bruno befriending a kid in the camps

[[deleted user]]

Hmmm...he was a child, so really, you can't blame him...but I see where you are coming from...

[Anna]

The movie made me want to cry because the actors did such a great job, I think he would be very native to not knowing about the camps or the Jews. You can figure out what happened to Bruno and his friend in the end of the movie even though they don't show it.

[Tasha]

I sit and wonder if the reality hit his father when he found his son's clothes at the fence line? His mother might liked to pretend that she didn't know what when on at the camps but his father knew first hand the treatment and out come of the people. I've spent a lot of time in Germany and Poland visiting the camps and each time I am amzed so many people tried to act like they didn't know. They knew...they just didn't want to face the truth.

[Anna]

In a way I wished Bruno hadn't went inside the camp but then I do then I am in the middle of a battle between yes and no.

[Rachel]

I think it was very reckless of Bruno to disobey his elders and go to the fence in the first place. When they became friends and met every day, a part of me hoped Bruno would get caught. It was totally different for Schmuel. It was more like life and death for him. I think if it weren’t for Bruno, he would have died a long time ago. The way the book ended was like slapping an evil German Nazi in the face. I believe that is what Bruno’s father deserved. Neither, Schmuel nor Bruno deserved to die in the gas chambers.

[[deleted user]]

Catherine wrote: "In a way I wished Bruno hadn't went inside the camp but then I do then I am in the middle of a battle between yes and no."

lol i thought the same thing about the book, but you have to realize that Bruno was bored and wanted to explore something and he knew his parents would not like it but he was only nine and curious. You know the expression 'curiousity(sp?) was what killed the cat' in some way that reminds me of what happened to Bruno.

[Lydia]

I think that Bruno's parents failed to talk to him. Not that they would have told him what was right! They would have told him lies, lies, and more lies. But when you ask why he disobeyed them, and why he didn't think about the consequences, you need to point out that he didn't KNOW. Nobody told him, and his parents refused to explain things. It's quite obvious that he's confused throughout the entire book.
It was definitely his parents fault, because (1) they were participating in something incredibly horrible and evil. (2) They brought their son with them, and (3) They didn't keep an eye on him, and they didn't explain anything to him.

[Emilie]

I think it's unrealistic that he came that close to entering the camp. There were watchtowers in camps, so where was the guards? Besides that point (since the story is fictio), I think Bruno befriending him was effective in the theme the author was trying to get across.

[Breanna]

If you want you can join my book club! YA book club for teens ages 11-16. If you are between the ages of 11 and 16 you may join!

[Gretchen]

It is not meant to realistic. In reality children were unlikely to accompany their father's to their work at a concentration camp. It is a symbol of how children don't often see, colors, race, differences the way that adults do. They only see them once they are taught about them by society and adults.
This is a what if story. What if it was possible for these two to become friends? What would be the result? Would they really understand what was going on in their world?

[George]

Emilie wrote: "I think Bruno befriending him was effective in the theme the author was trying to get across."

I agree. Whilst it may not be realistic, it is effective in getting across the theme, which may be: When we close our eyes and ears to brutality, it may eventually strike at us.

Of course Bruno's mother knew what was going on, that's why she wanted to return to Berlin. So she was closing her eyes to what her husband was participating in.

For me, the implication from the theme I have suggested above is that, even if the Nazis had gotten rid of all the Jews, those who turned their gaze would eventually be brutalized, because the only way for despots to retain control is to target what they see as the next threat.

[Bob]

I like George's comment, but I honestly detested this book. I read it when my daughter was Bruno's age and couldn't believe that the author had ever met any real children. To be in his position, Bruno would have been a member of the Hitler Youth, would have been told about Jews and what to think of them and would have known who the Fuhrer was. The picture of a child that came through this book was of one that his father would have probably sent into the camps to get rid of the embarrassment. I understand the idea of making a fairy story out of this, but I didn't hink he could write well enough to carry it - the whole thing was too unbelievable.

[Ashley]

I think this book was really depressing, but it was also interesting.

[Jackson]

I loved this book! It was very heartwarming, yet sad at the same time that this had to happen to people. Anyways, I'll have a post up on my blog reviewing the book, so if you want to check it out or see any other reviews of books, go to www.blogmywaytocollege.com

[Blue Eyed Vixen]

Gretchen wrote: "It is not meant to realistic. In reality children were unlikely to accompany their father's to their work at a concentration camp. It is a symbol of how children don't often see, colors, race, diff..."

Well said Gretchen. There were certainly elements of truth left out to preserve the "fairy tale" effect of the book. If this was the real event Bruno would not have been able to enter the camp as the fences were electrified. The hostages were not allowed to wander inside at their own discretion, and in fact, there were no 9 year olds in this camp. Children not old enough to work were sent immediately to the gas chambers. These are cold hard facts of the holocaust.

[Danny]

This book was terrible. The premise was interesting if unrealistic, but that's all there was. The book never actually developed anything. Bruno and Scmuel's relationship had no depth or feeling, and Boyne never really explored any of the themes he could have. Also Bruno was immensely stupid and ignorant. He read more like a four year old than a nine year old.