Message from group F

I work in a secondary Special needs school. The books weren't really accessible. I have sorted the books with the kids. The children have made labels. Since doing that they choose to read more.
Nadia Horizon School

Year 3 are starting to think reading is really special. We are creating a love of reading. We have taken photos of teachers reading in extreme situations. Children see teachers as readers now.
Michelle Ark Oval

The Pebble in my Pocket meant it was nice to link science with literacy. It was amazing how interested they were in rocks.
Jesssica King Solomon Academy

Boy In Striped Pyjamas - Gemma and Rachel Bannockburn

The most significant handle of this book is the fact that children can access a glimpse of WW2 life through the eyes of a child who is curious and innocent.  Unfortunately it is the child's naivity that forms the devastating ending and takes the reader on an emotional journey.  As readers we both said that we felt like we wanted to reread the ending in the hope that what happens to the boy was a mistake in our initial reading.  Definitely a good core book for year 5/6.

The Boy in Striped Pyjamas

I loved the book, even though I was left feeling traumatised after reading it. That is what a good book should do. Leave you thinking about the characters, their choices, what would they do next etc. Bruno's naively thinks in a black/white view of the world and that is how children think. In a way it was wonderful to read a book without the central character being several shades of grey. However, as an adult reader you know that the story will end with questions for your conscience. I teach a Year 2 class and obviously the text is inappropriate for them but I feel a Year 6 class would be enthral led by the story. I think from the outset adults in the classroom would have to make it clear that the subject matter is very serious but important. There are issues within society that mirror the attitudes of adults in the story. We should challenge older children to think 'is it ok to dislike someone/someone's because adults around me do?'. Similarly, if they see something that is wrong or feel uncomfortable do they say something or do something about it? I feel I am going to write an essay so I will stop but in summary: A moving story. Gillian Morton- Fielding Primary School

We enjoyed the book. We particularly liked how the author told the story through the naivety of Bruno, often leaving suggestive ideas where the reader brought their own understanding of the situation to their interpretation of the book. In a unique way it covered a traumatic period of history. Although sad, we thought that the ending was thought provoking and left a lasting impression.  Kirstie & Lorna

I read this book over the Christmas holidays and was hooked straight way, looking forward to when I could read the next chapter (a challenge with a young family).  What I liked most about the book was how the innocence of children is portrayed through Bruno but also the the way in which as an adult you couldn't help to try deduce what was happening.  The author just manages to keep one step ahead of you confirming your suspicions along the way.  I agree with some of the blogs mentioning that it was frustrating not being able to guide Bruno especially towards the end of the story.  I did guess the end but I was also hoping that by some miracle they would both be saved or that it was just in time for the war to have ended.   Maybe this was due to the influence of the Hollywood factor or more the fact that this story will sit heavy in the mind long after reading it.
I have an 11 year old daughter who loves history but I would not share it with her just yet as she finds it hard to read books that make her feel sad and I know that she would take Bruno's story to heart.  I will definitely put in on the bookshelf for her to read later. 
I have no desire to see the film as I have not yet seen a film that is better than the book and as my colleague Kate has already said the book gives you so many powerful images which are vivid within my imagination thats the way I would like to keep it.
Overall this is a book that I won't forget and have already made sure that my friends that love reading know about it (some of which already do). 

Cheryl - St Joseph's

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

This was the third time of reading this book.  Each time I have been drawn in by Bruno's innocence, his relationship with Shmuel and the sheer horror of Nazi Germany.

I read it for the first time in 2007 and loved it so much that I immediately read it to my then 11 year old.  It was interesting how much I had to explain to my son - he didn't pick up on the innocence of Bruno at all, which to me, is one of the most powerful elements of the book.  However, it brought about some fantastic and important discussions such as Bruno's reference to 'Out-with', the people in striped pyjamas and the fear the adults such as Pavel displayed. 

I am now reading it to my second son and once again having amazing discussions with him.  Reading it aloud is very emotional!  I definitely think it's a book you could and should share with Year 6.

Katy Waters - Dundonald Primary School

Boy in the striped pj's Central B

I love the innocence of Bruno and the fact that I know what really happened. I find myself feeling sorry for him at times as he is so naive. I also feel frustrated that I know the places and things that are going on and he keeps pronouncing it wrong! I wonder, however, if the children would get it! I think it would be a good book to look at different viewpoints in the war (the fact that he had no idea what was going on) from a history angle.

Kat, Goose Green Primary, Central B

Boy In the Striped Pyjamas .... kept me awake!

On reading this book, I felt enclosed in the lead character's world, where he is powerless to affect his circumstances and where he only gets partial or misinterpreted information.  I felt his frustrations and joys, his hopes his fears.... and dreaded when he is inexorably drawn into... but let's not spoil the end.
A fantastic book dealing skilfully with a very difficult theme, but which manages to entertain as well as inform.

The boy in the striped pyjamas.

I had not seen the film, although I knew that it was about concentration camps. Bruno's innocence made it a compelling read and I could not put the book down.  I have a lasting image of Bruno and his friend holding hands, dying in the gas chamber. I found it to be a very sad story.
Linda Hall
Central A

The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas

I wish I hadn't seen the film before reading the book, as I'm sure the harrowing ending would have been a real shock. Still, I found the book incredibly moving. I am unsure as to how much year 6 children would gain from the book, though I wouldn't necessarily be against it. I am interested to see which aged readership is considered appropriate by others.
Anne      Parish CE Primary

Boy in the striped pyjamas

I was totally drawn in to the story and felt the innocence but wisdom of Bruno.  His sister, on the other hand was totally oblivious to what was going on except for the young soldier.  It was heart rending to know that a little boy had to experience so much trauma just because he was of the 'wrong' race.  Shmuel made me cry.  As a matter of fact,  I felt so sorry for him at the loss of his familiar surroundings and dear relatives.  He did no wrong, yet he suffered so much pain and ultimately lost his life.  When reality stared at Bruno,  everything else, including his missed friends paled in comparison so much so thst he started to forget their names.

I read The Boy in the Striped Pyjama's in one sitting on a quiet day during the Christmas holiday. I found it an extremely moving and upsetting book, however this doesnot stop it being one of the most enoyable books i have ever read. After finishing the book i couldn't stop thinking about the two boys and how i had begun reading thinking the title referred to Shmuel but ended up believing that the author may have meant it to be Bruno. My list of points that have stayed with me since reading the book are endless but the blurb on the back cover about crossing a fence and the last paragraph in the book sums it up really. The book played on my mind so much that i decided to watch the film version and although i enjoyed it was disappointed that i missed out so many of the finer details (such as Bruno and Shmuel sharing a birthday and Bruno's interpretation of words such as Outwith etc).

Boy in the Striped Pajamas

This was a beaautifully crafted novel, full of emotion and innocence. Its simple language suggests a much younger audience as it is written through the eyes of Bruno, but I would not be comfortable using it in a primary school setting. It would, however, sit beautifully alongside a World War 2 unit in History in Secondary School. I felt no respect for the father; and deeply sorry for the servant who had been a doctor - I hated how he was accepting of his new situation. I knew the story would not have a happy ending, but was still shocked at what happened to Bruno. This an example of a fine book, with a punchy ending, which leaves the reader gasping for breath and willing time to turn backwards. Rosemary Coleman Gordon Primary School

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

Here at Dulwich Hamlet Junior School, my Year 3 class are loving this story. Each day we place (a donated) Edward carefully in his chair in front of the window on our display board. I then open the curtains to reveal the 'clues' in the window for the next chapter. This has generated excellent discussions and enaged all children. The teaching sequence moves at a gentle pace. This has given the less able writers more time to breathe and think about their writing. Can't wait to find out what happens next! Paul Hume

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

Henwick Primary School...our thoughts. This book provided much lively discussion between us. We were all agreed that we would not read it to children in primary school as we, as adults, were able to fill in the gaps required to understand what Bruno is experiencing yet this prior knowledge, and the maturity required to bridge the gaps and access the text with sufficient empathy to fully understand the story, would be beyond the capabilities of many of our pupils. Our personal responses to the text varied; two of us greatly enjoyed the text,feeling that the innocence of Bruno carried the reader through the story, resulting in twists and turns of emotion as the the story arc unfolded. One felt that (for once) the film was a more fulfilling experience, particularly with the ending which felt underdeveloped in the book. Finally, another felt that to ask the reader to believe that Bruno knew nothing about what was going on around him removed much of the integrity from the story, whilst the friendship between the two boys was not sufficiently built up, depriving the reader of the opportunity to develop an empathetic relationship with either character. We enjoyed the discussions the reading of the book provided. Mark, Karen, Elspeth, Liz

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

Home alone, one Sunday morning, shortly before Christmas, all family happily occupied elsewhere. Bake the Christmas cake? Go for a run? Church, perhaps? Clean the house - such were my plans for a rare Sunday morning by myself. Instead I stayed in bed and picked up my pristine copy of "The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas." I was hooked. I didn't stir from bed - except to make some toast - until twenty past twelve, which is totally unheard of for me. This was completely engrossing. For me, the scary bit was seeing it all through Bruno's eyes and trying to make sense of a child's world at at time of madness - plus of course, the adults' rationalising of the situation. Bruno's father was such a kind man, claims the maid, as if this absolves him from his current power hungry games. I guessed the ending when Bruno's dad shaved his head.Would I see the film? No. I have an intensely visual imagination and have had images of this story flashing vividly back in my mind at odd moments of the day and night, merely from having read the book. Would I read it to Year 6? No. Partly because of the subject matter, and partly because this book is very clever in that it is told through the eyes of a young child who is trying to decipher his very strange world. Would I recommend it to adults - unreservedly yes! Kate, St Josephs, Portishead, West of England project

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

I didn't believe in Bruno's story. I felt the author was sacrificing truth for his own artistic purpose. There are many terrible ironies in war; this would not have been one of them.