Book Review: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Last year, while my mom and I were watching a movie on The Hallmark Channel she saw a advertisem-ent for a movie that was going to be in the theaters. For some reason I was not in the room and when I came back she said there was a movie that I would probably enjoy. She told me the name of the movie and the next day I watched the trailer for the movie, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.

Then my cousin (Marcy) told me that The Boy in the Striped Pajamas was based off a book. I looked it up and read about the guy who wrote the book and what the book was about. Of course the book is about Holocaust. It is a fictional account about a German boy (Bruno) and his family who moves to Auschwitz (known in the book as Out-With, that is how the children pronounce it). Bruno likes to explore and one day he goes to the fence that separates his home from the place next to his home and he starts walking. He walks along way and when he decides to give up he finally sees something in the distant. So he continues to walk and comes along to find a boy (Shmuel) on the other side of the fence wearing striped pajamas. Bruno and Shmuel become friends even though they are different. Bruno visits Shumuel everyday and brings him food.

After I read about the book on Wikipedia (I will advise not to read to much on Wikipedia because they give the ending away), I decided I wanted to purchase the book for myself. Thanks to my cousin Kalee who gave me a gift card, so I could buy this book. This book is a great book. It is a good read for anyone over the age of 9 (if the parent or parents explains what this time in history was about). I view this book being wrote for children but it could be for anyone to read. I love how the author wrote the book. The view of this book is through the eyes of a child and it was very interesting to see how children might have saw things during those times.

I sent my cousin Marcy some questions about the book and ask her if she would answer them. I wanted to share this with everyone out there. Hope you enjoy this book review/interview with my cousin Marcy.

1. On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest), how would you rate this book? 4

2. What age do you think this book is aimed at? I think it is aimed at adolescents, but can be enjoyed by many ages.

3. Do you think this book is good for any age? No...I wouldn't let young children read it, because some of it is a bit disturbing. I would recommend it for those 9 years (with an explanation from their parents) or older.

4. Do you think this book could be a good read for students studying the Holocaust? Yes

5. Who was your favorite character? Bruno

6. Do you relate with any of the characters? Not completely...but they do evoke strong emotions in the reader.

7. What did you think about Bruno's and Shmuel's relationship? It was the most wonderful, and at times, the saddest thing about the book. It's a perfect illustration of having a pure, childlike heart. The world would be a much better place if we all did.

8. What was your favorite part of this book? The overall relationship between Bruno and Shmuel.

9. On March the 10th the DVD of "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" will be released. Are you looking forward to watching the movie? Yes

10. Do you have any more comments you would like to share about the book? Just that it's nice to see such quality novels about important times in history being made. John Boyne deals with a sensitive subject with the utmost grace and dignity. Great book!