Bruno is 9 years old and his sister Gretel is 12 when their father gets the command of a place called Out-with, and they have to move from Berlin to the middle of nowhere. Initially Bruno is very upset and wants to return to Berlin immediately. However, he befriends a boy on the other side of the gate – where everyone is wearing striped pyjamas.
Bruno’s sister appears to be a very unpleasant girl, at the start of the book, she and her friends tease Bruno a lot. She thinks she’s mature and a lot smarter than Bruno. She also wants to return to Berlin. When they get to Auschwitz she abandons her dolls and becomes interested in WW2 politics (and one of the soldiers under their father’s command).
Where do I start? I can understand why this book is popular – BUT the historical inaccuracies are the main reason why I have only given the book 2 stars. Also, both Bruno and Gretel seem much younger than the age they’re supposed to be in the book.
Read for the PopSugar Reading Challenge 2025
Prompt 11: A book mentioned in another book
Rating: ⭐️⭐️
