Book Review: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
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What Parents Should Know
Parents should know that even though the main character in
this book is 9, this book is a better fit for kids in middle
school and up. It contains no overt violence, no questionable
language, and little sexuality; so parents need have no
concerns in those regards. However, its theme is complex and
powerful, and it definitely will provoke emotions and questions
that will need both discussion and explanation. Kids may need
help understanding the historical context.
Families may want to use this book to talk about World War II, and the Holocaust. This book also presents a perfect forum for discussing the evil actions of otherwise normal people. How could a person who is a loving father be the commandant of a concentration camp? Families may also want to discuss Bruno as a protagonist. What's the author saying by choosing to tell his story through a naive 9 year old? How would the story be different if it were told from another point of view, like an adult perspective, or a prisoner on the other side of the fence? Why didn't Bruno figure out what was going on? What would he have done if he had? Why did he lie to the soldier rather than protecting his friend? Would you be able to forgive him as the friend did?
Common Sense Media Review
This powerful book about the Holocaust stands out in part
because of the unusual perspective: It's told through the eyes
of the 9-year-old son of the Commandant at Auschwitz, a boy who
has no clue as to what is going on around him.
This perspective allows readers to feel a strong sense of foreboding, long before they know the extent of the terror surrounding Bruno's world. Readers will be struck by the contrast between Bruno's normalcy and naivety, and the extreme horrors of the time.
One who knows the history of WWII, especially of the Holocaust, will catch on to the nightmare of Bruno's plight fairly early on. They'll figure out that the "Fury" refers to the Fuhrer, and what having Hitler to dinner would mean about Bruno's father.
They'll also know that the high fence, desolate grounds, smokestacks, and dirty, unhealthy people in striped pajamas that Bruno sees from his window mean that his new room overlooks a concentration camp. Of course, even clued-in readers may not realize that "Out-With" is Bruno's mispronunciation of Auschwitz.
Readers will quickly relate to the 9 year old, who is uprooted from his home and moved somewhere "nasty and cold" where he has no friends. He is lonely, his sister bugs him, and adults treat him as if he's not there. He wants to study art and read fantasy books rather than history and geography. He wants to get outside and explore.
At one point Bruno even covets the life of the boy on the other side of the fence because at least he has other boys with whom he can play.
Younger readers may not get all of the historical significance of this story, and teens may wonder how anyone could be so clueless about what's going on around them as Bruno appears to be. Even so, readers of any age will be moved by the young boy's story, and the unlikely friendship he forms with a boy he meets at Out-With.
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
