Child's Eye:12-year-old Tom O'Byrnegives his view of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
The story is about a boy called Bruno who has a happy life in Berlin, where he has lots of friends. But one day his father, who works for the German Army, gets a promotion and the family has to move to the countryside.
Bruno is bored and unhappy because he has no friends to play with, until one day he goes exploring to a place where he is not allowed and meets a boy called Shmuel, who lives in a "farm" surrounded by a high fence. The story is about their friendship and how they struggle to keep it a secret from their families.
This is a strange film for children because it is not the type of storyline that you would expect in a normal children's movie. The two lead boys play their parts brilliantly, but I found it odd that Bruno's family don't speak with German accents.
The film made me think about how hard life can be for people living through a war.
Having read the book over the summer, I think the book is more enjoyable than the film. However, it's a really good movie and I recommend it to kids over eight years of age - even if it does have a 12A cert - and to adults.
