This book had been on my wish list for quite some time, but I didn't receive it as a gift until my birthday last year. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of watching the film before reading the book which took away a lot of the pleasure that I would have otherwise gotten from reading the book. Although I saw the movie quite some time ago, I still remembered bits and pieces so I knew, more or less, what would happen in the book and that ruined it for me a little. My advice to you would be NOT to watch the film, at least not until you've read the book.

Nine year old Bruno lives a happy, care-free life in Berlin during World War 2. He doesn't know anything about the Final Solution or the Holocaust-his biggest problem is not being as tall as other boys his age. However, Bruno is soon informed that his father has a new job as a Commandant and the family has to move to a place that Bruno mishears as Out-With (this is actually Auschwitz). Bruno dislikes his new home in the countryside as it is very different from the hustle bustle of Berlin. Bruno doesn't see any other children around at first, and is disappointed by this, until he looks out his window and sees a huge wire fence near their house with children on the other side. There are other people there too, of different ages, but all wearing grey striped pyjamas. Bruno, being quite curious (as most young boys are), decides to go out and explore one day, and finds a Jewish boy his age on the other side of the fence and so begins a friendship between two boys whose circumstances are very different.

The story is told from Bruno's point of view, and shows us the innocence of a child. I especially loved the way in which he spoke about his sister, Gretel, who was three years older than him. He refers to her as the "Hopeless Case" and thinks it would have been better if they had left her in Berlin when they moved. It was a welcome change from the other books I have read, as it was refreshing to see how a child's mind works. As Bruno describes his settings and the things that are going on around him, he doesn't have any idea what is going on, as he is shielded from the truth, but if you have any knowledge of World War 2, you should be able to figure things out quite easily.

This book was quite an emotional read for me and I did tear up a few times. Despite the fact that I had watched the film, and so knew what was coming, I felt compelled to read it and found it hard to put down. I definitely recommend this book, but just know that it is not a light-hearted read.

I don't know how much my copy cost as it was a gift, but this book is currently retailing for £4.20 in paperback form at Amazon and for £3.99 as a Kindle edition. I think £4.20 is a decent price for this book as it is definitely a good read.

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