The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne is a historical fiction book that takes place during World War II. In this book, Bruno and his family leave their home in Berlin and move near a concentration camp where his father is now a commandant. In Berlin, Bruno had several close friends and loved exploring his house. After moving, he misses his friends and longs for his days of exploring to return. One day, he decides that he wants to explore outside, but when he wanders too far away from the house, he reaches a barbed wire fence. On the other side of the fence, he finds a boy his age named Shmuel. The two meet up at the fence every day and form an unlikely friendship. Unfortunately for the two friends, this is World War II, and good things can only last for so long during war. I really liked this book because we were able to learn about life during the war from a child’s perspective, both in and outside of a concentration camp. The limited characters in the book allowed us to have a deeper understanding of the characters’ thoughts and feelings. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys World War II books.