The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas - John Boyle

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is the tale of a historic event that we are all familiar with, told through the voice of a child with a purity and innocence.

Bruno, aged 9, is forced to leave his big, comfortable house, Grandma and Grandad, and his three best friends and move into a new, much smaller, and not as exciting house, very far away. Despite asking why, no-one seems to give Bruno a straight answer and all he can learn is that it is because of his father's work.

Set around the Holocost, Bruno doesnt understand his father's role as a high ranking Nazi solder at Auschwitz, and befriends Schmel, who is being held in the concentration camp when he sees him walking along on the other side of a fence. Bruno really want s afriend to play with, but as they are unable to play together, they begin talking regularly instead. Sitting at opposite sides of the fence and chatting for hours at a time. Bruno always wishes they could just play.

Having seen the film before reading the book I knew what I was getting myself into but I must admit taht the book diappointed me. Where the film allowed me to be absorbed by a character, I found the characters in the book to be a little flat, and the naïveté of Bruno was, at times, frustrating.

Though written for children, I feel the book dumbs down the subject matter. Considering that this book is likely to be used educationally I feel that Boyle side-stepped his responsibility to represent the horror of what happened at Auschwitz. The book did, however, show the disconnect between the people within the concentration camp, and those living on the outside and for a child reading this book that could be valuable to learn, just as long as this was supplimented by more information.

Not a book I would recommend but the film is deifnitely worth a watch.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chbosky

This 'coming-of-age' novel tells the story of Charlie, a naive and slightly unusal teenage boy, through his first year in high school. Having had a turbulent few years, losing his best friend to suicide and also losing his Aunt who he was very close to, Charlie has grown old before his time. This really comes across in his general approach to life.

Charlie is a very loveable character who is befriended by a couple of seniors from his school. He soon integrates into their social group and starts to have exciting and enlightening experiences. Adult themes are not shied away from, with this story tackling suicide, alcohol addicion, sex, drugs and homosexuality to mention a few.

Charlie puts his thoughts and experiences into open and frank letters which he sends to an anonymous recipient. These letters form the story that we read giving the novel a diary-like feel. The language used and experiences had really help us to get to know the protagonist and as a result I found myself rooting for him! Go Charlie!

In short, this book has all the themes you expect of a high school story with proms and house parties, but it shows the darker side of these things. It isn't a feel-good romance novel. There isn't the typical moral at the end and Chbosky didn't feel the need to tidy up all those loose ends and put a pretty bow on it. And that's why I like it!

I haven't seen this film yet, so would love to hear what you thought of it and how the book and film compare. Let me know!