child to understand and they wouldnt understand about the Jewish war camps.