The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a dark book told perfectly through the eyes of a nine year old boy named Bruno who lives in Nazi Germany. The unique balance of innocence and horror makes for a very interesting read and a deeper overall message.

Most Holocaust books are more realistic and straight to the point, but John Boyne leaves much for the reader to infer or imagine. For example, when Lieutenant Kotler got mad at a prisoner who worked as a server at Bruno's house, all Boyne said is "it made Bruno cry and Gretel (Bruno's sister) grow pale." He doesn't give any details other than that of what the Lieutenant might have done to the prisoner. Although I didn't always like having to fill in the blanks myself, I don't think the book would have the same innocent feel it possesses if details were included.

Some people may argue that the book is not factual and unrealistic: Bruno should have known more about Hitler and the war and been less naïve. It is in a child's nature to be innocent and selfish, and Boyne implies that Bruno's led a pretty sheltered life. Also, in my opinion, Bruno's naivety is crucial to the story and doesn't matter in the overall meaning of the book. If the story wasn't told from a child's perspective I think it would have been too dark and not have the mood that Boyne was aiming for. The logistics of the book shouldn't matter anyway. The book is meant to show the horrors of the Holocaust and how most regular German people didn't know about it. Looking at the big picture, the little details shouldn't mean anything.

I really liked The Boy in the Striped Pajamas because the ending was so impactful. It made me think about the tragedy of the Holocaust more than any other book. I may never fully understand the horrors of it all, but at least this book brought me a little closer.

The beauty of this books is that it gives insight both into those we know were oppressed but also those who were misled by Nazi ideology. The narrator is a nine-year-old boy who captures the innocence, playfulness, and curiosity relevant to his age. The writer tends to understate which is a welcome relief from the verbosity of so many novels. The book would be a good vehicle for discussion into the complexity of human behavior.

This book was able to take a heavy topic and see it through the eyes of a 9 year-old. It reminded me that children have an extremely different point of view on so many subjects. Very interesting and well-written; it was also entertaining and hard to put down.

I picked this up not knowing anything about it...I saw it, read the back and bought it. I remember seeing a sticker on the front that said, "soon to be a motion picture." I suppose I didn't pay very close attention to that bit of information, or that this book is aimed at the 10-15 year old category (my opinion). I'd have to say, I doubt children much under 12 would understand "the unspoken" areas of the book. The book makes reference to things that children might not pick up on like adults. Overall, I think this is a great book to spark conversation, and to help children understand what the holocaust was about, how children were affected, and how much pain a fence can cause. Super story.

Loved this story of fiction about the holocaust from a different point of view. Saw how this child experienced this era and the impact of a Nazi soldier's family during the time of war.