“…Despite the mayhem that followed, Bruno found that he was still holding Shmuel’s hand in his own and nothing in the world would have persuaded him to let go.”

The Boy In Striped Pyjamas will have you on the edge of your seat with its thrilling content and interesting characters. Bruno and his family have just moved to Auschwitz, but Bruno knows that something weird is going on in his father’s office. When Bruno and his sister were looking through the window one day they saw something unusual. To them it just looked like a farm with some people wandering around, but little did they know it was more that… much more than that. Later, after listening to his father’s lecture on not going near the “farm”, Bruno decides to take an adventure. As he gets closer to the so what “farm” he sees a large fence that goes the whole way round the farm. He realizes that the people there are men and boys wearing striped pajamas. One day he came across a little boy about his age. Shmuel and Bruno became friends separated by the fence. Bruno had no idea what was going on on the other side of the fence but neither did Shmuel. They both thought it was some sort of family camp but they did not realize what was coming their way.

I really enjoyed The Boy In The Striped Pajamas. I found myself glued to the book, as the plot got so thrilling. I loved how the author left me on the edge of my seat, wanting me to keep reading.

I would recommend this book to 14-20 year olds who are interested in plots based on real life stories. I would rate this book 4 ½ out of 5 stars.

Macy G, Year 9

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Think about your life at the moment; think about your friends and family. Now imagine if you and your family had to leave all your relatives and close friends to live in a secluded area that you had never even heard of! For ten-year-old Bruno this was exactly the case!      Bruno was only young and his father was a very high up figure in the German army during WW2. Bruno didn’t like his new life, but eventually he came to terms with it. Due to the young boy’s innocence, he knew nothing of the terrible things that went on in the death camps that lay only a few meters away from his new home.

Bruno couldn’t stand his boredom, so one day he decided to go exploring, and discovered a boy named Shmuel who was on the opposite side of a big fence. He could never understand why, but one thing he did know was that everyone on the other side of the fence wore ‘striped pyjamas’. The two boys became best friends and their friendship grew stronger. The boys would talk almost every day and both enjoyed discovering new things. Their curiosity and need for adventure ended up with heart-breaking consequences.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas written by John Boyne is thrilling, emotional and full of adventure. The characters, storyline and themes associated with this book will keep you on the edge of your seat! The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas relates to many different readers. I was instantly captivated with the way the author wrote about such an important time in our history. This story was one of the best that I have ever read, as the author plays on so many emotions.

I recommend this book to people 13 years and over of any gender because the concepts are more relevant to this age group. I would give this book a 5 star rating, as I loved everything about.

Alannah A., Year 9