Stevens, Faith

Book Prompt #1

English, Period 3

October 31, 2016

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas 

John Boyne

Historical Fiction

240 pages

Classic Novel

       The Boy in the Striped Pajamas written by John Boyne discusses about a nine-year-old boy named Bruno who comes home from school one day to his maid, Maria, packing his things in wooden crates. Bruno’s father got a promotion, so they had to move to Poland, Bruno does not like the idea of moving away from his friends but, he has no choice since his father was promoted to commandant. Once they get to the home it was not as exciting they thought it would be, in fact it was a little bit of a down grade. When Bruno got settled into his room he noticed a “farm” in the distance with people wearing “stripped pajamas” out his window. Bruno got bored so he asked a solder if he could make a tire swing, the solder yelled at a “farmer” and the “farmer” made him the swing, Bruno swung a little too high and fell off so the farmer helped him and bandaged him. The next day Bruno got bored and wanted to explore, so he went into the forest and followed a trail that led to the ”farm”. He met a little boy his age named Shmuel, and they became best friends. Ever since that day Bruno came back and they played games, and he fed Shmuel. Bruno soon found out that his father was a Nazi and that the people in stripped pajamas were Jews. Bruno’s mom had decided that this wasn’t a good place for a child to grow up and they were going to move on with out the father. Bruno decided to visit his friend one last time before he left.  Shmuel had lost his father and needed help finding him, he noticed you can dig a hole under the barbed wire fence, so Bruno climbed under the fence and borrowed clothes to look like a Jew. They walked around looking but couldn’t find him, and soon got herded into a chamber. They were forced to take their clothes off and they thought it was just a shower. But instead it was a gas chamber an they died together from the poisonous gas.

       I like how in the book Bruno and Shmuel know that they are supposed to be enemies but they don’t care because they are innocent. One day when Bruno visits Shmuel, Bruno says “We’re not supposed to be friends, you and me. We’re meant to be enemies. Did you know that?” I also like how the “farmer” helps bruno when he falls off the swing and Bruno keeps complaining but the “farmer” says , “Don’t make it worse by thinking it’s more painful than it actually is.” This was very good advise to Bruno at that time. I didn’t like the end of the book, but I also didn’t hate the end of the book. I didn’t like the end of the book because the two boys suffered a horrible death that they didn’t deserve . I sort of liked the end of the book because the father gets a taste of his own medicine. I would completely, no doubt, recommend this book to other readers over the age of thirteen because this was very intense to read, and to picture every little detail in my mind it is definitely a book i will never forget. If you like having a good cry once in awhile I think this book is for you. I would definitely recommend this book.