The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, by John Boyne
Because of the “Fury,” Bruno’s father is assigned as the commandant of a Polish concentration camp that Bruno calls “Out-With.”
So, Bruno’s family moves from Berlin to a desolate place with no other houses and no other children. The new house gives Bruno a bad feeling, a feeling that grows into a pain in his stomach. Behind the house is a beautiful flower garden, and twenty feet beyond the garden is a high wire fence. Enclosed in the fence, Bruno sees low huts and large buildings. The space is inhabited by hundreds, if not thousands, of people in striped pajamas and caps. The whole scene leaves Bruno feeling cold and unsafe.
Bruno loves to explore so it seems natural for him to follow the fence. After walking for some time, he meets a small, skinny, sad-looking boy named Shmuel. Every day after this, Bruno visits Shmuel. The boys become fast friends. When Bruno and his sister, Gretel, contract lice, their mother decides to move them back to Berlin. Before he leaves, Bruno wants to go inside the fence and help Shmuel find his father. With his shorn head (due to the lice) and striped pajamas borrowed from Shmuel, Bruno passes under the fence and into another world.
When Bruno’s parents go looking for him, all they find is a pile of clothes sitting next to the fence.
