The boy in the Stripped Pajamas by John Boyne

~One of the saddest stories I have ever read is The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas by John Boyne.

This is a fictional tale about two boys that become best friends under the rarest circumstances:

This novel is set in Germany during Hitler's regime. Bruno, a nine year old boy and the son of a Nazi commandant, shares his innocence and little understanding of concentration camps.

Bruno's father had been given a great offer that couldn't be refused; becoming the commandant of a concentration camp. So, naturally, Bruno and his family had to move to a place called "Out-With" and must leave their grandparents and friends behind in their former home in Berlin. Like all young boys, Bruno is a young man with an adventurous spirit. He loved to go exploring and even though he had been told that there were places out of bounds, disregard for the rules was no problem for him.

On one of his so called "expeditions" he comes face to face with a boy much smaller and thinner than him. They were both separated by a fence. This boy, later know as Shmuel, always wore a pair of stripped pajamas, no shoes, and an armband with a star on it. Bruno and Shmuel become the best of friends and quickly discover that they both share the same birthday. They kept their meetings a secret and even though they couldn't play, they always found a great topic for conversation: their families, where they were from, how come they have to wear pajamas all day, what was the meaning of the star, etc. One day Bruno's father tells the family that they will have guests for dinner and that they should all be in their behavior. 

Here is the part where I thought it was pretty clever of the author to beautifully tell the story from Bruno's perspective. Bruno's innocence is shown with mispronunciations of "Auschwitz" with "Out-with" and "the Fuhrer" as "the Fury". Not only that, but despite the fact that he is living near a concentration camp and has met Adolf Hitler, his mind doesn't understand what Hitler represents; but when asked what he wanted to be when he grew up, he would say " a soldier like my father, one of the good guys."
One afternoon Shmuel confides in Bruno that he is unable to find his father. Bruno promises to help Shmuel  and that in return Shmuel must promise to get Bruno some pajamas so that he will blend in with the others on the other side of the fence.
The time comes when Bruno changes into the stripped pajamas and sneaks onto the other side of the fence. As the boys search for Shmuel's father, the soldiers usher the prisoners, Bruno and Shmuel among them, into the gas chambers where they meet their untimely death hand in hand. Both boys not knowing what is happening, hold hands and Bruno tells Shmuel that he had been the best friend he had ever had.
All that was ever found was Bruno's clothing near the fence. His family could only speculate what had happened to their youngest son.

Miss Potter The Novel

"Richard Maltby Jr. first wrote Beatrix Potter's story as a film script, now made into a major motion picture starring Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor. For the novel, the author expanded the plotline of the script, blending historical fact with imaginative interpretation to tell the moving story of a remarkable woman's journey to love and fulfillment."

~Exquisite book just like the movie! The book is better than the movie obviously but its definitely worth the watch.

Title: Miss Potter the Novel
Author: Richard Maltby Jr
Pages:189 pgs

Beatrix Potter's life

One of my recent checked-out books from the library was Beatrix Potter: the story of the creator of Peter Rabbit by Elizabeth Buchan.

- This book, 77 pages long, narrates the life story of Beatrix Potter: How difficult it was for a woman, an unmarried woman nonetheless, of her class, to be involved in "trading."

~Here are some interesting facts about her life:

• Beatrix Potter was born on July, 1866 and died on December 22, 1943. 
• Beatrix and her brother Bertram had numerous pets which they liked to observe and drew endlessly. Most of these pets were used in her stories later in her life.
• It was said that she developed her love for the natural world when she spent her summer holidays in Scotland and in the Lake District.
• She was educated by a governess until she was eighteen.
• Not only did she love to draw her animal friends, but she also developed a taste for illustrating insects, fossils, fungi, etc.
• She sold Christmas cards before becoming interested of publishing.
• She was very attached to the children of one of her governesses. It was then when she started writing them letters with short stories whenever one of the had a birthday, got sick, or any other occasion. Those kids had been the first group of people to get a glimpse of Beatrix's works that would soon invade the entire world.
• The tale of Peter Rabbit was first published in 1901 by the Frederick Warne & Co.
• She secretly became engaged to her editor Norman Warne in 1905. Her parents never approved. Over the summer Norman go sick and passed away. 
• With her earnings Potter bought Hilltop Farms and married William Heelis.
• Beatrix published 23 books.
• When she dies at age 77, she left almost all her property to the National Trust. She is credited with preserving much of the land: which now is known as Lake District National Park.

The amazing Beatrix Potter: A Journal

A must see movie: Miss Potter starring Renee Zellweger, Ewan McGregor, Emily Watson


I wanted to read this book for the longest time...

I was lucky enough to get my hands on the only copy available at my local library...

I wanted to read it before deciding whether or not to add it to my personal library... Turns out I definitely want it... What a surprise! <sarcastic remark>

On a more serious note: This book contains photographs, original sketches, paintings and  handwritten diary entries by Potter herself. All in all, it explains how she started to write her own stories and then came to publish them with Frederick Warne & Co.

I am sad to say that the surprise at the end cover of this book was missing. There was supposed to be a privately printed edition of "The Tale of Peter Rabbit". I guess it will have to stay a surprise until I get my hands on my own copy of this astonishing book of  Potter's recollections into the "printing" world.

I definitely want to get my hands on:

A beautiful paperback edition featuring early still-life studies, sketches of pets and places, microscopic paintings of insects and fungi, country views and interiors, fantasy pictures, as well as miniature vignettes characteristic of her book illustrations and the impressionistic landscapes of her later years.