I thought that it was an excellent book. Though it was a little slow in the beginning it caught my attention and was impossible to put down until I finished reading it. I loved the way the point of veiw was a nine year old boy. The innocense really made the story touching and sad. Its not a book to be easily forgotten.

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I read this book with my 11-year-old son. Reading is not his favorite subject but this book held his interest from beginning to end. I would NOT classify it as a children's book and would recommend that if your child does read it, you read it 1st because they will have questions. Once we got to the end, he took it from me and read all the author's notes, interviews, etc. Its a good book but its not a book that you want to read if you are looking for something light and/or entertaining. Its a great book to open a dicussion with older children about the Holocaust. Hope this review helps!

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This was the first book that we chose to read in our book club this year. It was absolutely amazing and the ending of the book is stunning. While this is a young adult novel it is a well written read for any adult interested in WW2 history. Honestly, one of the best books I've read this year!

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A great book. We listened to it as a family. It is very poignant and it gives alot of things to discuss. I have to disagree with a few reviewers and say that it isn't that violent and the ending isn't in bad taste. I was very pleased that this book doesn't use bad language or bring vivid pictures that would be too tough for younger readers. To be honest, there are worse books about the holocaust that I had to edit for the purpose of my children. This wasn't one of them. Give it a chance. The author discusses all of the reviews he has gotten and plainly says that it isn't a historical fiction but just a novel bringing a different perspective. An excellent book for family reading and discussing.

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I can't say too much because I don't want to ruin the book for anyone. I will say that although this subject matter is depressing and takes place during a horrible time in the world's history, this was a very, very good book. It kept me interested the whole time. It only takes a short time to read -- a few hours, really. This book touched me so much that I dreamt of it for the next few nights after finishing it. I highly recommend it. I saw the movie after reading the book, and it was also very good. If you are going to watch the movie, just make sure to read the book first. The movie follows the book, but they do add some things and take some other out.

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This is a wonderful book that we all need to read. Very sensitive characters who are seen through the eyes of a very naive 9 year old. The "fable" sweeps us along toward its surprising conclusion and leaves us thinking about the characters long after. Highly recommend

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This is truly a story not to be missed, an important fable set in Holocaust-era Germany that reminds readers of the evils committed in the name of Adolph Hitler's deranged ideals. Uniquely told from the point of view of the child of a top-ranking Nazi, this simply-written fiction tale tells universal truths and could be a great way to introduce this most dark of subjects to age-appropriate youngsters, with parental guidance along the way, of course. A moving, yet ultimately tragic and disturbing, story that contains the essence of the Holocaust in an intimate way, 'The Boy in the Striped Pajamas' is required reading.

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The book was engrossing, emotional and ended in a way I never saw coming.
A book not to miss.

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See phone pic re: this may have been based on an actual event. Johann Schwarzhuber, a concentration camp commandant, spent time at Dachau, Theresienstadt and at Auschwitz Birkenau, before moving on to the women's camp, Ravensbruck. Reportedly, he had two boys who liked to run around the camp at Auschwitz, but when one of them disappeared one day, the commandant was terrified that he had been culled and taken to the gas chamber with a group of other prisoners, undetected. After a frantic search, the boy was reportedly found, but from that day forward the boys wore signs around their necks that read "SS Schwarzhuber's Son."

This is one of those books I'm kind of ashamed to admit that I haven't read until now, despite its immense popularity. On the surface, it's a rather simplistic story, and legitimately light on historical accuracy, so much so that several reviewers have noted that it's almost insulting, but there are some deep themes which deserve adequate treatment. I think having the story in a different setting and locale or even leaving the location ambiguous might have been preferable, but that wouldn't have been as emotionally impactful. In short, it's difficult (for adults) to get beyond the glaring historical inaccuracies, which simply make the story unbelievable, and, yes, perhaps a little insulting.

On the surface, it tells the story of Bruno, a highly sheltered upper-middle-class boy, who lives in Berlin with his family and their bevy of servants, so the title is even a bit of a misnomer. Nor is it really "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas's" story. It's more the account of the son of an army officer, who is transferred to become a commandant at Auschwitz, a rather problematic premise in and of itself. His precocious, bored son, looking for anything to do in the isolated location where there are no other children to play with, and vexed by just about everything, especially his taskmaster tutor who bores him even more with lessons in geography and history, wanders out of the family's garden toward the Camp one day, where he meets a boy his age, sitting by the wire fence. Bruno could see "children" from a distance, from his bedroom window... which likewise isn't really believable. All children were immediately murdered at Auschwitz-Birkenau. In an attempt to parallel the young lives, the author has them born on the same day: April 15. That's just the tip of the iceberg of the somewhat ridiculous premises the reader must accept to get into the story at all.

I get that it's young adult fiction, but it could have been so much more. I read voluminous amounts about the Holocaust - have all my life - and it could have been so much more impactful with some genuine accuracy. The characters, especially the title character, are stereotypical and one dimensional, so there is very little education for readers about what actually occurred in the death camps scattered all over the Third Reich and beyond, which seems a primary goal of the novel: to recount the experiences of two young boys, from different worlds, who are really not so different, but who, through an unfortunate twist, end up sharing the same fate. That message is powerful, but is lost in all the generalizations.

Simply put, the book just doesn't tell it like it is (was), which is frustrating. As other reviewers noted, if a nine-year-old were offloaded from a cattle car at Auschwitz-Birkenau, there would have been only one fate for him, accomplished in less than three hours, typically, and it wasn't wandering around aimlessly, occasionally hiding by the wire perimeter fence (which was electrified with such high voltage, apparently, that even coming within FEET of it would have meant certain death). There are just too many glaring inaccuracies to make this story meaningful, which is unfortunate, because it had great potential.

Overall, it didn't make it onto my "books-I've-thrown-across-the-room" list, but I was rather disappointed in it. It was so hyped that I really expected more, even from a young adult novel. It isn't necessary to recount in graphic detail the atrocities of that period to children to make the story believable, but authenticity and accuracy are important, and a more highly-skilled author could have done so much more with the material than simply describing poor, skinny, dirty, ragged people in striped pajamas

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Amazing. This is a book everyone needs to read.

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This book is a bit slow in the beginning, but you will not regret finishing it. The innocence of the main character, Bruno, is powerful and inspiring. Boyne's writing style lets you create your own images of Bruno's life and how he sees it. 3.5/5 stars!

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This book is truly amazing in its perspective and presentation. I think best enjoyed in audio version which includes the interview with the author. Definitely one of the top 5 books I have ever read, and only stumbled across because of a local book group. I am in the process of telling everyone I know to read it. Enjoy!

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