The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

November 13, 2006
Through the eyes of an innocent nine-year-old boy named Bruno, listeners become complicit bystanders, observing some of the horrors of the Holocaust. Maloney's soft-toned narration and chipper, believably childlike characterization of Bruno dramatically bring home the fable-like qualities of Boyne's moving text. Bruno's limited comprehension of all going on around him begs listeners, presumably with more knowledge than the protagonist, to glean the fuller story between the lines. When his father, an officer for "the Fury," as Bruno refers to him, is transferred from Berlin to a new post in Poland called "Out-With," Bruno and his family try to adjust. From his new bedroom window Bruno can see a fenced-in camp where all the inhabitants wear striped pajamas. He learns more about this intriguing place when he befriends a boy inside the camp named Shmuel (who happens to share Bruno's birthday). Their friendship progresses dangerously and brings Boyne's tale to a shocking end that is sure to be a discussion starter. A bonus interview between Boyne and his editor David Fickling is included. Ages 12-up.

oscarinho - The story of the book was called the Boy In The Striped Pyjamas. This story was about a boy who lived during the German Reich in which his father was a commandment of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp. He lives with his father Ralf, Mother Elsa, Sister Gretel, and maid Maria. Bruno now goes and starts finding little by little what's going on because he doesn't know about his dad's job. As Bruno meets a boy in the concentration camp called Shmuel who's a lonely boy who lost his father (when his father went and participated in a protest and never came back). Elsa finds out what Ralf's job really is and is mad at him. Bruno decides to help Schmuel to find his father and changes clothes into the "Striped pajamas" and finally finds out how life is for Schmuel and gets into a gas chamber and Bruno's family finds out he's missing and as an SS soldier pours some Zyklon B pellets as the Jews start yelling and banging on the door. As Ralf finds out a gassing has started and finds out Bruno is in there and yells his name but it is already to late Bruno's dead. I think this book is bad as the ending is a sad one. Bruno and the Jewish people did not deserve to die. This book also made me personally sad, but in all the plot and the details of the book were amazing I just think that the ending was bad. I think audience reading this book should be 13+ who are reading about Jews and Nazis. Or who are reading about the world war 2. Also on if people wanted to know how Jewish people actually have to live on concentration camps. An internal conflict is man vs self when Bruno offers a piece of cake. Kolter the lieutenant accuses him of stealing. Shmuel denies saying that Bruno offered him but as Kolter asks Bruno. Since Bruno is scared of Kolter him is fighting against himself to say yes or no. An external conflict is man vs man when a new doctor called Pavel helps the family but Pavel has to watch out because he is Jewish. When Pavel accidentally drops wine on Kolter. Kolter beats him to death. This shows man vs man because Kolter physically fights the man and kills him. The book of this title is called The Boy In The Striped Pajamas. I think this is a good title because it shows what the Jewish people had to wear when they were in the concentration camp. I think a good title would be the boy behind the barbed wire because it would make sense because he is in the concentration camp where he can't escape. I think the theme would be friendship. Bruno made friends with the people his family hated and would come and play board games and give him food. It's also friendship because Bruno had only one friend during the time he lived in the out with (his new home) he would never make fun of him or befriend him because he was Jewish. Lastly it is friendship because Bruno died trying to find Shmuel's dad and stood up for each other even in death.