ABA Journal The digital English academy
Welcome to the ABA Book Club!
Every month we review and recommend a great book for you to practice reading in English. The language in these books is not complex from a literary point of view, but they do require a certain level of understanding.
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is a historical novel writen by John Boyne. The book is written from the point of view of an innocent, nine year old boy, living through World War II.
| Reading Level | Intermediate |
| Genre | Historical Fiction |
| Length (pages) | 217 |
| Original Date of Publishing | 2007 |
According to an interview with John Boyne, the author said he wrote the outline of the book in two and a half days. He barely slept until he had finished.
Bruno, a nine year old boy, lives in a big house with all of his family until one day his father, an officer who works with the nazy army, is sent to live near Auschwitz. Bruno misses his granparents and his best friends from school; he is lonely and starts exploring the area where he now lives.
Bruno’s innocence is offset by the reality of the death camp in Auschwitz.
One day, while Bruno is exploring, he comes across a fence. On the other side, there is a young boy wearing striped pyjamas called Shmuel. They quickly become good friends, Bruno takes him food and they talk about their fears: Shmuel cannot find his father, so Bruno promises to help. The story is about the beauty of friendship during wartime and the need we all have to connect with someone.
The reading level for this novel is for an intermediate to advanced level student. It is written from the perspective of a child, with a child’s vocabulary and grammar structure. This makes it easier to understand than a complex fiction novel. The topics in the book cover friendship and the war. It is a great book to learn more about the Second World War, it’s a touching, beautiful book, but very sad.
As always, we recommend you read the first few pages of a book, if you understand it then continue, if not, perhaps would be better if you chose an easier book.
Vocabulary
Point of view – a way of looking at or thinking about something.
According to – as stated, reported, or recorded by (someone or something).
Outline – a written list or description of only the most important parts of an essay, speech, plan, etc.
Offset – to create an equal balance between two things.
Come across – to meet or find (something or someone) by chance.
Fence – a structure like a wall built outdoors usually of wood or metal that separates two areas or prevents people or animals from entering or leaving.
Touching – having a strong emotional effect : causing feelings of sadness or sympathy.
Book
To read more reviews and find out where to buy this book, if you think you’d enjoy reading it, visit Goodreads.
Do you have a special book you would recommend to your friends? Let us know!
