Berlin 1942
When Bruno returns home from school one day, he discovers that his belongings are being packed in crates. His father has received a promotion and the family must move from their home to a new house far far away, where there is no one to play with and nothing to do. A tall fence running alongside stretches as far as the eye can see and cuts him off from the strange people he can see in the distance.
But Bruno longs to be an explorer and decides that there must be more to this desolate new place than meets the eye. While exploring his new environment, he meets another boy whose life and circumstances are very different to his own, and their meeting results in a friendship that has devastating consequences.
Reviews
"Through the eyes of an innocent nine-year-old boy named Bruno, listeners become complicit bystanders, observing some of the horrors of the Holocaust. Maloney's soft-toned narration and chipper, believably childlike characterization of Bruno dramatically bring home the fable-like qualities of Boyne's moving text. Bruno's limited comprehension of all going on around him begs listeners, presumably with more knowledge than the protagonist, to glean the fuller story between the lines. When his father, an officer for "the Fury," as Bruno refers to him, is transferred from Berlin to a new post in Poland called "Out-With," Bruno and his family try to adjust. From his new bedroom window Bruno can see a fenced-in camp where all the inhabitants wear striped pajamas. He learns more about this intriguing place when he befriends a boy inside the camp named Shmuel (who happens to share Bruno's birthday). Their friendship progresses dangerously and brings Boyne's tale to a shocking end that is sure to be a discussion starter. Ages 12-up." Publishers Weekly
"In 1942, a young German boy named Bruno and his family move to "Out-With," a desolate place where his father is commandant. Annoyed that there are no playmates around and that their house there is smaller than the one in Berlin, Bruno decides to explore the surrounding area. He comes upon a fence and on the other side is a boy about his own age named Shmuel. Every day the boys meet at the fence to talk, though Bruno remains confused about Shmuel's thin appearance, shaved head and vanishing family members. This is a haunting fable, with an ending that lingers in the mind. The final words sound a cautionary note: "Of course all this happened a long time ago and nothing like that could ever happen again. Not in this day and age." A deceptively simple, thought-provoking tale." Children's Literature
