Bruno, the nine-year-old son of Nazi officer, comes home from school one afternoon to find the maid packing all of his worldly possessions. His family is moving from their big house in Berlin to a smaller, less interesting, place called "Out-with". Bruno is not thrilled. He doesn't want to leave his friends, his life, or the house he loves exploring. Bruno doesn't understand what his father does in his job as Commandant and doesn't understand why the "Fury" would send Father here, if he wasn't being punished. One day at Out-with, Bruno sneaks away to explore and follow the fence line, only to discover a boy, his same age, sitting on the other side wearing strange striped pajamas. Bruno's naive curiosity about Out-with, the boy in the striped pajamas, and the puzzling happenings on the other side of the fence will leave readers unsettled and affected.
Why I picked up the book: Many teens in our book club have recommended this book and offered it as a discussion choice. During the month of September, NCPL is hosting a traveling exhibit called "In a Nutshell: The Worlds of Maurice Sendak" as well as several events/programs on the Holocaust. The book seemed like a timely pick for our book club.
Why I finished the book: It is short and a very quick read. Bruno is a naive nine-year-old boy, who happens to be the son of a Commandant in the Nazi military. Like "Milkweed" by Spinelli, this book offers an innocent, child-like look at the Holocaust.
I'd give it to: readers who can handle the horror of the Holocaust or are looking to learn more, especially about those people who blindly stood by and did nothing during the Nazi's reign of terror.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
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