Would you be able to risk your child’s life, if it meant getting ahead in your career? The story of the Boy in the Striped Pajamas is set around 1942, during World War II. A large majority of the book is set at the family’s new house in Auschwitz, Poland, at the Nazi death camp. Bruno, the main character in this novel, is just an ordinary ten year old boy who wants to experience some fun and adventure. Moving away from his hometown in Berlin, his friends and family is a bit overwhelming, however he is able to come to terms with it when he becomes friends with a boy who is on the wrong side of the fence.

The young boy that Bruno befriended, Shmuel, was just one of many people who was treated inhumanely only because he was Jewish. Would you give your life, if it meant helping out a new friend? Ralf, Bruno’s father, who runs the Nazi camp, has got everybody bluffed. They are all under the impression the camp is something it’s not. Will it take something dramatic and awful for him to wake up and realise that what he is doing is wrong, or will it be too late? I personally have a soft spot for sad but real life issues like ‘The Boy in The Striped Pajamas.’ I see this as being the reason why this book, out of very few, was one I was able to read and really enjoy. I would recommend this, for both genders and for any age. A really great read.

   Alana, Year 9

‘The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas’ is a story about a 9 year old boy who lives in Germany during the war when the Germans were killing all the Jews. His father is high up in the German army and they move out to the country to live next to the concentration camp. The boy, Bruno, is very innocent and knows nothing about the terrible things that are going on over his back fence. In fact, even his mother does not know what is going on. His father is a horrible man but Bruno does not think so as he knows nothing about what he is doing. He befriends one of the Jewish kids, Schmuel, and they spend a lot of time talking through the fence. Eventually Bruno goes under the fence into the camp in some borrowed striped pyjamas (actually a prison camp uniform) to help Schmuel find his Dad. He has no idea of the terrible place it is in the camp. It goes horribly wrong and Bruno is accidentally gassed with the Jews. It is quite a sad story. 

Danielle, Year 9

‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ by John Boyne is a really intriguing, adventurous and sad book, but as I don’t read many books, this has really become a great read. The book is about a little boy named Bruno, who is the main character. He lives with his sister Gretel, his father Rulf, his mother, his maid and his butler. They are settled in their house, but Bruno’s father Rulf has been given a new job. For him to carry out this work, they need to move. What Bruno doesn’t know is what his father actually does for a living, and this is kept secret from Bruno by his family.

When they move to their new house, Bruno makes friends with Shmuel, but the twist is that Shmuel is inside a detention camp, which Bruno’s father runs. Sadly, Bruno doesn’t understand what Shmuel is doing inside the camp. He also doesn’t know what the camp is used for. Bruno gets himself into a lot of mischief, which causes great harm to himself and Shmuel.

The book is full of twists and puts you on the edge of your seat. I recommend this book for both genders. It can be read by people aged 13 and up to truly understand the meaning of this book.

Mae, Year 9

I really enjoyed The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. The lead character is a boy nine-year-old boy called Bruno, who is the son of a very powerful man. The family is forced to move home out of town because of the father’s work.

Bruno loves to explore. One day on his adventures away from home he comes across a fence. This particular fence that Bruno discovered exists all over the world. At this fence Bruno meets a very confused, sad and lonely boy. Because of Bruno’s helping and genuine personality this little boy leads Bruno into a lot of trouble; life-threatening trouble. These kinds of fences everyone hopes to never ever come across.

I would recommend The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas to anyone from the ages 12 and over that have an imaginative mind and like books that are about real day troubles and explain another point of view of how others are struggling and we should be thankful for what we have.    Aimie, Year 9

I enjoyed the book ‘Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’. The main character is a nine-year-old boy called Bruno, who is the son of a very respected man. The family is forced to move homes out of town because of the father’s work. Bruno loves exploring. One day exploring away from home he comes across a fence. On the other side of the fence Bruno meets a very lonely, confused and distressed little boy around the same age of Bruno. Because of Bruno’s helping and personality this little boy leads Bruno into a lot of trouble.

I would recommend ‘The Boy in striped pyjamas’ to anyone about 13 and over that like books that are really creative and really sad and the book message is that we have to respect what we have and be grateful. And don’t judge people before you know them. Naythen, Year 9

I really liked reading ‘The boy in the Striped Pyjamas’. It was a book for me filled with secrets and wonder of what is going to happen next. I would rate this book 5 stars out of 5.

This book is based on a little boy called Bruno who one day goes exploring into the backyard where his mother has told him not go to. He goes through the forest and finds a gate and a little boy in the striped pyjamas. Bruno gets to know this little boy, but what happens so bad that it affects the whole family?

This book is great for people from the ages of 13-elderly age.  This book is filled with adventure and excitement. It will affect any reader I believe. I loved this book and just the trill of reading it. Bridget, year 9

The Boy In Striped Pyjamas is both enjoyable and emotionally distorted at the same time. The protagonist, Bruno, moved away from his home in Berlin to a small house in the countryside so his father could run a concentration camp for Hitler in the 1930s. At the new residence, Bruno finds a boundary gate to the camp and meets a new friend who he plays with everyday. One day he enters the camp and, along with his friend is taken to the gas chamber.

The boy in striped pyjamas is an extremely emotional book filled with amazing stories of survival, and eventually a devastating truth. The novel is a life-changing story of friendship through gutting mistreatment of the Jewish population. The hardship endured by the boys is truly one that nobody should ever experience in a lifetime.

The book is an amazing story told from the point of view of a young boy who doesn’t know exactly what is happening around him. It is enjoyable for an older more mature audience who understand the seriousness of the holocaust in its entirety. It has a very emotional ending, which sums up the book and leaves no loose ends, but is quite upsetting. I recommend the book very highly as it is well written and reminds the audience to appreciate what we are lucky enough to have, rather than what we do not have.

Oliver, Year 9