book review for the boy in the striped pajamas

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The boy in the striped pajamas, common sense media reviewers.

Intense, powerful Holocaust book offers unique perspective.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

This can help kids connect with the historical eve

Clearly, there is evil presented. But readers will

Readers will quickly relate to Bruno, who is uproo

Implied violence though none graphically shown. Bu

Parents need to know that even though the main character in this book is 9 years old, this book is a better fit for kids in late middle school and up. The book focuses on complex emotional issues of evil and the Holocaust, and raises questions about the nature of man. It could spark a great moral discussion. But kids…

Educational Value

This can help kids connect with the historical events of the Holocaust in a more realistic way. Could also lead to some great discussions about evil and the nature of man.

Positive Messages

Clearly, there is evil presented. But readers will be touched by the power of friendship and compassion.

Positive Role Models

Readers will quickly relate to Bruno, who is uprooted from his home and moved somewhere "nasty and cold." His perspective allows readers to feel a strong sense of foreboding, long before they know the extent of the terror surrounding Bruno's world. Readers will be struck by the contrast between Bruno's normalcy and naivety, and the extreme horrors of the time.

Violence & Scariness

Implied violence though none graphically shown. But the book is set in a death camp so emotional violence is a real factor to consider when your kids read the book. The ending involves very upsetting death.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that even though the main character in this book is 9 years old, this book is a better fit for kids in late middle school and up. The book focuses on complex emotional issues of evil and the Holocaust, and raises questions about the nature of man. It could spark a great moral discussion. But kids will probably be very moved if not quite upset by some of the events in the book. Its theme is complex and powerful, and it will provoke emotions and questions that will need discussion and explanation. We recommend that you talk with your kids after they've read the book, or even read the book together.

Where to Read

Community reviews.

• Parents say (19)
• Kids say (129)

Based on 19 parent reviews

Powerful and emotional story

A quality text for mature kids and early teens, what's the story.

When Bruno is forced to move away from his enormous Berlin home with his family, his life changes forever. Besides moving into a smaller house with no "nooks and crannies" to explore, besides having no one to play with except for his older sister (also known as the "Hopeless Case"), he's surrounded by soldiers that are constantly in and out of his father's downstairs office as well as other grown-ups who always seem angry or unhappy. Bruno misses his friends, his grandparents, and the city itself. And he doesn't understand what's going on around him. He hates everything about "Out-With" and is very lonely until he meets the boy on the other side of the fence.

Is It Any Good?

This powerful book about the Holocaust stands out in part because of the unusual perspective. It's told through the eyes of the 9-year-old son of the commandant at Auschwitz, a boy who has no clue as to what is going on around him. This perspective allows readers to feel a strong sense of foreboding, long before they know the extent of the terror surrounding Bruno's world. Readers will be struck by the contrast between Bruno's normalcy and naivety, and the extreme horrors of the time.

Readers will quickly relate to Bruno, who is uprooted from his home and moved somewhere "nasty and cold" where he has no friends; he is lonely, his sister bugs him, and adults treat him as if he's not there. He wants to study art and read fantasy books rather than history and geography. He wants to get outside and explore. At one point Bruno even covets the life of the boy on the other side of the fence because at least he has other boys with whom he can play.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about World War II and the Holocaust. How is reading a story different than reading about facts in a history book? Which do you find more moving? Which are you more likely to remember?

How would the story be different if it were told from another point of view?

Book Details

• Author : John Boyne
• Genre : Historical Fiction
• Book type : Fiction
• Publisher : David Fickling Books
• Publication date : September 12, 2006
• Publisher's recommended age(s) : 12 - 12
• Number of pages : 215
• Last updated : July 12, 2017

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The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

Hope and Despair in the Shadow of Auschwitz

Publisher: David Fickling Books

Genre: Historical Fiction

First Publication: 2006

Language:  English

Major Characters: Bruno, Gretel, Shmuel, Lieutenant Kotler, Pavel Bruno’s Mother and Father, Eva Braun

Setting Place: Berlin, Germany and Auschwitz, Poland

Narration: Third person omniscient

Theme: Innocence and Ignorance, Family and Friendship, Holocaust

Book Summary: The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

When his father is promoted to Commandant in the German army and his family is transferred from their comfy home in Berlin to a strange place called Out-With, nine year-old Bruno has no idea of the true nature of his new surroundings. Indeed, he is also unaware of the horrors being perpetrated at the command of the German leader, the Fury, who visits the family one evening. He is unimpressed by the small man with his tiny ineffectual moustache.

The dreaded concentration camp as seen through Bruno’s eyes is simply a place of many, many long huts and the people who wear an odd sort of striped pyjamas. Starved for company, Bruno’s explorations lead him to meet a new friend, Shmuel, a boy his own age who, for reasons Bruno cannot understand, looks like a small sad bony caricature of a normal boy. Bruno’s innocence and his friendship with Shmuel will ultimately have catastrophic results on his life and that of his family’s.

Book Review: The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne is truly an amazing yet daunting novel that I will never forget. The author John Boyne did a masterful job of depicting the setting in such vivid detail and exposing the events in a manner that I felt a constant emotional pull as the story unfolded and impending doom lingered on the horizon.

I was recommended this novel a while back while reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak , but after finishing that story and experiencing such deep sadness, I knew I couldn’t jump into another novel about the Holocaust for quite some time. I’m glad I waited because as with other works that cover this topic, distance and perspective is key. I feel the author did a grand job of juxtaposing two resounding themes in such a flawless manner; one being of the evil that was the Holocaust; against the second theme that of the innocence of a child.

“What exactly was the difference? He wondered to himself. And who decided which people wore the striped pajamas and which people wore the uniforms?”

I thought it was brilliant of Boyne to tell the story from the perspective of a nine-year-old German boy as you experience the events of this abominable and unthinkable time in history as a mere complicit bystander, which ultimately leaves you with a sense of hopelessness.

The story unfolds the day Bruno arrives home to discover his family is moving from Berlin to Auschwitz where his father will serve as a Commandant for the concentration camp. Bruno is forced to leave his three best friends for life and discovers that life in Auschwitz is lonely and desolate. All that changes the day he meets a boy his exact age and they begin to forge a friendship over the course of year. However, as much as he finds he and Schmuel have in common, living on opposite sides of the fence proves to have a devastating consequence to their friendship.

“The thing about exploring is that you have to know whether the thing you’ve found is worth finding. Some things are just sitting there, minding their own business, waiting to be discovered. Like America. And other things are probably better off left alone. Like a dead mouse at the back of the cupboard.”

After completing The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne, I did some research on the author and the novel and found that he not only received well-deserved praise for this book but also harsh criticism. As with any piece of literature, when words are committed to page and presented to an audience for their interpretation, there will be varying degrees of acceptance and backlash. Couple that with such a sensitive topic and you’re bound to get a reaction. Well, my hats off to John Boyne for tackling a story through a unique perspective and presenting a poignant fable that, as a reader, willingly suspended my reality and experienced the events in a way that exposed my emotions and feelings to such a raw level.

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THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS

by John Boyne ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 12, 2006

Certain to provoke controversy and difficult to see as a book for children, who could easily miss the painful point.

After Hitler appoints Bruno’s father commandant of Auschwitz, Bruno (nine) is unhappy with his new surroundings compared to the luxury of his home in Berlin.

The literal-minded Bruno, with amazingly little political and social awareness, never gains comprehension of the prisoners (all in “striped pajamas”) or the malignant nature of the death camp. He overcomes loneliness and isolation only when he discovers another boy, Shmuel, on the other side of the camp’s fence. For months, the two meet, becoming secret best friends even though they can never play together. Although Bruno’s family corrects him, he childishly calls the camp “Out-With” and the Fuhrer “Fury.” As a literary device, it could be said to be credibly rooted in Bruno’s consistent, guileless characterization, though it’s difficult to believe in reality. The tragic story’s point of view is unique: the corrosive effect of brutality on Nazi family life as seen through the eyes of a naïf. Some will believe that the fable form, in which the illogical may serve the objective of moral instruction, succeeds in Boyne’s narrative; others will believe it was the wrong choice.

Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2006

ISBN: 0-385-75106-0

Page Count: 224

Publisher: David Fickling/Random

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2006

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT HISTORICAL FICTION | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FICTION

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SEEN & HEARD

THE GIRL OF FIRE AND THORNS

From the girl of fire and thorns series , vol. 1.

by Rae Carson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2011

Despite the stale fat-to-curvy pattern, compelling world building with a Southern European, pseudo-Christian feel,...

Adventure drags our heroine all over the map of fantasyland while giving her the opportunity to use her smarts.

Elisa—Princess Lucero-Elisa de Riqueza of Orovalle—has been chosen for Service since the day she was born, when a beam of holy light put a Godstone in her navel. She's a devout reader of holy books and is well-versed in the military strategy text Belleza Guerra , but she has been kept in ignorance of world affairs. With no warning, this fat, self-loathing princess is married off to a distant king and is embroiled in political and spiritual intrigue. War is coming, and perhaps only Elisa's Godstone—and knowledge from the Belleza Guerra —can save them. Elisa uses her untried strategic knowledge to always-good effect. With a character so smart that she doesn't have much to learn, body size is stereotypically substituted for character development. Elisa’s "mountainous" body shrivels away when she spends a month on forced march eating rat, and thus she is a better person. Still, it's wonderfully refreshing to see a heroine using her brain to win a war rather than strapping on a sword and charging into battle.

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011

ISBN: 978-0-06-202648-4

Page Count: 432

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011

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WHAT THE MOON SAW

by Laura Resau ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 12, 2006

When Clara Luna, 14, visits rural Mexico for the summer to visit the paternal grandparents she has never met, she cannot know her trip will involve an emotional and spiritual journey into her family’s past and a deep connection to a rich heritage of which she was barely aware. Long estranged from his parents, Clara’s father had entered the U.S. illegally years before, subsequently becoming a successful business owner who never spoke about what he left behind. Clara’s journey into her grandmother’s history (told in alternating chapters with Clara’s own first-person narrative) and her discovery that she, like her grandmother and ancestors, has a gift for healing, awakens her to the simple, mystical joys of a rural lifestyle she comes to love and wholly embrace. Painfully aware of not fitting into suburban teen life in her native Maryland, Clara awakens to feeling alive in Mexico and realizes a sweet first love with Pedro, a charming goat herder. Beautifully written, this is filled with evocative language that is rich in imagery and nuance and speaks to the connections that bind us all. Add a thrilling adventure and all the makings of an entrancing read are here. (glossaries) (Fiction. 12-14)

ISBN: 0-385-73343-7

Page Count: 272

Publisher: Delacorte

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2006

TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FICTION | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT FAMILY | TEENS & YOUNG ADULT SOCIAL THEMES

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Word of Mouth

Submitting a book for review, write the editor, you are here:, the boy in the striped pajamas.

In his Author's Note, John Boyne writes of his fourth novel, THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS: "the issue of writing about the Holocaust is, of course, a contentious matter, and any novelist who explores it had better be sure about his or her intentions before setting out...it's the responsibility of the writer to uncover as much emotional truth within that desperate landscape as he possibly can." Given this fairly strong sentiment, Boyne has written a definitive novel about this much-explored --- though often not explored well --- subject, but his approach is one that might be considered controversial, and rightfully so. A book billed as a "fable" about the Holocaust --- especially one narrated by the son of a prominent Nazi leader --- is bound to ruffle a few readers' feathers, especially those of the older generations.

THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS opens as nine-year-old Bruno comes home from school to find that he is moving. Following his parents' dinner with "the Fury" (i.e. the Fuhrer) wherein the Fury tells Bruno's father that he "[has] big things in mind for him," Bruno and his family gather up their belongings from their five-story house in the heart of Berlin and move to "Out-With" (i.e. Auschwitz) in Poland where Bruno's father is called "Commandant" by everyone around him. Bruno hates his new desolate surroundings compared to the opulent comfort he is used to and wants to return to Berlin immediately. Of course, this doesn't happen.

As the plot progresses, Bruno slowly gets used to his environment. Before long, he becomes bored with his indoor trappings and decides to go exploring along the barrier that separates his family from the hordes of "neighbors" on the other side of the fence. He is curious about the "hundreds of people in the distance going about their business...wearing the same clothes as each other: a pair of grey striped pajamas with a grey striped cap on their heads." On one of his jaunts, he befriends a boy his age named Shmuel and visits him daily, often sneaking leftover food for him from the kitchen. It turns out that he and Shmuel were both born on the same day and the two become quite close from the commonality.

(As far as what happens to Bruno and Shmuel...to give away the ending would be to spoil the impact of the book and whatever gnawing gut reaction is bound to follow its conclusion. This is truly a climax worth waiting for and one that shouldn't be spoiled for the sake of a review.)

What makes THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS different from just any old friendship-in-the-midst-of-tragedy story is that Bruno and Shmuel are from two glaringly dissimilar backgrounds and are living two disparate lives in close proximity to each other, yet they consider themselves equals. What makes it different from many (if not all) other Holocaust stories is that it's told through the eyes of a German boy --- the son of the man put in charge of Auschwitz by Hitler, no less --- who has absolutely no idea what's going on . Bruno is blissfully unaware of the atrocities taking place around him and nothing --- not even what he sees with his own eyes --- seems to alter his seemingly permanent naiveté.

THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS is a bundle of fascinating conjectures, questions and contradictions, many of which beg to be examined and will surely ignite any number of heated conversations about the nature of reality, perspective, prejudice and more. John Boyne is a masterful storyteller who, through the eyes of Bruno, has attempted to tackle and put forth his version of one of the most heinous periods in human history. It remains to be seen where readers' opinions about the novel will fall, but this nonetheless is a worthwhile and profound journey that most should take to find out.

Reviewed by Alexis Burling on October 23, 2007

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

• Publication Date: October 23, 2007
• Genres: Fiction , Historical Fiction , Holocaust
• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Ember
• ISBN-10: 0385751532
• ISBN-13: 9780385751537

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Book Review: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

Title: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas Author: John Boyne Publisher: David Fickling Books Publication date: 2006 Length: 215 pages Genre: Middle grade fiction Source: Purchased

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 to a new house far, far away, where there is no one to play with and nothing to do. A tall fence stretches as far as the eye can see and cuts him off from the strange people 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 from his own, and their meeting results in a friendship that has devastating consequences.

Oh, I have such mixed feelings about this book!

Published in 2006, the book originally came with all sorts of disclaimers urging people not to give away the story, but to allow all readers to experience this book without knowing what it was about. All these years later, the subject matter is no longer a secret: This is Holocaust fiction, telling the story of two young boys who meet through the fence at Auschwitz, and despite their vastly different circumstances, form a deep friendship.

We see the story unfold through 9-year-old Bruno’s eyes. Bruno’s father is a rising Nazi officer, favored by Hitler himself (whose name Bruno hears as “the Fury” rather than “the Fuhrer”). The father is promoted to Kommandant of Auschwitz, and when we first meet Bruno, he’s expressing his unhappiness at having his happy life in Berlin uprooted, as the family will be moving because of his father’s new job.

Bruno is remarkabley clueless (more on that later). They arrive at their new home, which is nowhere near as grand as his house in Berlin. There’s nothing to do, and no one to play with. From the upstairs window, Bruno has a view of strange people on the other side of a barbed wire fence, all wearing striped pajamas. He wonders who these people are and what they’re doing, and even feels some envy at what appears to be a large group of people who are all together while he is so very alone.

As Bruno goes exploring along the forbidden fence, he finds a strange boy sitting near it on the other side, a skinny, gray-faced boy wearing the striped pajamas. They start to talk, and Bruno and Shmuel begin to get to know one another. Soon, Bruno considers Shmuel his best friend, although he’s frustrated that they can never play together, and somehow knows enough never to mention Shmuel in his house.

On its surface, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a moving story. And yet, I can understand why it was controversial upon its release.

For starters, there are some story issues that make the book hard to digest. Bruno is 9 years old and lived in the heart of Berlin, in a house led by a Nazi officer and where soldiers and other important people constantly come and go… and yet he appears to never have heard of Jews until his sister tells him, much later, that that’s who those people on the other side of the fence are.

And why are there so many children at Auschwitz, when we know that the majority would have been murdered upon arrival? How is Shmuel able to sneak away for hours, day after day, with no one noticing?

And is Bruno’s language mix-ups (such as “the Fury” and his belief that they live at “Out-With”) supposed to be cute? Frankly, he presents as much younger than nine.

In the book’s favor, the title page clearly calls this story “a fable”. No, these are not historical events. No, this depiction of life at Auschwitz isn’t meant to be historically accurate.

And yet, what’s concerning is that apparently this book is often used in schools as an introduction to Holocaust fiction. In fact, the back of my paperback edition includes a blurb from USA Today that calls this book “as memorable an introduction to the subject as The Diary of Anne Frank”.

Um, no. That comparison is absurd. And it disturbs me to think that there are students whose first encounter with the horrors of Auschwitz might be through this “fable”, where nothing seems all that terrible at first, where the nightmarish reality is presented as a distant curiosity, and where a reader who doesn’t know the factual history might not even get what was going on.

As a companion book, or a different lens on known events, sure, this would be effective. But as the sole introduction, it’s sorely lacking in context and facts, and I’m afraid that the melodrama and Bruno’s limited worldview are pretty close to sugar-coating.

Now, I’ll add that I haven’t seen the movie, so I can’t comment on whether that version is more or less effective at conveying the full picture of Auschwitz. I actually picked up this book this week because my son saw the movie at school and came home to tell me how good it was. I think I should give it a chance, and see if I feel any differently about the story afterward.

I was eager to read this book not only because of my son’s recommendation, but because I just recently read my very first book by John Boyne, The Heart’s Invisible Furies , and thought it was brilliant.

As I was reading The Boy in the Striped Pajamas , I just couldn’t stop and ended up reading it straight through. It was only once I’d closed the covers and stopped to think that the various elements above started to bother me.

I’d be really curious to hear from others who’ve read this book and see if our responses and reactions are at all aligned.

Meanwhile, I’ve been looking up reviews from when the book was published, and have found more than a few pieces that discuss why this book had such a mixed and controversial response:

(Note: Some of these links may contain spoilers. Proceed with caution!)

Review – New York Times Review – Jewish Book Council Analysis – Holocaust Exhibition & Learning Centre Movie review – Time Magazine Book Review – Aish.com

8 thoughts on “ Book Review: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne ”

Hi Lisa, I haven’t read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, but I’ve heard a lot about it. Thanks for your honest review. I’m not sure I’d pick this up. I think I’d have trouble with how unrealistic Bruno’s character is. I like how you’ve added links to other reviews – I’ve been doing that too, especially with books I didn’t like. Hope you are doing well!

Thanks, Barbara! When I have a mixed or negative reaction to a book that people seem to talk a lot about, I do find it helpful to look up other resources and see if maybe I missed something, or if there are other viewpoints that might convince me to expand my thinking.

I agree that this shouldn’t be confused with fact, and certainly shouldn’t be taught as such, though I do think it is an easier tale for children to relate to than Ann Franks Diary in many ways. With respect I do disagree with your view on Bruno. This was a period when children of the upper class had very little to do with their parents.and when at home likely never ventured out of the attic nursery/schoolroom of their Berlin home except under the care of a nanny or tutor except to dutifully submit to a kiss goodnight. Military discussions would take place behind locked and closed study doors anyway He wouldn’t have access to any media, and it’s unlikely any one would have explained the war to him, children of his age were not informed of or included in such matters. it’s also entirely possible he never witnessed any of the violence or hate directed at Jews since any travel outside the home would be in a car and to approved places. So in my opinion his naivety really isn’t a stretch, especially when you factor in a child’s ability to normalise their circumstances, even when it evidently isn’t.

Thanks, I appreciate your perspective! I get what you’re saying about Bruno and being a sheltered child at the time, but Bruno does specifically talk about being out and about in the city, being on the crowded streets with his friends, what his friends’ parents do for a living, etc — so surely he must have at least encountered some hint of the reality of his times?

I am glad I read this review. I do think historical fiction for the Holocaust has its place but am glad I didn’t pick this one up. I heard people rave about this but given your description I would not be one of them. The main character sounds too naive and the mixed up words too trite. The other book that I hear has lots of interest for schools is number the stars. Have ye read that one? x The Captain

PS. Thank you for including the link to the Analysis – Holocaust Exhibition & Learning Centre. They are a fantastic resource that I have used before like for the tattooist of Auschwitz. What I read there spoiled the ending and I am glad. I am now whole-heartedly not for this book being taught in schools when there are better choices out there. x The Captain

Oops, so sorry for the spoiler! Maybe I should add some warning language above the links. I hadn’t come across this resource before, but I’m glad to know about it now! And I’m glad you mentioned The Tattooist of Auschwitz — I’ll be reading that one (finally) with my book group later this spring, and it’s good to know there are good online resources to check out.

Regarding the ending (spoilers!), a piece that’s been bothering me after the fact is that somehow Bruno’s death end up being the tragic part, which almost minimizes all the other countless deaths happening at the same time. The fact that he was in the wrong place at the wrong time is awful, but is his fate any more awful than that of Shmuel and all the other people being murdered? I don’t know… having a hard time with sorting all this out, clearly.

I have read Number the Stars, many years ago, and while the plot is fuzzy for me at this point, I do remember thinking that it was excellent! I think one of the differences is that Number the Stars is much more fact-based, showing the experiences of a girl during this time while clearly placing it in the context of what was happening. In fact, now that you’ve reminded me of it, I think I need to do a re-read!

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Wednesday 7 April 2010

Review: the boy in the striped pajamas.

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BookBrowse Reviews The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

by John Boyne

Critics' Opinion:

Readers' Opinion:

• Historical Fiction
• Young Adults
• 1940s & '50s
• Jewish Authors
• War Related

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About this Book

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A World War II fable set in the Third Reich for teens, and with cross-over adult appeal.

The Boy In The Striped Pajamas was published in the UK early in 2006, where it has received very positive reviews and much publicity, becoming one of those relatively rare books that crosses over from its intended market (teenagers) to be read widely by adults as well. It was published in hardcover in the USA in September 2006, and is just now out in paperback. Boyne tells the story of Bruno, a 9-year-old boy living in Berlin in 1943 (the book jacket description pegs it as 1942, but from various references in the book it seems more likely to be 1943) who finds his comfortable life upturned when his father is commanded by the "Fury" to take a new job at a place called "Out-With", where the lonely Bruno discovers a secret friend exactly his age - a boy called Shmuel who wears striped pajamas and lives on the other side of the fence. The Boy In The Striped Pajamas is presented as a fable, flagging up front that one is expected to disengage ones normal sense of reality and accept the story as given, but in this instance, when dealing with such an emotive, well recorded and historically recent subject as the Holocaust, this is difficult to do. Everything hinges on the reader accepting Bruno's overwhelming naivety at face value. Is it really credible that Bruno, who lives and goes to school in Berlin and is the son of a senior SS officer, is oblivious to the war, and doesn't know who Hitler is, or what a Jew is - but in other respects is both observant and intelligent? I don't think so! When his family arrive at Aushwitz, Bruno and his 12-year-old-sister are conveniently the only children in the vicinity, other than those on the other side of the fence. This again stretches credibility because historical records show that about 6,000 SS officers were posted at Auschwitz, so it seems extremely unlikely that other children would not have been around. Then there is the issue of how Bruno could possibly have talked with his friend on the other side of the fence for months without, firstly, being seen, and secondly, ever comprehending that Shmuel is starving (he absentmindedly brings him food from time to time but usually ends up eating most of it on the way). Not to mention the inconvenient detail that by 1943 most young children arriving at the camps were gassed on arrival. On the other hand, Boyne hits a few powerful notes - such as Bruno's father's response to his question about the people inside the fence - "they're not people at all Bruno"; and his mother's comment that "we don't have the luxury of thinking". In short, as a fable, this is a powerful tale, and if you can read it as such all well and good (I can't); but as a vehicle for explaining the defining tragedy of the 20th century to young people, let alone adults, it falls short.

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Book Review: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, a historical fiction novel by John Boyne, invites the reader into the world of nine-year-old Bruno as he and his family move to a house near a Nazi concentration camp. The book starts off with Bruno discovering that he and his family are going to move so that his father, a Nazi, can work at a concentration camp. Reluctantly, Bruno travels to an old, small house in a neighborhood with no children. While exploring, Bruno finds a fence enclosing the concentration camp and meets a boy the same age as him named Shmuel who lives on the other side. Over the next year, they become best friends, realizing they have a lot in common. One day, Bruno decides to go with Shmuel inside the concentration camp where his father worked to see what it was like. Sadly, on that day, everyone in the camp was marched to a chamber where they were gassed, Bruno and Shmuel holding hands until the end.

The Boy in The Striped Pajamas, while sad, is a story worth reading. It inspires the reader to think about the Nazis and how terribly wrong they were. A bond is formed with both of the boys, demonstrating the heartbreak the Jews must have felt when their own friends and family were mercilessly killed. Fluffy and light at the beginning and heart-wrenching at the end, it is perfectly balanced. However, I would definitely not recommend this novel to anybody who does not like tragedies or anyone under the age of ten.

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Book Review

The boy in the striped pajamas.

Readability Age Range

• David Fickling Books, a division of Random House Children's Books
• Winner of various Irish children's book awards

Year Published

This book has been reviewed by Focus on the Family’s marriage and parenting magazine .

Plot Summary

The story is told from the viewpoint of a 9-year-old German boy named Bruno. Bruno is the privileged son of a Nazi commandant during World War II. Bruno comes home from school one afternoon to discover his belongings packed and set near the door. His family is preparing to relocate from Berlin to a place Bruno believes is called Out-With. In reality, his father will be in charge of the prison camp Auschwitz.

Bruno is not at all happy about the move, especially at leaving behind his three best friends. He is quite lonely and doesn’t understand why he can’t play with the children that he can see from his window at Out-With, children all dressed in the same striped pajamas. Then he realizes they aren’t all children, but also men of all ages, all wearing the same striped pajamas.

Bruno tries to entertain himself around the house since his parents don’t want him to do any exploring. He and his sister have lessons at the house instead of going to school. Eventually, Bruno decides to sneak out to explore the area. He meets a boy his age named Shmuel. Shmuel wears the striped pajamas and lives on the other side of the fence.

Shmuel and Bruno begin to meet every day. Bruno is thrilled to have a friend his own age, yet never fully grasps why Shmuel can’t play at his house or why Bruno can’t play with the other children in striped pajamas.

After a little more than a year and a bout with lice among the children, Bruno’s mother decides she can take no more of the isolation and plans to leave. Bruno and Shmuel make plans for one last day to go exploring where Shmuel lives. Bruno’s head is shaved because of the lice, so he will fit in when Shmuel brings him pajamas. Bruno meets Shmuel, changes into the pajamas and crawls under the fence to help Shmuel find his papa, who hasn’t been seen for days. As the two boys are searching, the guards round them up with many other adults into the middle of the camp.

Believing they were going on a march, Bruno and Shmuel stick close together inside the group and march into an airtight building with many other Jews. That was the last anyone ever heard of Bruno.

His mother eventually returned to Berlin with his sister. Bruno’s father was ordered to leave Out-With with other soldiers. He eventually figured out what had happened to Bruno.

Christian Beliefs

Other belief systems.

When Bruno asks his father about the people outside his window (the prisoners at Auschwitz), his father says that they aren’t people at all.

Authority Roles

Bruno is not allowed to question his parents or the decision to move to Out-With, but once, in an outburst, he tells his father how awful he thinks it is. His father tells Bruno he is very brave for speaking his mind, but that he is becoming insolent. He orders Bruno to stop talking about the move.

Everyone is respectful to the point of being frightened of the German authorities. Bruno knows he should respect Lieutenant Kotler, a young soldier, but he has a hard time since Lieutenant Kotler always calls him Little Man.

We learn that Bruno’s grandparents were against the promotion that led his father to be in charge of Out-With. When he accepted the position, it alienated Bruno’s family from his grandparents. Bruno had been close to them previously.

Profanity & Violence

Bruno tells Shmuel that his sister hits him sometimes. Bruno is inadvertently herded into a gas chamber with his friend, Shmuel, and is never heard from again.

Sexual Content

Bruno doesn’t understand it, and it is never said out right, but the book implies that Bruno’s mother has an affair with Lieutenant Kotler.

Discussion Topics

Get free discussion questions for this book and others, at FocusOnTheFamily.com/discuss-books .

Additional Comments

Lying: Shmuel is sent to Bruno’s house to do some work in preparation for a party. Bruno sneaks him some food. When questioned by Lieutenant Kotler if he has been eating, Shmuel denies he has been eating. When he finally confesses, he says that Bruno gave it to him. Bruno denies knowing Shmuel.

Secretive/deceptive behavior: Bruno goes to meet Shmuel every day for months after his parents specifically told him not to go near the fence or the camp, or to walk the direction that he went. Bruno sneaks Shmuel food every day.

Producers often use a book as a springboard for a movie idea or to earn a specific rating. Because of this, a movie may differ from the novel. To better understand how this book and the movie differ, compare the book review with Plugged In’s movie review for The Boy in the Striped Pajamas .

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Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book’s review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.

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Review by A.O. Scott

• Nov. 12, 2006

Rather than providing information about the book’s content, the flap copy for John Boyne’s new novel — his first for younger readers — announces that “we think it is important that you start to read without knowing what it is about.” If obeying the wishes of book publishers is important to you, then you probably should not continue reading this review.

But the refusal to give any hint about what happens in “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” is more than a gambit to pique the curiosity of browsers in bookstores. Especially in its early chapters, the book itself is hesitant, you might even say coy, in revealing its subject. Which happens to be — last warning! turn the page now if you don’t want to know! — the Holocaust. Boyne’s reluctance to say as much can certainly be defended, not least on the grounds that the characters in a story about the Holocaust are themselves most likely unaware of the scale and historical importance of their experiences. To recreate those experiences faithfully might require undoing some of the readers’ preconceptions.

At the same time, though, Boyne depends on those preconceptions — on the jolt of recognition that occurs when what had seemed to be an ordinary story about a child at odds with his family and confused by his surroundings turns out to be something much more terrible and significant. A young reader who knows little or nothing about the mass murder of European Jews by the Nazis will not know much more after reading “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas,” while one who has read other books on the topic — Jerry Spinelli’s “Milkweed,” say, or Anne Frank’s diary — may be irritated by the book’s evasions and euphemisms.

There is something awkward about the way Boyne manages to disguise, and then to disclose, the historical context. His protagonist is Bruno, a 9-year-old whose family moves abruptly from a big house in Berlin to a desolate, faraway place whose name Bruno hears as “Out-With.” Bruno’s father, strict and remote but not without a flicker of paternal tenderness, has been promoted to commandant.

“Out-With” is one of several translinguistic malapropisms meant to show the boy’s unworldliness: he refers frequently to a personage called “the Fury,” who once came to dinner. Readers who know that Auschwitz was a Nazi death camp and that Hitler was called the Führer will be able to recognize Bruno’s solecisms. Some may also note that there is something illogical about them, since Bruno’s native language is presumably German, in which the portentous puns would make no sense, not English, in which they do. The boy’s general cluelessness also seems a bit overdone, even for a protected child living in a society ruled by deceit and denial; his interpretations of the world around him often seem more those of a 6- or 7-year-old than a privately tutored 9-year-old. (“I think Poland is in Denmark,” he speculates at one point.)

Bruno’s innocence, in any case, is gradually eroded, though it never entirely wears away. His older sister, Gretel, occasionally tries to explain matters to him — as far as she understands — but he is mostly left to his own devices when it comes to figuring out, for example, why some people in Out-With live inside a barbed-wire fence. They’re Jews, Gretel explains, and he wonders what the difference is:

“ ‘I know we’re not,’ said Bruno in frustration. ‘I’m asking you, if we’re not Jews, what are we instead?’

“ ‘We’re the opposite,’ said Gretel, answering quickly and sounding a lot more satisfied with this answer. ‘Yes, that’s it. We’re the opposite.’

“ ‘All right,’ said Bruno, pleased that he had it settled in his head at last. ‘And the Opposite live on this side of the fence and the Jews live on that.’ ”

The spur to Bruno’s curiosity is his friendship with Shmuel, the title character and a Jewish inmate of the camp Bruno’s father commands. Their conversations across the fence demonstrate both Bruno’s guilelessness and his natural decency (he has an instinctive dislike for the Führer, for instance), as well as the drastic difference in their circumstances, which Shmuel recognizes more readily than his companion. Neither boy, however, is able to grasp the full enormity of what is happening around them and to them.

Will the reader? Can the reader? Boyne seems driven at once by an impulse to make curious middle-grade readers face the horror of Auschwitz and a desire to protect them from its full impact. He risks turning a chronicle of atrocity into a tear-jerker, as Roberto Benigni did in “Life Is Beautiful.” Like that film, this novel uses a child’s perception — tinged with wonder and never entirely alive to the reality of evil — as a way of manipulating the emotional tone. When things threaten to become too brutal (as, for example, when a kindly older camp inmate is beaten in Bruno’s home), he gently averts our eyes. Similarly, he floats implications of adult and adolescent sexuality between the lines, where we can see them even if Bruno can’t.

The book’s tone — a kind of wide-eyed deadpan — is that of a parable or a fairy tale. And Boyne ends the narrative on a note of reassurance that is clearly meant to be seen through: “Of course all this happened a long time ago and nothing like that could ever happen again. Not in this day and age.” The author’s note that follows spells out the lesson that “fences such as the one at the heart of ‘The Boy in the Striped Pajamas’ still exist; it is unlikely that they will ever fully disappear.” As hard as it is to argue with this claim, it is also hard to accept it entirely. One of the things that makes the horrors of history so horrible — and so difficult to think or read about — is that they can’t really be made equivalent to one another or turned into fables. To mold the Holocaust into an allegory, as Boyne does here with perfectly benign intent, is to step away from its reality.

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• Students Featured Content

The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas – a book review by Giorgia N.

• Posted by Giorgia N.
• Categories Students Featured Content
• Date June 1, 2017

THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS

The Mystery of the Other Side of the Fence

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, written by John Boyne in 2006, is a historical dramatic novel which is set during the Second World War when Hitler, the Fuehrer, dominated Germany and created concentration camps all over Europe to exterminate Jews, considered inferior to the rest of the human beings. In other words, this clearly is a book on the victims of the Holocaust, which uses imaginary people to represent the atrocities that happened during the Second World War, by showing the reader two points of view (a Jewish one and a German one).

Bruno (the protagonist of the story) is a young boy, aged nine, who lives with his mother, father and sister Gretel in Berlin. Suddenly, because of his dad’s job (which is unknown at the beginning of the story) they have to move to Poland. Their new house, “Out-with” is not very nice, but there is something out of Bruno’s bedroom window which is very intriguing, something on the other side of the fence: he can see some soldiers, who are laughing and having fun and many children who are all standing close together with their heads facing the floor. All of them have something in common: they all seem to wear the same striped pyjamas. The soldiers’ behaviour show dominance and importance, whilst the children are passive and oppressed, they don’t seem to have confidence.

Throughout the story, Bruno meets a Jewish boy named Shmuel (aged just like him) who comes from the other side of the fence. The two kids become friends and every afternoon they meet, they sit down and they talk. Though the barbed-wire fence of the camp separates them, the boys begin a forbidden friendship. Bruno doesn’t know that Shmuel is a prisoner of the concentration camp he can see from his bedroom (Auschwitz) and that his father is a commandant of the camp, and that he works every day for Hitler.

Bruno and Shmuel had always wanted to play together but, because of the fence that separated them, they never really manged to. So one day, Bruno, who loves exploring, decides to help Shmuel to find his Papa, who has suddenly disappeared. He goes on the other side of the fence, where he can actually see Shmuel without any physical separation between them.

What will happen in the concentration camp? Will Bruno totally understand what is going on and who his father really is? Will he manage to get back home?

Bruno, a very curious boy who likes exploring, is an interesting character because of the friendship he develops with Shmuel, the way in which he directly disobeys his parents, and the way in which he changes from a naïve and innocent child to a more understanding and understanding friend.

The second main character might be Shmuel, maybe because he is Bruno’s new best friend. He is a very mature boy for his age, even if he hides his real destiny in the concentration camp not to terrify his friend who doesn’t know anything about the extermination of the Jews.

Father is another important character. He is a commandant of Auschwitz and he works for Hitler (who actually came to dinner at his house in Poland). He is a cold man who is proud of his job of being a soldier and he doesn’t want to tell Bruno about it. He dresses as a soldier and he makes the people around him feel insecure, oppressed and passive. He is not actually considered the antagonist of the story because he loves his children and he doesn’t want them to know about his terrifying job.

Gretel, Bruno’s older sister, is considered the “Hapless case” because of her annoying behaviour and by her way of feeling better than her brother because she is older than him. Even if she is described as a spoilt girl, and she nearly always quarrels with Bruno, she has feelings and she actually loves her brother very much.

Some rhetorical devices used by Boyne are:

• Foreshadowing (already indicating a future event that is going to happen in the story) – Bruno has just moved house and his bedroom is facing a concentration camp and he doesn’t know where he is and why. The author will then explain everything throughout the story.
• Repetition (repeating the same words or phrases a few times to make an idea clearer) – the author uses it to emphasise and remind some things. This also gives the idea of being a parable or a story for children.
• Third person limited POV – Boyne writes in third person, so out of the story, but, because Bruno is the main character, the writer concentrates and has more relevance on Bruno’s points of view.
• Cliff-hangers (keeps the reader with bated breath, so he wants to know what is going to happen in the next chapter) – at the end of chapter two, the author leaves suspense by not letting the reader understand what Bruno and his sister are going to see.

I personally think that this historical novel is a very good book for everyone to read because it is simple so even children can easily understand it.

Even if it uses a simple story, it expresses deep meanings.

So, I like Boyne’s book because I find it interesting and it hooks the reader straight away.

My favourite part is understanding the friendship between Shmuel and Bruno, I particularly like how Shmuel tries to hide the horrible truth from his friend not to make him feel upset and sorry for the people in the camp who are suffering also because of his father. It is as if the two boys are brothers thanks to their young but true friendship.

In conclusion, I highly recommend this book to every kind of audience because it talks about a sad truth through a simple and childlike story. It makes you reflect about the atrocities which happened in that period and why they shouldn’t happen again.

Tag: Book review , Holocaust

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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on John Boyne's The Boy in the Striped Pajamas . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

Striped Pajamas: Introduction

Striped pajamas: plot summary, striped pajamas: detailed summary & analysis, striped pajamas: themes, striped pajamas: quotes, striped pajamas: characters, striped pajamas: symbols, striped pajamas: theme wheel, brief biography of john boyne.

Historical Context of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Other books related to the boy in the striped pajamas.

• Full Title: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
• When Written: April, 2004
• Where Written: Dublin, Ireland
• When Published: 2006
• Literary Period: Contemporary Young Adult
• Genre: Young Adult Fiction, Historical Fiction
• Setting: Berlin, Germany and Auschwitz, Poland
• Climax: When Bruno, who seeks to understand the world on the other side of the fence in which his friend Shmuel lives, changes into a pair of the “striped pajamas” and climbs under the fence.
• Antagonist: Bruno’s Father
• Point of View: Third person omniscient, mostly from the perspective of Bruno, a nine-year-old boy.

Extra Credit for The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Quick work. Boyne wrote the first draft of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas in two and a half days, hardly sleeping until he finished.

Film. The novel became a movie in 2008 under the same name, directed by Mark Herman.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

By john boyne.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne is a unique children’s novel that tells the story of Bruno, a young German boy.

Article written by Emma Baldwin

B.A. in English, B.F.A. in Fine Art, and B.A. in Art Histories from East Carolina University.

The novel was published on January 5th, 2006. It’s generally categorized with young adult books, but it’s also very popular with readers of many different ages. In fact, some young readers may struggle with some aspects of the subject matter .

The novel begins in 1943 in Berlin, Germany , before taking the reader to the Auschwitz concentration camp, where the main character, nine-year-old Bruno , meets Shmuel, a boy imprisoned on the other side of the camp’s fencing.

Spoiler Free Summary

In ‘ The Boy in the Striped Pajamas ,’ readers are introduced to a young boy named Bruno, whose father is a high-ranking Nazi officer. When the novel starts, the family is living in Berlin in a large house, but then Bruno’s father is assigned to work at Auschwitz. There, he meets another little boy, Shmuel, who lives on the other side of a tall fence and wears striped pajamas. The novel unfolds in shocking and horrifying ways that have serious repercussions. 

Full Summary of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Spoiler alert: important details of the novel are revealed below.

‘ The Boy in the Striped Pajamas ‘ by John Boyne opens with a description of nine-year-old Bruno, who has a strong and colorful imagination. He’s growing up in Germany during World War II but has no real concept of what that means. He spends his days reading and exploring his family’s huge home in Berlin. He tries his best to follow his parents’ strict rules and to make sure he avoids his older sister, Gretel, who is very different from he is. 

The novel reveals that Bruno’s father is an officer in the Nazi Party, but Bruno, again, doesn’t understand what that means or what his father is doing on a day-to-day basis. In Berlin, he has several friends who he cares about and who he misses dearly after he’s forced to move, with his family, to a new home. 

His father is starting a new job, and Bruno knows nothing about it. They’re going to be living in a smaller home, one that is far lonelier and colder than their home in Berlin. 

In an important scene, Bruno looks outside the window and notices that there is a large fence with people behind it. It’s revealed that this is Auschwitz, or as Bruno says, “Out-With.” This is only one example of Bruno’s age making it difficult for him to understand where he is and the work his father does. 

Bruno is told that the people outside are “not people at all,” a chilling comment that is one noteworthy allusion to the underlying ideology that Bruno has zero understanding of. He continues to dislike his new home, trying to get others to join in in his complaints about it. But Maria expresses fear at the concept and says that Bruno’s father took care of her and her family during a difficult time. 

Time passes, and Bruno meets Pavel, a servant who used to be a doctor and who tends to a scraped knee he gets. Bruno finds himself curious as to why someone who is so intelligent would work as a servant. 

As more time passes, Bruno starts walking along the fence outside his bedroom window. He meets another boy on the other side named Shmuel. He’s wearing the striped pajamas that all the people on the other side of the fence wear, and the two become friends. Shmuel tells Bruno as much of his own story as he understands, explaining that he and his family had been forced to move to the camp on the other side of the fence against their will. 

Bruno continues visiting Shmuel at the fence and notices that his new friend is getting skinnier and skinnier as each day passes. Bruno starts bringing the young boy bread and cheese, hoping to help him. Later, Bruno finds his friends in his own kitchen, helping prepare for Bruno’s father’s birthday. This comes as a shock, but Bruno sees no reason why he couldn’t give his friend some chicken to eat. 

He does, and the cruel Lieutenant Kotler admonishes him for it. Bruno pretends not to know Shmuel, and the novel suggests that he was beaten for eating the chicken.

A year has passed at this point, and Bruno’s mother is getting frustrated about the limited nature of their life there. She finally convinces her husband that she should take the children back to Berlin, where they can have a real life. Bruno tells his friend what’s going to happen and feels sorrow over the fact that the two never really got to play together. 

Shmuel follows up Bruno’s bad news by telling him that his father has gone missing. 

They make plans to meet one more time. Shmuel is going to bring Bruno his own pair of striped pajamas, and he’s going to sneak in through a small opening in the fence, hoping to help Shmuel find his missing father. They search around the compound for a while, and Bruno decides that it’s time for him to go home. 

Just at that moment, a group of soldiers comes around the corner, rounding people up. They take Bruno and Shmuel, along with many others, on a march into a dark building. They’re locked inside and hold hands with one another. Bruno tells Shmuel that he’s his best friend. He’s never heard from around, and his father eventually pieces together what happened to his son when he finds his clothes on the outside of the fence where Bruno slipped through. 

He’s heartbroken about the loss and mourns his son, giving up on his job and the demands it makes on him. 

What do Bruno and Shmuel symbolize?

The distance between the two boys and their friendship symbolizes how a true friendship knows no real barriers. Bruno breaches the barrier between the two and tries to help his friend in a desperate moment. The two know nothing of the animosity between the Nazis and all those that they’ve imprisoned. 

What is ironic about the ending of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas ?

There is a clear, very dark example of irony at the end of ‘ The Boy in the Striped Pajamas .’ Bruno, whose father is a Nazi officer, dies by the very means that the Nazis came up with to kill the many marginalized groups they imprisoned. 

What is on Shmuel’s armband?

The armband that Shmuel wears in the novel has a star of David on it. It was worn by all Jewish citizens during this period in history. It’s contrasted against the armband that Bruno’s father wears, which has a swastika on it. 

Is The Boy in the Striped Pajamas a true story?

No, ‘ The Boy in the Striped Pajamas ‘ is not a true story, but it could’ve been. It’s based on historical events, including the fact that the commandant of Auschwitz lived next to the camp with his children. 

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Mark Herman's "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" depends for its powerful impact on why, and when, it transfers the film's point of view. For almost all of the way, we see events through the eyes of a bright, plucky 8-year-old. Then we begin to look out through the eyes of his parents. Why and when that transfer takes place gathers all of the film's tightly wound tensions and savagely uncoils them. It is not what happens to the boy, which I will not tell you. It is -- all that happens. All of it, before and after.

Bruno ( Asa Butterfield ) is a boy growing up in a comfy household in Berlin, circa 1940. His dad ( David Thewlis ) goes off to the office every day. He's a Nazi official. Bruno doesn't think about that much, but he's impressed by his ground-level view of his father's stature. One day Bruno gets the unwelcome news that his dad has a new job, and they will all be moving to the country.

It'll be a farm, his parents reassure him. Lots of fun. Bruno doesn't want to leave his playmates and his much-loved home. His grandma ( Sheila Hancock ) doesn't approve of the move either. There seems to be a lot she doesn't approve of, but children are made uneasy by family tension and try to evade it.

There's a big house in the country, surrounded by high walls. It looks stark and modern to be a farmhouse. Army officials come and go. They fill rooms with smoke as they debate policy and procedures. Bruno can see the farm fields from his bedroom window. He asks his parents why the farmers are wearing striped pajamas. They give him one of those evasive answers that only drives a smart kid to find out for himself.

At the farm, behind barbed wire, he meets a boy about his age. They make friends. They visit as often as they can. The other boy doesn't understand what's going on any more than Bruno does. Their stories were told in a 2007 young adult's novel of the same name by John Boyne, which became a best seller. I learn the novel tells more about what the child thinks he hears and knows, but the film is implacable in showing where his curiosity leads him.

Other than what "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" is about, it almost seems to be an orderly story of those British who always know how to speak and behave. Those British? Yes, the actors speak with crisp British accents, which I think is actually more effective than having them speaking with German accents, or in subtitles. It dramatizes the way the German professional class internalized Hitler's rule and treated it as business as usual. Charts, graphs, titles, positions, uniforms, promotions, performance evaluations.

How can ordinary professional people proceed in this orderly routine when their business is evil? Easier than we think, I believe. I still obsess about those few Enron executives who knew the entire company was a Ponzi scheme. I can't forget the Oregon railroader who had his pension stolen. The laughter of Enron soldiers who joked about killing grandmothers with their phony California "energy crisis." Whenever loyalty to the enterprise becomes more important than simple morality, you will find evil functioning smoothly.

There has not again been evil on the scale of 1939-1945. But there has been smaller-scale genocide. Mass murder. Wars generated by lies and propaganda. The Wall Street crash stripped people of their savings, their pensions, their homes, their jobs, their hopes of providing for their families. It happened because a bureaucracy and its status symbols became more important than what it was allegedly doing.

Have I left my subject? I don't think so. "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" is not only about Germany during the war, although the story it tells is heartbreaking in more than one way. It is about a value system that survives like a virus. Do I think the people responsible for our economic crisis were Nazis? Certainly not. But instead of collecting hundreds of millions of dollars in rewards for denying to themselves what they were doing, I wish they had been forced to flee to Paraguay in submarines.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008)

Rated PG-13 for some mature thematic material involving the Holocaust

Asa Butterfield as Bruno

David Thewlis as Father

Vera Farmiga as Mother

Rupert Friend as Lt. Kotler

David Hayman as Pavel

Jack Scanlon as Shmuel

Amber Beattie as Gretel

Sheila Hancock as Grandma

Richard Johnson as Grandpa

Jim Norton as Herr Liszt

Cara Horgan as Maria

Written and directed by

• Mark Herman

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• Best overall
• Best cotton
• Best flannel
• Best cooling
• Best cashmere
• Best loungewear
• Best patterned
• Best stretch
• Best for family
• Best unisex
• Best sustainable
• Best minimalist

The 14 best men's pajamas in 2024

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Studies show a good night's sleep is vital for your physical and mental health , and general quality of life. If you're one of the 73% of U.S. adults who sleep in some sort of pajamas, it may be time to rethink the material your pjs are made from. If you don't currently sleep in pajamas, you might want to reevaluate that choice. Our team has thoroughly tested and reviewed many brands selling pajamas and narrowed it down to the 14 best brands. 

Our top pick is Eberjey , for its exceptionally soft pajamas with classic designs and monogramming options. For an affordable cotton option, we recommend Hanes for its well-known, dependable styles.  

Regardless of your preferred pajama style, the below brands are the best places to shop for sleepwear. And while this guide is geared towards roomier men's sizing, they can suit anyone. If you're looking for slimmer cuts, see our guide to the best pajamas for women . 

Our top picks for the best men's pajamas:

Best overall: Eberjey William Tencel Modal Long PJ Set - See at Eberjey

Best silk: Quince 100% Washable Silk Button Down Pant Set - See at Quince

Best cotton: Hanes Men's 100% Cotton Flannel Plaid Pajama Top and Pant Set - See at Amazon

Best flannel: L.L. Bean Men's Scotch Plaid Flannel Pajamas - See at L.L.Bean

Best cooling: Saxx DropTemp Cooling Sleep Pants - See at Saxx

Best cashmere: Naadam Off-Duty Cashmere Jogger - See at Naadam

Best loungewear: Abercrombie Flannel Sleep Jogger - See at Abercrombie

Best patterned: Printfresh Men's Long Sleep Set - See at Printfresh

Best stretch: Tommy John Downtime Henley and Jogger Set - See at Tommy John  

Best for family: Alexandra del Rossa Fleece One Piece - See at Target

Best wool: Dagsmejan Nattwarm Sleep Tech Pants Cuff- See at Dagsmejan  

Best unisex: Jambys Boxers with Pockets - See at Jambys

Best sustainable: MeUndies Men's Longsleeve Modal PJ Set - See at MeUndies

Best minimalist:  Cariloha Men's Bamboo Sleep Shorts - See at Cariloha

Best overall: Eberjey

Eberjey is an elevated pajama brand that began as a place for comfortable lingerie, but has since expanded into men's loungewear. The Giselle PJ set was their first claim to fame for its super soft TENCEL Modal cotton blend, so Eberjey created its male counterpart in the form of the William set. 

The William features a classic piping trim button-down top and pants with a functional fly closure and back pocket. It comes in eight solid colorways or two printed patterns, and should you want to add a personal touch as a gift, the top can be monogrammed with up to six characters.

Shop all men's pajamas at Eberjey here . 

What to buy: 

Best silk: Quince

Quince offers machine washable 100% Mulberry silk pajamas at prices that undercut competitors, thanks to their direct-to-consumer business model. They're dyed in facilities that are free of hazardous chemicals, with building efficiency standards meant to minimize the waste of water and energy. You can see the care Quince takes towards sustainability for yourself when these hypoallergenic silk pajamas show up at your door in minimal, recyclable packaging.

Shop all men's loungewear and pajamas at Quince here . 

Best cotton: Hanes

Hanes began as a North Carolina mill operation in 1901 that produced men's and children's socks. These days, it's owned by Sara Lee Corporation (yes, the dessert company), and continues to make sturdy, utilitarian basics. While best known for underwear, Hanes also makes classic cotton pajamas for the budget-conscious, among other sleepwear options.

The Hanes 100% Cotton Flannel Plaid Pajama Top and Pet Set is an old-school two-piece sleep set made from brushed cotton flannel. The four-button top has a classic Buffalo check print and breast pocket. The bottoms feature an adjustable, two-button-waistband and a fully functional button fly. 

Hanes also makes a lighter-weight traditional pajama bottoms combo. Their Plain Weave 2-Piece Pajama Set is breathable and soft (but not plush) and best for spring and summer. These may be too light for northern winters, unless you prefer to sleep cooler year-round.

Best flannel: L.L.Bean

Founded in 1912 in Freeport, Maine, L.L.Bean is a more-than-a-century-old heritage brand that helped popularize flannel pajamas.

Among the brand's pajama options are the popular Scotch Plaid Pajamas. Made from flannel produced in Portugal, the soft, plush 100% brushed cotton PJs are warm without being stifling and are generously cut for ease of movement while you sleep. I had a pair of flannel pajamas for nearly a decade that continued to look good year after year — no rips or tears, and the colors didn't fade. 

If you're looking for something less traditional, L.L.Bean makes the Comfort Stretch Woven Sleep Pants, which are made from soft cotton poplin and a hint of spandex.

Shop all men's pajamas at L.L.Bean here . 

Best cooling: Saxx

Saxx is best known for its men's underwear, specifically its patented Ballpark Pouch to keep things in place, but the brand also offers an array of loungewear and sleepwear.

Outfitted with the underwear brand's patented BallPark Pouch, the DropTemp Cooling Sleep Pants use ventilated fabric best suited for hot sleepers. 

Similar to the brand's underwear, the Sleepwalker bottoms also have the Ballpark Pouch. That means if you want to go commando, you can still keep everything in place. The Snooze pants are roomier than the Sleepwalker and have a drawstring waist and slightly tapered legs, but do not feature the Ballpark Pouch.

Shop all sleepwear at Saxx here .

What to buy:

Best cashmere: Naadam

Naadam is our team's top pick for the best men's cashmere sweaters , so their loungewear collection made for an obvious choice of the best men's pajamas for those who like to turn the heat down overnight and stay insulated with cozy knitwear. Naadam's recycled cashmere collection repurposes the finest surplus cashmere from their cutting room floor into supremely soft joggers and sweaters that are simultaneously warm and lightweight.

Best loungewear: Abercrombie

As many of us draw indoors during the colder months, there's no limit to where and when you can use a soft, comfortable matching set. Abercrombie 's Essential sweats can be mixed and matched across a range of graphic prints and relaxed neutral tones. Coordinating an on-trend look with a fleece crewneck and training joggers makes for a simple outfit to wear at all hours of the day. Plus, many styles are suited as the best men's pajamas for big and tall sizes up to an extra-long 3XL.

Shop all loungewear at Abercrombie here .

Shop all sleepwear at Abercrombie here .  

Best patterned: Printfresh

The vibrant patterns from Printfresh are hard to miss when browsing the best men's pajamas. This brand is featured in post after post from lifestyle influencers who demonstrate how getting dressed for bedtime is just another opportunity for self expression. Our team has tried their high-end pajama sets and robes and can confirm that their comfort matches their personality. 

Printfresh offers many inclusive options that are very clearly made to provide comfort to those of all shapes and sizes. Their men's pajamas come in sizes XS to 3X and feature fun animal themes for those who like their sleepwear to match their mood. 

Read our full Printfresh review .

Shop all men's pajamas at Printfresh here .

Best stretch: Tommy John

Tommy John is another underwear brand that has transitioned into all things apparel, including pajamas.

As one of Insider Reviews' most recommended underwear brands (and my own personal favorite), Tommy John succeeds at using different materials for different comfort needs. From traditional cotton blends to the brand's proprietary Second Skin fabric made from a silky smooth modal, these PJs are designed to fit your preferences.

Tommy John's products are expensive, but they're well worth it. It's one of the few brands that I've continued to spend my own money on after receiving sample products for test purposes. — Amir Ismael, style editor, Insider Reviews

Shop all men's pajamas at Tommy John here .  

Best for family: Target

Target sells an assortment of pajamas in full family sizing so you can match your loved ones. The selection is great for people who only care to wear pajamas for special occasions because they're available in a wide range of sizes and they're affordably priced. 

Here, you'll find pajamas for holidays like Halloween, Christmas, and Hanukkah, as well as fun themes from your favorite Disney characters.

Shop all pajamas at Target here . 

Best wool: Dagsmejan

Dagsmejan uses natural fibers like wool and eco-friendly fabrics derived from eucalyptus to produce sleepwear geared towards how individuals sleep—hot, cold, or somewhere in-between with the promise of a better night's sleep. Its fabrics are custom-made, requiring the "most advanced knitters" only found in Europe, according to Dagsmejan's co-founder Andreas Lenzhofer.

For the Stay Warm collection, Dagsmejan took an already great insulator, merino wool, and combined it with Tencel, made from eucalyptus tree pulp, to create a product that's great at keeping you warm without being bulky. They are really light, yet provide a lot of warmth.

The company also has a line of cooling sleepwear called Stay Cool that's more breathable than cotton and better at wicking away moisture, as well as a Balance collection that helps maintain your body temperature throughout the night.

Shop all men's pajamas at Dagsmejan here . 

Best unisex: Jambys

Jambys are a step up from the default sleeping uniform of old boxer shorts and holey, stained T-shirts. Their gender-inclusive boxer-style shorts have pockets and are made of soft, breathable modal French terry. The matching JamTees allow for plenty of ventilation so you don't feel constricted while you sleep.

It's the subtle details that make Jambys make some of the best men's pajamas, but their neutral style can suit anyone.

Read our full Jambys pajamas review .

Shop all Jambys pajamas here . 

Best sustainable: MeUndies

MeUndies is best known for its fun, colorful, and size- and gender-inclusive underwear, but its collection of pajamas boasts all the same features. Available in long-sleeve and short-sleeve options, MeUndies pajamas are all made from an incredibly soft Modal material, sourced from beechwood fibers spun in a facility using dyes with low environmental impact.

Whether you're interested in classic solids, a plaid or tartan pattern, or a vibrant all-over print, you'll find something you like — and you can get matching sets for all genders if you want to match your family and friends.

MeUndies also makes comfortable lounge pants and joggers that can double as sleepwear. — Amir Ismael, style editor, Insider Reviews

Read our full MeUndies loungewear review .

Shop all MeUndies loungewear here . 

Best minimalist: Cariloha

Cariloha is a Utah-based sleepwear and bedding company that prioritizes sustainability in all of its products by using renewable, pesticide-free materials like bamboo and organic cotton.

Cariloha's men's Sleep Pants are made from both bamboo and organic cotton and have a very soft feel. They have an elasticized drawstring waistband but don't have a working fly. Instead, you'll find three decorative buttons down the front. They're also wide through the leg and pool a bit at the ankle. The roominess is welcome when it's time for bed since they don't cling to the body. I found them very breathable, stretchy, and easy to sleep in.

Other great items to wear are the Sleep Crew Shirt and the Sleep Shorts, which both have a similarly loose and roomy fit for comfort.

Shop all men's sleepwear at Cariloha here .

You can purchase logo and accolade licensing to this story here . Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at [email protected] .

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