After I read the Boy in the Striped Pajamas, I found it... interesting. It starts out with Bruno in Berlin. Then Father says that they have to move to a place far far way after the “Fury” comes to dinner. Mother is really upset. Bruno is a very, very naive boy. He is so naive that it gets annoying. In the story line when Bruno gets to “Out-with”, he looks out the window and sees a whole bunch of people. He thinks that they are playing and having a good time. But they aren't. And one day, he goes exploring and stumbles upon a boy. The boys name is Shmuel. And Shmuel is just as annoyingly naive as Bruno. They talk and visit every day while things at Bruno’s home are weird. There is a man, Lt. Kotler, who mysteriously disappears later after a talk at the dinner table. But he beats and calls the Jews names. Bruno is upset by that. Mother demands that they return home. She is so depressed that she takes medicinal sherries. So when they have to go home, Bruno wants to go talk to his best friend for life one last time. Earlier, Bruno had caught lice and so now his head is shaven. So he looked just like the other people in the camp. You’ll have to read the book to find out what happens.
I like the ending, but I think Bruno was just too naive. My favorite character was Shmuel because he remained positive after the beatings. He also continued to be Bruno’s friend after he was a little mean to him. It’s inspiring. I think he was the best character. Pavel and Maria I liked too. The reason I liked them is because after all of the hardship they've been through, they still have a positive attitude. The rest were just bratty or mean. I think Boyne over exaggerated on the part that kids don't know anything. I think his portrayal was wrong.
The historical parts are on and off though. As soon as a child younger than fourteen or fifteen entered Auschwitz, they would be gassed. But in the book, Shmuel had to work. Most people only survived months at the most too. There was no Hitler Youth portrayal either. Bruno should have been thrilled at the sight of seeing Hitler inside their house. But he has no idea who Hitler was. As far as knowing who and what Germany was, he is like an eight year in present day. His father should have been teaching him the greatness of Germany, since he was the Commandant. And when I did some research, I found out that the real Commandant (Father) would have had to work at Dachau and other camps before coming to Auschwitz. And, the slaves and maids of the Commandant’s house would have been German prisoners, who were considered more trustworthy than Jews. And there was never a doctor there either.
The back of the book says, “If you do start to read this book, you will go on a journey with a nine year old boy called Bruno. (Though this isn't a book for nine year olds.) And sooner or later you will arrive with Bruno at a fence. Fences like this exist all over the world. We hope you never have to encounter such a fence.” First off, this is a book for nine year olds. There is no beatings explained, there is no death, and everything is dumbed down. And it is written like he is a six year old, not a nine year old.
I would give this book a two and a half because the part about Bruno so clueless made me mad at times, and some parts of the book didn't flow very well. But I like the rest. If you know nothing about WWII, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK. It taught me absolutely NOTHING about WWII. This kid doesn't even know who Hitler was. An average eight year old in America probably has heard of Hitler before. This book demeans the Holocaust. There is so many grammatical errors, I would ruin my pencil if I tallied how many times there was a mistake. And, let us not forget, that Auschwitz is surrounded by an ELECTRIC FENCE. Multiple ones at that too. And there wasn't one mention of a guard or watchtowers, except for the last time he visited Shmuel. Not in a million years could this book have happened.
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