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.
This was our book club read for the month and I have also been wanting to read this story for awhile. I am still a little speechless after finishing this book. I am just not sure how to word my thoughts. I was literally laying in bed after finishing the book and realized that I was holding my breath. You will definately need a few moments to take in the story once you have finished it.
The stories of 2 boys during the Holocaust was brilliantly written. To describe the horrific images through a nieve child’s eyes made it seem even more real than it already was. I don’t want to spoil any part of the book for the future reader, but I will say, this is a must read, a quick read, a powerful story, and one that needs to be shared. I will share it with my children…..when I think they are ready for it. I also plan to try and watch the movie version this weekend and I will let you know what I thought of that as well. I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars!
Posted Under book club, Book Review, fiction, historical fiction, John Boyne, junior fiction, WWII, YA