From the back:
The story of The boy in the striped pyamas is very difficult to describe. Usually we give some clues about the book on the cover, but in this case we think that would spoil the reading of the group. We think it is important that you start to read without knowing what it is about.

If you do start to read this book, you will go on a journey with a nine-year-old boy called Bruno. (Though it isn't a book for nine-year-olds.) And sooner or later you will arrive with Bruno at a fence. Fences like this exist all over the world. We hope you never have to cross such a fence.

The strength of this book is the fact that the reader knows what is going on, but nine year old Bruno doesn't. It also can make it annoying, leading you to shout: 'Are you really that ignorant Bruno?' I don't believe that such a thing as happened at the end could have really happened, but who knows. This is not in-dept material, so don't expect a study of the Second World War. Reserved for a fellow BC-ers birthday.

Happy birthday to you! Hope you have a nice day.

Thank you for passing this on for my birthday, dutch-book. It is on my wishlist so I am looking forward to reading it. Unfortunately, it has been passed on to me twice so I am going to read the other edition and add this one to my "available" list; hope you don't mind.

Thanks again :)

Well, I have read the other copy and it was just as interesting as I expected it to be. Yes, at times Bruno's ignorance is infuriating - but as the mother of an 8-yr old daughter, I can believe that this 9-yr old boy didn't truly understand what was going on. I found it believable, on the whole, with a very moving end. And, being written in the naive style of a 9-yr old made it very easy to read so that even I managed to get through it in just one sitting!

Happy to be passing on as part of my Birthday RABCK. Hope you enjoy this, PinkLady :D

Thanks so much for this book from my wishlist. I'm looking forward to reading it.

Told in the voice of an innocent 9 year-old boy in 1942 Berlin, whose father is promoted to Commandant in the German army. When they are transferred to Auschwitz, Bruno makes friends with Schmuel, a boy on the other side of the fence.

Although written in a style that could be read by children, it should be read by those with the knowledge of WWII and the atrocities of the Holocaust. The story does not include much historical detail, only what a 9 year-old boy would know of the times, leaving us to read between the lines.