The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a story told from the perspective of a nine-year-old boy named Bruno. Bruno and his family live in Berlin until the government promotes his father to Commandant and instructs the family that they will be moving. Bruno’s family moves to a place called “Out-With”, as he pronounces it. Bruno does not like his new home but is intrigued by the people he sees outside his window; all wearing striped pajamas and living inside a fence. Bruno has no idea why these people are there or why they are all wearing striped pajamas, but figures it must be some sort of village. While exploring, Bruno finds the fence and discovers a boy about his age named Shmuel. The two become friends and Shmuel never explains why he is on that side of the fence, other than the fact that the soldiers hate him and his people. Bruno comes to the fence everyday to meet Shmuel and can’t understand why they can’t play together. The story tells of the horrors of the holocaust and innocence of children. The ending will surely touch any reader’s heart.
I would definitely recommend this novel to anyone who is interested in the Holocaust and would teach it in conjuction with a unit on World War II.
Holly,
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this, I enjoy reading about the Holocaust because it has so much history and depth to it. I don't know how hard this book would be for a potential 6th or 7th grade class, but I think that would be a great book to have the students read and reflect on. They could write journals entries about how they would feel if they were in Bruno's shoes. Writing journals would reflect their emotions about the Holocaust as well. This book would be good for class discussions too. I would enjoy reading this book.
Miranda S.
Miranda,
ReplyDeleteI think with guidance it could be used with students who are good readers in 6th or 7th grade. I really like the idea of using reflective journals while reading the book. I think this book is different from others because it is told from the innocence of a child, which makes it compelling. I highly recommend you read it!