by John Boyne
PRMS hardcover 212 pages
genre: YA Holocaust fiction
I'm glad I *finally* read this book! Kids seem to love it a lot. It's often gone from my shelves.
Bruno is a nine-year-old boy who really doesn't understand a lot of things. Mistaking "Fuhrer" for "Fury" and "Auschwitz" for "Out-with," he can only relate to the fact that he and his family have had to leave their lovely home in Berlin so that his father can wear a fancy new uniform and be a Commandant. He doesn't understand the large fence next to his new home or why all the people living inside the fence are so skinny and wearing striped pajamas.
I feel silly saying this, but the ending took me a bit by surprise. I wonder if kids reading this book understand the true horrors of the Holocaust, or if Bruno's naive view somehow softens the reality. This would be interesting to do for book club.
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