Chapter One: Bruno makes a Discovery

Bruno was 9 years old. He lived in Berlin. One day he came

home from school. He went to his bedroom. Someone there
was putting all his possessions (things) in big trunks. It was
Maria, the housemaid.
Bruno was not happy about this. He told Maria not to touch
his things. Just then, Brunos mum came into the room.
Bruno asked Mum why his things were going in trunks. He
thought that maybe he was being sent away because he had
done something bad. He thought about the things he had
done that week. He could only remember being nice to
everyone. He couldnt remember doing anything bad.
Mum said Maria was packing Brunos things because
everyone in Brunos family was moving, even his sister Gretel
whom he didnt like. Bruno asked lots of questions about why
they were moving. His mother explained to Bruno why they
were moving; it was because of his fathers job. But Bruno
didnt know what kind of job his father did.
He knew his Dads job was important. Many people in
fantastic uniforms came to see him, and they were always
very nice to him. But he didnt know what his Dad really did.
Bruno worried about what would happen to the house when
they left it. It was a beautiful house and very big. Mum said
they would close up the house for now. But she hoped they
could come back and live there again one day.

Trunk

Send away

People in uniform

Bruno asked about Cook, and the servants, Lars and Maria.
Will they come too? Mum said that they will also come. She
also said they had to go far away from Berlin.
Then Bruno thought about school, and his best friends there,
Karl, Daniel and Martin. Mum said that he would have to say
Goodbye to them, and that he wouldnt see them for a long
time. Bruno couldnt believe this. He was very sad. Mum said,
You will make new friends in the new place. She thinks he
will see Karl, Daniel and Martin again one day.
Bruno didnt want to go. He was happy in Berlin. But Mum
reminded him that things had changed in Berlin recently. It
was not safe like before. They couldnt turn on the lights at
night time anymore.
Bruno looked around the house. He thought, I will miss living
here. He liked going to the top floor and seeing the view of
Berlin. Then he had fun sliding down the banister to the
ground floor. Soon he wouldnt be able to do this.

Brunos
house

View of Berlin

office

Bruno went up towards his room. He looked back down and

saw Mum go into Dads office. Then he heard her speaking
loudly to him. He spoke back louder to her, then they stopped
speaking. He went into his room to see if Maria was being
careful with his things.
sliding down the banister

Chapter Two: The New Home

Bruno could not believe it when he
saw his new home. It was very
different to his old house in Berlin
which was surrounded by other
big houses. He used to play with his
friends, Karl, Daniel and Martin who
lived in the other big houses. The
town centre and shops were nearby.
There were lots of bright stalls selling
vegetables like, carrots,
cauliflowers, corn, leeks and
mushrooms. It smelt lovely and sweet.
This new house was in a desolate
(empty, lonely) place. There were
no other houses around it. Bruno knew
that there would be no other boys to
play with here and no shops. His old
house was really big and there were
parts, like his Father's office, which he
had not seen. The new house had
three floors. The bedrooms were on
the top floor. It had one bathroom, a
kitchen, a dining room and a new
office. The basement was for the
servants to sleep.
The area surrounding the house was
quiet, cold and empty. It was in the
middle of nowhere. In Berlin people
sat outside restaurants and cafes to
eat. People laughed. Bruno felt that
there was something bad about the
new house. He felt that no one could
laugh there. There was nothing to be
happy about.
There were five servants, Maria and
three other skinny women. They were
always very quiet and only spoke to
each other by whispering. Also there
was an old man who came to prepare
vegetables every day and serve the
dinner. He looked unhappy and a little
angry.
While Maria was unpacking, Bruno
told his Mother that moving was a bad
idea. His Mother said that they had to
move to the new house because of his
Father's job. She told him that his

Father made all the choices. Bruno

wanted to go back to Berlin.
"Moving here is a bad idea," he said.
His Mother told him that they had to
make the best of a bad situation. He
said that he did not want to unpack.
His Mother got very angry and told
him that they were going to stay.
Bruno was upset and this gave him a
stomach ache. He could not
understand why they had to move. He
was so happy in Berlin. Mother
shouted at him and told him to go
upstairs and unpack with Maria.
Maria told him that they had to move
because of his Father's job. Bruno was
very angry about this. Then Bruno
heard someone outside the bedroom.
He thought it was his Father but it was
a young man in a uniform carrying a
box. He looked very serious. He just
looked at Bruno and Maria and carried
on walking. "Who was that?"
"It is one of your Father's soldiers,"
said Maria.
Bruno noticed that Maria did not look
at the soldier but at the ground. She
looked scared.
Bruno did not like the soldier. Maria
told him that soldiers like his Father
had serious jobs.
Bruno did not like the idea of just
playing with Gretel. She was 12.
Bruno felt like crying. Then he saw a
window in his room. In Berlin from his
bedroom he could see houses, and
people sitting outside drinking,
laughing and telling stories. He was
not in Berlin now.
He looked out of his new room and
made an O shape with his mouth.
He felt cold and unsafe.

Chapter Three: The Hopeless Case

Bruno called his sister, Gretel, the Hopeless
Case. He called her that because she was
always trouble, and that would never change.
She was three years older than Bruno, and she
always told him what to do. He was a little scared
of her. She spent a long time in the bathroom, and
wouldnt come out if Bruno needed the toilet.
Gretels friends were horrible to Bruno. He was
nine, but they always told him he looked like he
was six because he was small for his age. The
only good thing about being away from Berlin was
that they could not to be horrible to him.
Bruno went to Gretels room. She had all her dolls
with her.
He asked her why she brought them all. She said
that if she left them in Berlin, she wouldnt see
them for weeks.

Bruno, Mum and Greta with

her dolls

They started to talk about how long they would be

in this new house. They were not sure how long it
would be but both of them disliked it. The place
was called Out-with, but Bruno didnt know why.
Gretel said that maybe it was because the man
who lived there before them wasnt doing a good
job. When that happens, people often say out
with him. She said, I think Father has come to do
the job right.
Gretel thought the house might be nicer after they
smartened it up. She said, The people who lived
here before didnt have time to make the place
nice. The man in the house lost his job suddenly,
and the family had to leave the house quickly.
Both of them missed their friends. Bruno said that
the other children near their new house didnt look
friendly. Greta asked, What other children? I
havent seen any other children since we came.
Bruno told her that there were children that he
could see from his bedroom window. She thought
he was trying to trick her. He told her to come to
his bedroom. When they were there he said, Do
you want to see them?
Of course! she said. She went to the window
and looked out into the distance. Then she saw
exactly what Bruno had been talking about.

She went to the window and

looked out

Chapter 4:What They Saw Through

the Window
The people they saw were not all
children. There were big and small
boys. Some were men. "Who are
they? asked Gretel.
She was open mouthed. Bruno did not
feel that this was a nice place and
Gretel agreed. She could see a
forest opposite her window but
this side of the house had a
different view. The garden below
Bruno's window was really pretty with
flowers. Then there was a bench to
sit in the sun and read a book. The
seat was facing the house which was
strange. Now she realized why. Then
the view changed. There was a huge
wire fence along the house as far as
she could see. Gretel felt a pain inside
her when she looked at the spikes
sticking out of the top of the
fence.
There was no grass after the
fence-nothing green at all. There was
sand like dirt inside the fence and low
huts and large square buildings.
She did not know what to say to Bruno.
She was speechless. "You see?" Bruno
said. He had seen it first.
"Why has someone built such a nasty
looking place?"
"Yes it does look nasty," said Bruno.
Gretel was very clever at school.
"This must be the countryside. In
Berlin we were in the city," she said.
She told Bruno that in the
countryside there were farms,
animals and open spaces. She
thought that this this must be their
country home.
Bruno did not agree but she told
him that he was only nine and too
young to know these things.
Bruno said ,"There are pigs and cows,
horses and chickens on farms. Green
plants grow in the soil."
Gretel knew he was right. So they
agreed that it was not a farm and that

this house was not a holiday home.

Bruno wanted Gretel to tell him that it
was alright and they would slowly get
to like their new home. But Gretel only
wanted to know who the people behind
the fence were.
"What are they doing here?" she said.
For the first time they were standing
together thinking the same thing. They
looked at the people.
Some stood with their hands up as
soldiers shouted at them. Some were
pushing wheelbarrows. Some stood
near the huts quietly. Some had
crutches and had bandages on their
heads. Some carried spades and
followed soldiers.
They saw some soldiers shouting at
some children. Some children
were crying and the soldiers just
laughed.
They could not understand why their
Father had brought them to such a
nasty place.
Greta thought that children looked
dirty. She did not want to play with
them.
"Maybe there are no baths," thought
Bruno.
Gretel did not want to look anymore.
She just wanted to go back to her nice
clean room. The view was better from
her window. So she went back to her
room sat on her bed and thought
about what she had seen.
As Bruno carried on looking he noticed
that the people were wearing the same
clothes-striped pyjamas with a grey
cap on their heads.
"That's strange," he thought.

Chapter Five
Out of Bounds At All times and No Exceptions
There was only one thing for Bruno to do. He would ask Dad
about it.
Dad didn't travel from Berlin with the other people in the
family when they came to their new house. He had come a
few days earlier. He left mother Gretel, Maria, Cook, Lars
and Bruno to pack all their things into a truck to take to their
new home at Out-With

Empty house
crying

Mum

On the final morning, mother, Maria and Bruno were the last
to leave their old, empty house. Mother was sad. We
shouldn't have let the Fury come to dinner, she said. Bruno
could see she was crying. Then she saw that Maria was in
the room watching her. Mother was surprised. She thought
Maria was outside. Oh, Maria, she said. I hope you don't
think_____ .
Maria ran to the door. Then a big car with red and black
flags came to the house and drove them all to the train
station.

Car with flags

At the train station there were two trains going to the same
place. One was very, very crowded and people were being
pushed onto the train. There was no room to sit and
everyone was squashed.
Bruno's family got on the other train. It was very comfortable,
and there were lots of empty seats. Bruno wanted to run to
the other train to tell the people they would be more
comfortable on his train. But he didn't because he thought
mother would be angry if he did this.
After they arrived at Out-With, Bruno didn't see his father for
some time. But he knew Dad was around because lots of
soldiers were coming to the house.

Crowded train

Then he heard noise coming from downstairs and he went to

look down over the bannister to see what was happening. He
saw Dad looking very smart in a new uniform and shiny,
clean boots.
There were soldiers around him. They were all being nice to
him. Bruno couldn't hear what they were saying. But he
thought they were talking about how bad things were before

salutes

father came.
Then father spoke. He told them that things would be
different now. He thanked them for their opinions and told
them that things would be better soon. Then he said he must
go and help his family move in, or else he would be in trouble
with his wife. The men laughed, and then they left. Before
going, they saluted. They saluted (held their arms and
hands out straight) and shouted two words that father had
taught Bruno to say if anyone said them to him.

Bruno wanted to ask about what he had seen from his

window, so he went down and knocked on Dad's door. He
was scared because this room was Out Of Bounds At All
Times And No Exceptions.
At first he knocked softly, but no one answered. So knocked
louder, and his father shouted, Enter!
The room was an office, with a big desk, lots of books
and a very high ceiling. Dad came to Bruno and shook his
hand. He never hugged Bruno like Mum and Grandmother
always did.
Dad asked Bruno if he liked his new home. Bruno told him
that he didn't. He said he wanted to go back to Berlin. He
asked Dad if he had done something wrong at work. He
thought maybe Dad was being punished. He thought the
punishment was to send the family to this horrible place.

Out Of Bounds At All Times And No

Exceptions

Dad was not happy with Bruno for saying these things. But
he didn't get angry and he didn't shout. He told Bruno that
this was their home now. Dad was doing a very important job
for the country and they had to stay here.
Bruno tried to argue with Dad. He tried to ask him to move
back to Berlin, where his friends were. But Dad was not
going to talk about it anymore. Go to your room, he said.
Bruno knew he could not say any more to Dad about it. He
would have to stay in this horrible place. But he told his Dad
he had another question. Dad let him ask it.

office, with a big desk, lots of

books and a very high ceiling

Who are all those people outside, the people I can see
from my window? he asked.
Those people are not really people, Dad said. Bruno did not
understand.
They're not? Bruno asked.
No, said Dad. They are not like you and you shouldn't
worry about them. Now go to your room. Be good and
understand that this is your new home now.
Bruno was not happy with Dad's answers, but he knew he
could not say anything more. He turned to leave the office.
But Dad coughed, to show that Bruno had forgotten to do
something.

the people I can see from my

window

The Bruno turned back to face his Dad. He put his right arm
in the air to salute. And he said the two words that he heard
the soldiers say earlier. Heil Hitler, he said. But he didn't
understand what they meant.

Chapter 6: The Overpaid Maid

Bruno was lying on his bed looking
at the ceiling. He hated Out-With.
He didn't even think the insects
living in the cracks in his bedroom
liked it at Out-With.
Maria came in his bedroom to put
away some freshly washed clothes.
He told her that he hated his new
home and asked her if she liked it.
She gave no answer.
"There is nobody to play with and
nothing to do here!"
Maria said that the garden in the
old house was lovely and she loved
the perfume of the flowers.
Maria had worked for the family
since Bruno was 3 years old. Bruno
knew that Maria did not like this
place but had to come and work
here.
Bruno said, "We're all in the
same boat. And it's leaking."
Maria was scared to tell Bruno her
true feelings. She said that his
Father knew what was best for his
family. Bruno became angry and
said that his Father had made a
mistake.
"Your Father is a good man," she
said.
Maria said that his Father had given
her a job when she was hungry. He

had only seen her as a maid, not as

a person who was hungry or who
cried.
Her Mother was a dressmaker
and worked for Bruno's paternal
(Fathers mother) grandmother.
Bruno's Father paid for her mother
to go to hospital when she was
dying. He paid for the funeral when
her Mother died and then he gave
Maria a job.
Bruno was proud of his Father when
he heard this story.
Maria looked outside at the
people and could not understand
what was happening because
she thought his Father was
kind.
"What do you mean?" said Bruno
Then someone was coming up the
stairs. Maria screamed. She
thought his Father had heard her.
The footsteps came nearer.....
It was only Gretel. Bruno told her to
get out. Then Gretel told Maria to
run her a bath. Bruno did not like
this.
"Do it yourself," he snapped.
"She's the maid and that is what
she is here for," said Gretel.
Maria said that she would do it
after she finished tidying Bruno's
room. Gretel rudely told her to
hurry up.
Gretel did not treat Maria like a
person. Bruno thought it was wrong
to treat a person like that, even a
maid.
Maria warned him not to say that
his Father was wrong. She told him
to stay quiet. It could cause
trouble. She looked very worried.
She wanted everyone to be safe
until it was all over.
Bruno wanted to cry and he felt

angry so he went outside and ran

around to calm down.
He saw the road leading to the
train station. He could go to
Berlin but he did not want to run
away because he would be on his
own.
He was going to stay.

Chapter 7

How mother took credit for something

she hadnt done.

Bruno had been at Out-With for seven weeks.

Without his friends- Karl, Daniel and Martin- he was
very bored. He thought he was going mad.
Bruno only knew one mad person. That was Herr
Roller. Bruno used to see him when they lived in
Berlin. He walked alone up and down the street
arguing with himself. Sometimes he argued so
much that he started to hit himself on the head
with his hands. Another time, Bruno saw him
invite a cat to afternoon tea.
Mother told Bruno not to laugh at Herr Roller. She
said when he was young, he was a really nice man.
But he had gone to the war and was injured in
the head. After that he became strange. But it
wasnt his fault.

Hit himself on the head

Injured in the head

Anyway, Bruno thought that if he didnt do

something interesting soon, he would go crazy.
Then he remembered a big old tree outside
Gretels side of the house. It had a wide trunk and
strong branches. Bruno needed some rope and a
car tyre. With those he could make something that
would give him loads of fun.
He knew that there was lots of rope in the
basement of the house. He cut some at the right
length and then went outside. He saw Lieutenant
Kotler talking to Gretel. He thought Lieutenant
Kotler might be able to get him a tyre. Kotler was
often at the house and he spent lots of time with
Father in his office.

Rope + tyre swing!

big old tree

Bruno didnt like Lieutenant Kotler. He didnt know

why. He felt cold when he was he was around him.
Kotler was always dressed very smartly. His yellowblonde hair was carefully combed and he wore lots
of cologne that had a strong, sweet smell.
Bruno walked over to Lieutenant Kotler and Gretel.
She was laughing at something he said, and she
was playing with her hair as she spoke to him.
She was angry with Bruno when he interrupted
them. He asked if Kotler knew where there was a
spare tyre.

Lieutenant Kotler.

cologne

Lieutenant Kotler made a joke that Bruno didnt

understand. But Gretel laughed so hard that she
looked like she was dancing. She said, Forgive my
brother. He is only nine.
This made Bruno angry. You are only twelve,
he said. Stop trying to look older than you are.
Im nearly thirteen, Kurt, Gretel said to
Lieutenant Kotler.
Im nearly a teenager, like you.
Anyway, said Bruno. Do you know where I
can get a tyre?
Lieutenant Kotler asked Bruno why he needed a
tyre. Bruno told him that he wanted it to make a
swing. I used to like making swings, said Kotler.
I will try to find you one.
Then Lieutenant Kotler saw Pavel, the man who
came to their house every afternoon to help
prepare dinner. He also worked as the familys
waiter every evening.

playing with her hair

Prepare dinner

Lieutenant Kotler was very rude to him. Hey you!

he shouted at Pavel. Take this boy to the shed. Let
him choose whichever tyre he wants. Then carry it
to wherever he asks. After that, make sure you
wash your hands before you touch any of the
familys food, you filthy ______. Kotler finished the
sentence with a bad word that Mother told Bruno
never to use.

waiter

Bruno didnt like Lieutenant Kotler talking to Pavel

this was way. He looked at Gretel and she seemed
uncomfortable too. He didnt like his sister, but he
didnt want to leave her alone with this man. He
was a very nasty person.
Two hours later, Bruno had an accident.
It was difficult to make the swing without Karl,
Daniel and Martin. They had always helped him
make them before. But he was able to do it and it

He came off it

was working really well. Higher and higher he was

flying. At the top of each swing, he was able to
kick the trees trunk, and this made him go even
faster.
But one time as he kicked, he slipped. As the
swing fell back down, he came off it. He fell and
hurt his knee. Both were cut, but the knee was
worse. There was quite a lot of blood coming from
it. Bruno was in a lot of pain, and he didnt think he
could stand up.

Hurt his knee

But just then Pavel came to help him. He had been

watching Bruno from the kitchen window. You
were going too high, he said. But he wasnt angry.
He was very kind. He picked Bruno up and carried
him to the house.
Bruno was worried he might have to go to the
hospital. But he was also excited because Mother
would be impressed that he had been so brave.
She would think he was a hero because his bad
injuries didnt make him cry. But Pavel said, Its
not so bad. You dont have to go to hospital.
At first Bruno was happy to hear this, as he didnt
like hospitals. But when he thought again, he was
disappointed. Mum would be much more
impressed if he was brave after a serious injury. He
became angry that Pavel thought his injuries
werent so bad. How do you know its not bad?
Bruno said. Youre not a doctor.

Pavel was peeling the carrots. He seemed hurt

by Brunos comment. He didnt say anything at
first. Then he said, Yes I am.
Bruno was shocked. He looked carefully at Pavel
for the first time. He was older than Dad, but
younger than Grandfather. He looked like he used
to wear a beard, but he didnt have one now.

carried him

doctor

Peeling the carrots

man with a beard

But youre a waiter. And you peel the vegetables

for dinner. If youre a doctor, why arent you
working in a hospital?
Before I came here I was a doctor, Bruno said.
Bruno told Pavel all the good things about Berlin.
Its not the same here, he said sadly.
Nothing is the same here, agreed Pavel.
When did you arrive at Out-With? asked
Bruno.
Pavel put down the carrot and thought. He came
and sat next to Bruno. I think Ive always been
here.

Pavel put a bandage on the

cut

Bruno asked Pavel if he had grown up there.

No, said Pavel. No I didnt
But you just said---
Just then, they heard Mothers voice. Pavel jumped
up immediately and returned to the sink to peel
the carrots. He turned his back on Bruno, his head
low, and didnt speak again.
What happened to you? asked Mother when she
saw Brunos knee.
Bruno told her about the swing and how Pavel
helped him and put a bandage on the cut. I
didnt cry. I didnt cry once, did I Pavel?
Pavel turned but he didnt raise his head and he
didnt answer Brunos question. Instead he said
quietly, The wound has been cleaned. Theres
nothing to worry about.
Go to your room, Bruno, Mum said, looking
unhappy.
Bruno didnt want to go, but his Mother insisted.
As he walked slowly to his room, he could hear
Mum thanking Pavel. He was glad because it
showed that Mother understood Pavel had saved
Bruno from bleeding to death.
The last thing he heard Mum say to Pavel was, If
the Commandant asks, well say that I cleaned
Brunos leg up.
Bruno thought this was very selfish. Mother was
taking credit for something she hadnt done.

Chapter 8: Why Grandmother

Stormed Out
Bruno missed his Grandfather and
Grandmother.
Grandfather was 73 years old. He
thought that was very old. He had a
restaurant in the town centre of
Berlin. He enjoyed sitting at his
restaurant, eating and laughing with
his friends.
Grandmother looked younger than his

Knee wound

Grandfather. She was 62. He thought

was old too. She was a singer when
she was younger. She still sang at
family parties in Bruno's house.
Bruno's mother did not like her singing
but he and his Father liked to hear her
sing.
Grandmother used to write plays for
Bruno and Gretel to act in at Christmas
and birthday parties. She made them
costumes. Bruno's were the best. He
dressed up as an Arab sheik or a
Roman gladiator.
At one party the play ended in an
argument. Everyone had to call
Bruno's Father 'Commandant'. Bruno
did not know what this was. Everyone
had to congratulate his Father. The
Fury and the beautiful blonde had
been to dinner.
On that day his Father wore a new
uniform and everyone clapped when
he came in. His mother was pleased
and kissed him on the cheek.
Grandfather was proud of his son
because he was helping his country
but Grandmother was not proud at all.
Mother said that Father looked
handsome but Grandmother said that
was not important. Bruno asked
everyone if he looked handsome in his
ringmaster costume.
This was a mistake because all the
adults looked at Gretel and Bruno and
not Father. Mother told them to go
upstairs. They went upstairs but
listened to the argument.
Grandmother was really angry and
said that soldiers were doing terrible
things and she was ashamed. She
blamed herself for her son's behaviour.
She thought that she had made a
mistake and not done a good job at
teaching him right from wrong.
Grandmother shouted, "I am ashamed
that a son of mine should be a......."
Father shouted back, A patriot,

someone who cares about his country."

Grandmother said, I don't like the
people you invite to dinner. You are
not a patriot. It makes me sick!"
She was so angry that she said that
she wanted to tear the eyes out of her
head when she saw him in that
uniform. She stormed out of the
door.

He did not see

Grandmother before they left Berlin.
He missed her so he wrote her a
letter. He wrote that he was very
unhappy and that he wanted to go
back to Berlin. He told her about the
house, the garden, the fence, the
telegraph poles, the barbed wire, hard
ground, huts, soldiers and the people
in cloth caps and striped pyjamas.
He told her that he missed her and
signed the letter, 'your loving
grandson, Bruno'.

that uniform

Storm out

Chapter 9
Bruno Remembers That He Used to Enjoy
Exploration
For a long time, nothing changed at Out-With.
Gretel was unfriendly when she was in a bad
mood. The soldiers often came to Fathers office,
which was still Out Of Bounds With No Exceptions.
Lieutenant Kotler still walked around thinking to
himself how important he was. He spent a lot of
time talking to Gretel. Sometimes Bruno could
hear him in rooms whispering with mother.

Servants

The servants still came and swept and cooked

and cleaned and served things. They didnt talk
unless someone spoke to them. All Brunos
clothes, except the ones he was wearing, were
folded neatly by Maria.
Pavel still came every afternoon to wash and peel
the vegetables and serve them dinner in his white
jacket. Sometimes Bruno saw him look at his knee,
which had a tiny scar from his swing accident. But
they never spoke to each other.

mysterious
man

Then things changed. Father decided the children

needed to continue their schooling. He paid a tutor
to come to the house and teach Bruno and Gretel.
A few mornings later, a man called Herr Liszt rode
up the drive on his old bicycle and it was time to
start learning again.
Herr Liszt was a mystery to Bruno. He was
friendly most of the time, but sometimes Bruno
could see anger in his eyes. Bruno liked reading
and art, but Herr Liszt thought these were not
important. He preferred History and Geography.
He asked Bruno, How much history do you
know?
Bruno didnt understand the question. Well, I
was born on April the fifteenth, 1934-
No, not your history, not your personal
history! Herr Liszt interrupted. I mean the history
of your Fatherland (your country).
Bruno was still confused. He didnt know that
Herr Liszt was asking about the history of
Germany. You need to know this so you know

History

where you come from, and about all the great

wrongs that have been done to you, and caused
you so much suffering.
This made Bruno happy. He thought he would
find out why he had been made to move to this
horrible place. This was the greatest wrong that
anyone had ever done to him in his short life.
The next day, Bruno was sitting in his room. He
was thinking of all the things that he used to enjoy
at the old house. Things that he couldnt do at this
house. Most of the things there, he did with
friends. But the one thing he loved to do by
himself was exploring.
The old house was so big it was always possible to
find interesting little rooms he hadnt been in
before. But this house, with only three floors, was
terrible for exploration. No, thought Bruno. If I
want to go exploring, it will have to be outside.

Exploring a house

children exploring outside

For months, Bruno had been looking out of his

window at the garden and the bench with the
plaque on it, the tall fence, and the people all in
the same clothes behind it. All the things he had
written about to Grandma.
It seemed like this place was another, very
different, city even though it was so close to
Brunos house. Were the people living and
working there in one uniform so different to the
people who visited his house wearing another
uniform? What was the difference? And who
decided who wore the striped pyjamas and who
wore the uniforms.
Sometimes he saw the two groups mix. He saw
people from his side of the fence go over to the
other side of the fence. When they did that, the
pyjama people jumped to attention: it was clear
that people from Brunos side of the fence were in
charge. At other times, the pyjama people fell to
the ground and had to be picked up and carried
away.
Bruno thought it was funny that he had never
wondered about these people before. He thought
it strange that many times he had seen soldiers
and even Father on the other side of the fence, but
he had never seen anyone wearing striped
pyjamas invited to the house.
Often, soldiers would come to dinner and they
would eat and drink with Mother and Father. After
an hour or two, everyone would sing noisily. They
seemed to be having lots of fun. But no one in
striped pyjamas was ever invited.

different uniforms

Bench with plaque

Bruno left the house to start exploring. The first

thing he wanted to see was the bench in the
garden behind the fence. He had seen a plaque
on this bench from his window and he wanted to
see what the plaque said. When he got close, he
saw that it read Presented on the occasion of the
opening of Bruno hesitated. He always found
this next word difficult to say, Out-With Camp.
19.6.1940
He touched the plaque through the fence. It felt
very cold and he pulled his fingers away from it.
He kept walking along the fence. Even though
Mother and Father had told him many times that
he was not allowed to walk near Out-With. It was
Out Of Bounds.
With No Exceptions.

Chapter 10: The Dot That Became a Speck

That Became a Blob That Became a
Figure That Became a Boy
Bruno walked along the fence. It took a long
time. Eventually he could not see his house.
He did not see anyone near the fence. There
were no doors to get inside the fence. He had
walked so far that now there were no huts just
the fence and open space. He walked for an
hour and started to get hungry. He was going
to turn back but he saw a small dot in the
distance.
Bruno thought he was seeing things like
people in the desert who are thirsty and
hungry who start to see things (mirage).
The dot turned into a speck, and then a blob
and the blob turned into a figure. As it got
close he realized that it was not a dot nor
speck nor a blob nor a figure, but a person.
It was a boy.
Bruno kept walking along the fence and
eventually they were face to face.
"Hello," said Bruno
"Hello," said the boy
The boy was sitting on the ground and was
smaller than Bruno. He looked sad and was
wearing the striped pyjamas and a cap like
the other people inside the fence. He had no
shoes or socks. His feet were small and dirty.
On his arm he wore an armband with a
star on it.

The boy sat on the ground cross-legged

looking at the dust beneath him. Then he
looked up. His face looked strange.
His skin was grey and he had large eyes the
colour of caramel sweets. The eyes looking at
Bruno were big and sad.
Bruno decided to speak to the boy.
"I have been exploring for two hours," he said
"Have you found anything?" the boy said.
Bruno said he had found nothing except the
boy.
Bruno did not ask the boy why he was sad
because that might be rude and the boy may
not want to talk about it.
Bruno sat down opposite and crossed his legs
like the little boy. He wished that he had
brought some chocolate or pastries to share
with the little boy.
Bruno told him that he lived in the house and
his bedroom was on the first floor. The boy
said he had seen the house once.
"I'm Bruno."
"I'm Shmuel,"said the little boy.
Shmuel said that he had never heard the
name Bruno before and Bruno said that he
had never heard of his name.
Bruno liked the name and thought it sounded
like the wind. Shmuel liked the name Bruno
and thought it sounded like someone rubbing
their arms together to keep warm.
The little boy said there were lots of boys with
his name on his side of the fence.
Then Bruno asked the boy his age.
"April 15th 1934," said the boy.
Bruno's was surprised and his mouth made
the shape of an O. That was his birthday too!
Bruno did not believe it. They were born on
the same day.
They both agreed that it was strange. They
were both 9 years old.
Bruno said, "We are like twins."
Bruno was so happy and he thought about his
friends, Martin, Karl and Daniel. He was very
lonely at Out-With without them.
Bruno asked the boy if he had friends. The boy
said he knew lots of boys but they had fights
and that is why he went out so far to be on his

own.
Bruno was jealous that the boy could play
with so many friends while he had none. He
said that he would speak to his Father about
it.
Bruno told Shmuel that he was from Berlin but
he did not know where that was. Bruno was
surprised.
"Don't you come from Germany?" he asked.
"No, I'm from Poland, said Shmuel.
Bruno had never met anyone who could speak
two languages. Shmuel said that his Mother
was a teacher and taught him German. He
said his Mother could speak French, German,
Italian and English and that she was going to
teach him English one day.
Bruno said Poland was not as good as
Germany. Shmuel did not agree.

Bruno said Germany was the greatest of all

countries because he heard his Father saying
this. Shmuel just stared at him so Bruno
thought he should change the subject. He did
not want Shmuel to think he was being
unkind.
They talked about where Poland was. Shmuel
said it was in Europe. Bruno was trying to be
clever and said Poland was in Denmark. Then
Shmuel told Bruno that this was Poland.
Bruno did not know that he was in
Poland.
Shmuel said that this part of Poland was
nothing like his home. It was much nicer in his

German
y

part of Poland.
Bruno said that Berlin was also nicer than this
place and he described his house and the
busy city streets, cafes and all the fruit and
vegetable shops. He said it was busy these
days and much nicer before things changed.
"How has it changed? asked Shmuel.
Bruno said that he did not want to talk about
the change but he could not read in bed at
night now because they had to turn off the
lights. He said it was noisy and scary at night.
Shmuel said that where he came from was
really nice with lovely food and lots of people
in his family.
Bruno did not want to argue with his new
friend so they changed the subject.
Bruno said that he wanted to be an explorer
when he grew up. He said he wanted to find
something worth finding like America.

Bruno wanted to ask Shmuel a question.

He thought about how he would say it.
"Why are there so many people on that side of
the fence and what are you all doing there?"

Chapter 11 The Fury

Some months earlier, before they moved to this
horrible place, Father received his smart new
uniform. After he got it, everyone had to call him
Commandant. Then one night Father came home
very, very excited. He told us, Something very
special will happen on Thursday night. We must
cancel any other plans we have.
Then he said that the Fury was coming. He wanted
to talk about some special business with Father;
business that was very important to Fathers work.
Father was excited because this new job was a
promotion: it would make him a very important
man.
The Fury? asked Bruno.
You dont say it like that, said Father. He wanted
to tell Bruno the right was to say Fury, but he
didnt have time.

Smart new uniform

poked out her

tongue

Well, who is he? asked Bruno.

He runs the country, you idiot! said Gretel,
being nasty again. Dont you ever read the
newspaper?
Dont call your brother idiot, said Mum. Its
not nice.
Can I call him stupid? replied Gretel. Then she
sat down and poked out her tongue at Bruno.
It was obvious (easy to see) that the visit of the
Fury was very important. On the Thursday,
everyone helped clean the house so that
everything looked new. Mother ordered the best
food and spent a long time cooking it so it tasted
just right. The children got new clothes. And
mother spent a long time making their hair look
nice.

Everyone helped clean the

house

Father told them that this night was the most

important night of his career (work life). The Fury
had to see the best of the family. The children had
to behave perfectly. You must speak to the Fury
only if he speaks to you first. After he has met you,
you must go straight to your rooms. You must stay
there quietly until he has gone, he told Gretel and
Bruno.

Greeting guests

That night, the doorbell rang and everyone

(including Maria, Lars and Cook) moved to the
places Father had told them to go to. When Father
was happy they were all in the right place, he
opened the door to greet them. There were two
people at the door: a short man and a taller
woman.

Hitler and Eva ( the blonde

woman)

They said hello to Mother first. This gave Bruno

time to look at them closely. The man (the Fury)
had short hair and a funny, tiny moustache. The
woman was very beautiful- the most beautiful
woman he had ever seen. She had blonde hair and
very red lips. She looked at Bruno and smiled.
These are my children, Fury: Gretel and
Bruno,
And which is which? asked the Fury. This joke
made everyone laugh, except Bruno, who thought
the Fury was serious, and really didnt know.
The Fury shook the childrens hands. What
lovely children! said the blonde woman. How old
are you?
Im twelve, but hes only nine, said Gretel ,
trying to impress the guests. And I am learning
French, she said.
Yes? But why would you want to? asked the

Hitler with the children

Fury. This time no one laughed. Gretel thought that

maybe she had said something bad. She looked
uncomfortable. She didnt know if she should
answer his question or not. But before she could
decide, he had walked away and sat at the table.
Bruno thought the Fury was a very rude man. He
didnt wait for the blonde woman. He sat in
fathers chair at the head of the table.
I can speak French too, said the blonde woman.
It is a beautiful language and you are very clever
to be learning it.

Head of the table

Eva! the Fury shouted from the other room, and

he clicked his fingers and pointed to the chair next
to him. He sounded like he was calling a pet dog.
And I really like your smart shoes, she said
smiling at Bruno.
EVA! the Fury roared for a second time. She
turned around and walked to the table to join him.
But she turned back to wave at the children before
she sat at the table.
The children then went to their rooms and stayed
there until the guests left. Bruno watched them go
from his window. The Fury didnt open the door for
the woman. Instead, he got in the big car first and
started to read a newspaper. What a horrible
man, thought Bruno.
Bruno could hear Mother and Father talking in loud
voices after they left. He couldnt hear everything
but he heard some of the words.
He heard mother say, ..leave Berlin to go to
such a horrible place the children will hate it
And he heard Father say, no choice we
must there will be no more discussion about it...
Two days later Bruno had come home to find Maria
packing his things in the trunk. And thats where
this story began.

Chapter 12
Shmuel told Bruno his life history.
Before he came to the camp he
lived with his father, mother and
brother. They lived in small flat
and his father was a watchmaker.
His father gave him a beautiful

Hitler roaring, Eva!

watch with a gold face but the

soldiers took it.
Bruno did not understand how this
had happened. What soldiers? he
asked.
Shmuel told Bruno that his mother
made the whole family armbands
with a star on each one. He drew
the star to show Bruno.
Every time they left the house they
had to wear the armbands. Bruno
nodded as if he understood exactly
what Shmuel was talking about.
Yes my father wears one on his
uniform. It is really nice and it is
bright red with a black and white
design.
Bruno drew the shape in the dust.
Shmuel told him that they were
different. They had a different
meaning. Bruno said that he
wanted an armband too.
Shmuel said that he had to wear
the armband for a few months but
he did not like it.
Bruno does not understand at all,
thought Shmuel.
Shmuel carried on with his story.
One day they had to leave their
house.
That happened to me too,
shouted Bruno thinking that they
had something in common now. He
told Shmuel that The Fury came to
dinner and then they had to move.
Did The Fury go to your house too
and make you move? I hate it here

Shmuel said that they were not

allowed to live in their house. They

had to move to a different part of
Krakow. The soldiers built a big
wall. Shmuel and his family had to
live in one room with another
family- eleven people in one room.
Bruno could not believe it. Shmuel
could only see the wall from a small
window. He hated the wall because
his home was on the other side.
One day the soldiers came with big
trucks. They told everyone to get in
the trucks. Some people tried to
hide but the soldiers caught them.
The trucks took them to a train.
Shmuel looked like he was going to
cry. Bruno did not understand why.
Shmuel described the train. There
were too many people in the
carriages. There was no air, no
light. The smell was terrible.
Bruno said his train had doors and
that Shmuel should have got on his
train. Shmuel told him that they
did not have a choice. His train did
not have doors so they could not
get out. They were taken to a cold
place and they had to walk. Bruno
said they had a car.
The men were separated from the
women. Shmuel had to go with his
father and brother. I have not seen
my mother since then.
Bruno still did not know why
Shmuel was sad because it
sounded a bit like what had
happened to him.
Bruno wanted to know if there were
other boys. There are hundreds,
said Shmuel.
Thats not fair. You have so many
boys to play with whereas I have
none.
We dont play, said Shmuel.

You could play football or go

exploring.

Shmuel did not answer. He had

hunger pains and asked Bruno if
he had some food.
Bruno said that he had none but
was going to bring some chocolate.
Shmuel moved his tongue as if he
was imagining eating. He said that
he had only ever had chocolate
once.
Bruno loved chocolate but his
mother said it was bad for his
teeth.
Do you have any bread?
Bruno had no food to give Shmuel.
Bruno started to think about
dinner. It was always at 6.30.
Shmuel when is your dinner
served?
Shmuel got up as if he did not want
to talk anymore. Bruno invited him
to dinner. Bruno even suggested
that he could go and eat with
Shmuel. He thought about crawling
under the wire. There was just
enough room for a small boy to get
through. He lifted the wire to show
Shmuel.
Shmuel looked nervous and started
to walk back to the camp. He said
that they caught him and he could
get into trouble.
As he walked away Bruno noticed
how skinny the boy was. Bruno told
him that he would be back the next
day.
Bruno was really happy about his
day. He was going to tell his mother

and Gretel about his exploration

and the boy who had the same
birthday. Then he decided that it
would not be a good idea. They
might not want him to be friends
with this boy. He was going to keep
it a secret.
As he walked into the house he
could smell the roast beef. He was
really hungry now.

Chapter 13
The Bottle of Wine
As the weeks went by, Bruno understood that he
wasn't going back to Berlin in the near future. He
wouldn't be playing on the banister or seeing Karl,
Martin or Daniel any time soon. But he didn't really
mind.
Now he was getting used to Out-With. And he had
Shmuel to talk to. Every day after lessons he would
go for a long walk along the fence and sit and talk
to his friend until it was time to go home.
One day, he was getting some bread and
cheese from the kitchen to take to Shmuel when
Maria came in. I don't know how you can be so
hungry, she said. We ate not so long ago.
I'm going for a walk, said Bruno. I might get
hungry when I am out, he said as an excuse.
As he was leaving, he saw a pile of vegetables
that had been left for Pavel to wash and prepare
for the family's dinner. This reminded Bruno of a
question he had wanted to ask for a long time.
Maria, can I ask you a question? But you mustn't
tell anyone that I asked it.
OK, said Maria. What's it about?
It's about Pavel. Bruno often remembered
about how he helped him when he fell off the
swing. He once told me he's not a waiter at all. He
said he was a doctor. He's not really a doctor is
he?
No, he's not, said Maria.

Bruno sits talking to Shmuel

Bruno felt glad that he had been right not to

believe him at the time. I knew it, he said. But
why did he lie to me?
Pavel is not a doctor anymore, said Maria.
But he used to be. In an earlier life.
Then Maria said she would tell Bruno Pavel's story,
but only if Bruno promised never to tell anyone
else. If he did, it would cause many problems for
her and Pavel. Bruno agreed, and sat down while
Maria told him all she knew about Pavel's life.

Shmuel waits for Bruno, cross

legged

As Bruno was late arriving at the fence, but as

usual Shmuel was sitting cross-legged waiting for
him. Bruno gave Pavel some of the bread and
cheese he had brought for him. (He had got
hungry on the way and eaten a little of it.)
Then he apologised for not being on time. I was
talking to Maria about Pavel.
Who are they? asked Shmuel.
Maria is our maid and Pavel chops our
vegetables and waits on our table at dinner...
Maybe you know him. I think he lives on your side
of the fence, said Bruno.
Shmuel said he didn't know anyone called Pavel.
But you must! said Bruno. He's short and old
and wears a white jacket sometimes. And he's
from Poland, like you. You have probably seen
him.
I don't think you understand how many people
live here, Bruno, said Shmuel. And most of us are
from Poland, although there are also some from
other places like Russia and Czechoslovakia and
----
Anyway, he was a doctor in Poland before he
came here, but he's not allowed to be a doctor any
more. And father would be angry if he knew Pavel
had cleaned my knee and helped it get better
when I hurt it, said Bruno.
People don't get better in here, said Samuel.
The soldiers don't like it.
Then Bruno asked Samuel what he wanted to do
when he got older. Samuel said he wanted to work
in a zoo. Bruno said that he wanted to be a soldier.
A nice one, not like Lieutenant Kotler, who
whispers with Mother and laughs with Gretel and

Working in a zoo

acts like he is the most important man of all.

There aren't any good soldiers, said Shmuel.
Yes there are. Ones like father, said Bruno.
That's why he has the best uniform and has visits
from the Fury.
There aren't any good soldiers, repeated
Shmuel.
They stayed quiet for a while. Bruno didn't
understand that people could think bad things
about Father. But he didn't want to argue with his
friend.

there arent any good

soldiers

You don't know how bad life is here, Shmuel said

after a while. His voice was very soft and Bruno
could only just hear him. He didn't know what to
say to this, so he pretended he hadn't heard. He
didn't like to think about his friend being in such a
bad way, so he changed the subject (talked about
something else).

You don't have any brothers or sisters, do

you? asked Bruno.
No, said Samuel, shaking his head.
You're lucky, said Bruno. Gretel is very
annoying. She thinks she knows everything. She is
always looking for Lieutenant Kotler, and waits
where she thinks he will be next. When they talk,
she laughs at everything he says.

Lieutenant Kotler scaring

Bruno

Then Bruno saw that Shmuel was looking very pale

and sick. He asked what was wrong.
Lieutenant Kotler... he scares me, said Shmuel.
And he started to shiver.
Yes, it has been getting colder recently, said
Bruno. Next time you come here, you should
bring a jumper.

Later that evening Bruno was disappointed when

Lieutenant Kotler came to the house for dinner. As
usual, Pavel was serving them and wearing his
white waiters jacket.
Bruno felt sad when he looked at Pavel. He thought
how he must have been happier when he was a

Gretel liked Kotler

doctor, wearing a doctors white jacket. Over the

weeks, Pavel seemed to be getting smaller. Bruno
watched as Pavel would bring things Mother or
father asked for, and then stand back quietly,
waiting for his next instruction. More wineBring
the meatAnother glass- this ones dirty
It seemed to be getting harder for him to stand for
a long time every night. Bruno also saw Pavels
hands shake when he took away the plates.
Bruno was not happy because Herr Liszt didnt
let him perform plays or read poetry. All we do is
History and Geography. Its boring! complained
Bruno.
Father was angry to hear Bruno say this. You
must not say that, he said. We need to know
history so we can understand about the bad things
others did to our country. Knowing history helps us
make things right again. Bruno still thought it was
boring.
Gretel liked Lietenant Kotler. She put her hand
on Kotlers arm and said, Please excuse my
brother. Hes ignorant (not very clever). Mothers
stare at Greta showed that she was angry.
Lieutenant Kotler said that when he was a student
at University, his father was a Literature professor
there. Then mother asked him if he was still doing
this work, but Kotler didnt know. I dont really
know what he does now. He left Germany in 1938,
and we dont write.

Father was very interested in this. He asked Kotler,

Where did your father go to? But Kotler didnt
want to answer the question.

Perhaps he had
disagreements

Eventually (after some waiting), Kotler said that his

father had gone to Switzerland. He had heard he
was teaching in a university there.
Again, Father was surprised. But you are
nineteen now, Lieutenant Kotler, yes? So he must
have been about forty when he left. Why did he
say he was leaving Germany at a time when
everyone should be helping to make our country
strong again?
Lieutenant Kotler looked uncomfortable.
Did he leave because he was sick, or was
there another reason for him to goin 1938?
Perhaps he had disagreements, Father
added. Have you told the authorities? I think we
need to talk about this again sometime soon.

Spilled wine out

Bruno listened to this discussion. He enjoyed

seeing Kotler being uncomfortable, but he also felt
frightened at the way Father spoke.
Just then, Pavel came to bring wine to the table.
He was pouring some into Kotlers glass when he
dropped the bottle. It fell onto Kotlers lap, and the
wine spilled out glug-glug-glug out all over his
uniform.
Then a horrible thing happened. Kotler got up and
hit Pavel many times. No one, not even Father,
came to help Pavel. Bruno cried and Gretel went
pale.
That night Bruno could not sleep. He remembered
how kind Pavel was when he hurt his leg on the
swing. It seemed wrong that Father did not stop
Kotler when he was hurting Pavel. What if Kotler
did this kind of thing every day at Out-With?
Maybe to Shmuel?
Bruno could see that it could cause problems if he
upset people. He thought, It is dangerous to
disagree with anyone. In future I will keep quiet if I
notice anything I dont like.
Bruno was starting to forget his old life in Berlin.
He was even forgetting what Daniel, Karl and
Martin looked like. All he could remember was that
one of them was a ginger.

Chapter 14
Bruno went to see Shmuel for several
weeks. He would leave when his teacher,
Herr Liszt went home and his mother was
sleeping.
As usual Shmuel was sitting cross legged
at the fence but he had a black eye.
When Bruno asked him about it, Shmuel
did not want to discuss it. Bruno thought
that there must be bullies in the camp
just like in schools in Berlin. He wanted
to help Shmuel but he could tell that
Shmuel did not want to talk about it.

Bruno wanted to crawl under the fence

and play but Shmuel said it was a bad
idea.
Bruno wanted to know why all the people
in the camp had to wear striped pyjamas.
Shmuel said that is what they were
given. Bruno did not understand because
he liked to wear different and clean
clothes every day. Then Bruno was
jealous of Shmuel because he wanted to
walk around in pyjamas all day but he
could not.
For a time, Bruno could not go to meet
Shmuel. On days when it was time to go
and see Shmuel it just rained and rained.
He sat in his room and read a book.
The Hopeless Case came in and asked
him what he was doing. He said he was
reading because of the rain. Then Bruno
made a big mistake: he told her that he
would normally be talking to Shmuel.
Hell be waiting for me.
Who? said Gretel
I didnt say anything, he said.
Gretel did not give up. She kept on
asking him what he had said. He had to
make up a story.
Yes, I have a friend, an imaginary friend
because I am lonely. Please dont tell
anyone.
Bruno did his best to look
embarrassed. He tried to think of
times when he was embarrassed like the
time that his Grandmother had walked in
when he was in the toilet and saw
everything.
Gretel thought it was funny. She wanted
to know what Bruno did with his
imaginary friend.
He told her that they talked.
I tell him about Berlin and that there
were so many shops and so many
people. I tell him about my friends. He
tells me about how his father had a
watch shop, his adventures and how his
friends disappeared without saying

goodbye.
Yesterday he told me that his
Grandfather hasnt been seen for days.
He is upset.
Gretel thought that this must be a very
boring friend. She told him that he should
stop talking to this imaginary friend as
their father would not like it.
Bruno asked her if she had an imaginary
friend. Dont be silly. I am 13 and far too
old for that.
When she went back to her room he
heard her talking to her dolls.
He went back to reading his book but he
could not stop thinking about Shmuel.
I wander if Shmuel is missing our
conversations? he thought to himself

Chapter 15 Something He Shouldnt Have

Done
For several weeks it rained often, so Bruno could
not go to meet Shmuel as often as before. When
they were able to meet, Bruno could see that

Shmuel was getting very thin, and his face was

becoming grey.
Fathers birthday was coming soon, and Mother
was spending a lot of time preparing a big party.
All the officers from Out-With were invited.
Lieutenant Kotler spent a lot of time helping her
and they made a list of lots of things they
needed to do for the party.
Bruno also made a list- a list of all the things he
didnt like about Kotler. It was a long list. Once
he was watching the camp from his window and
he saw a dog barking loudly. Kotler heard it and
he walked over and shot it dead.
Bruno also didnt like how he was always with
Mother. He didnt like that she laughed more at
Kotlers jokes than she laughed at Fathers. He
hadnt forgotten what he had done to Pavel,
either. There were lots of other things on the list
as well.

Long list

Shot the dog dead

On the day before the party, Bruno was walking

through the living room. He was going to read a
book father had given him. The book was called
Treasure Island. Lieutenant Kotler came over
and took the book from Bruno. Whats this
about, then? he asked.
Theres a pirate and a boy called Jack
Hawkins, Bruno said.
An English boy? asked Kotler?
Yes, said Bruno.
Hmph, grunted Kotler, who was clearly not
impressed.
Bruno reached for the book, but Lieutenant
Kotler pulled it away from him. Sorry, he said
and held it out for Bruno to take. But when he
tried to take it, Kotler pulled it away again. The
next time Kotler tried this, Bruno snatched the
book from him before it could be pulled away
again.
To Bruno, it looked like Lieutenant Kotler was
trying to annoy him today.
Then Mother came and told Bruno to go and do
some reading. She needed to speak to
Lieutenant Kotler privately (alone). Thats what
I was trying to do, said Bruno, feeling angry.
Bruno walked into the kitchen and got a huge
surprise. Sitting at the table was Shmuel.

Kotler talking to Bruno

Shmuel! he said. What are you doing here?

He brought me here, said Shmuel.
He? Lieutenant Kotler? said Bruno.
Yes, he told me I had to do a job here. I have
to polish these glasses. He needed someone
with small figures.
Bruno hadnt noticed before how different
their hands were. The boys were the same
size, but Bruno had healthy hands with fat
fingers. Shmuels, though, were thin like dead
twigs. Bruno was shocked at the difference.
Mine used to look like yours, said Shmuel.
But everyone on the other side of the fence has
fingers like mine now.

Brunos and Shmuels hands

Then Bruno saw some chicken on the table. It

was cooked and sliced and was ready for the
party. He offered some to Shmuel. No, I cant
have any, said Shmuel. If he comes back .
Im only here to clean the glasses. Bruno could
tell he was very scared of Lieutenant Kotler.
Bruno said, He wont be angry. Its only
food.
Then he put three slices of chicken in Shmuels
hand. Shmuel looked at the food and then he
looked quickly at door. Suddenly he turned away
from the door and put all three slices of chicken
in his mouth at the same time. He chewed a few
times, then swallowed them quickly.
Be careful, Bruno said. Its not good for
you to eat too quickly.
Then he took some more slices and was
about to give them to Shmuel when the door
opened.
Lieutenant Kotler walked into the room and
saw the boys talking. He went to Shmuel. Who
said you can talk in this house?
Im sorry, said Shmuel.
Then Kotler looked at the boys face. Have
you been eating? Shmuel shook his head.
Have you been eating? Did you steal food
from the table? Answer me! Lieutenant Kotler
shouted.
No, sir. He gave it to me. He looked at
Bruno. Hes my friend.
Lieutenant Kotler was getting more and more
furious (angry). Do you know this boy? Have
you been speaking to the prisoners?

terrified

Bruno wanted to say Yes. He wanted to tell

Lieutenant Kotler that Shmuel was his friend. He
could see how terrified (very scared) Shmuel
looked. He wanted to give the answer that
would help Shmuel and stop him getting in to
trouble. But Bruno was also very scared and he
couldnt say the right words.
I have never spoken to him. I dont know him,
Bruno said instead.
Then Lieutenant Kotler spoke to Shmuel again.
This time his voice was very quiet, but still angry
and scary. You will finish your work now. Then
we will go back to the camp. We will talk there
about what happens to boys who steal from the
Commandants kitchen.
Bruno watched as Shmuel went back to his
work. His hands were shaking and he was
crying.
You go to the living room and read your book,
Lieutenant Kotler said to Bruno. Leave this little
----- to finish his work. He used the same bad
words he used when he spoke to Pavel when he
had told him to find a tyre for Bruno.
Bruno left the kitchen without looking back at
Shmuel. He went to the living room but he
couldnt read. He felt ashamed that he had been
so awful and horrible to Shmuel. He couldnt
stop thinking about what Lieutenant Kotler
might have done to him.

Every afternoon after that day Bruno went to the

place by the fence where he usually met
Shmuel. But he was never there. Bruno worried
that something terrible had happened.
Then, about a week later, he was very relieved
to see that Shmuel was waiting for him.
Im so sorry, said Bruno. I dont know why
I did it.
Its alright. Dont worry, said Shmuel.
Bruno could see lots of bruises on his
face. Does it hurt? It looks like it hurts.
I dont feel it anymore. I dont feel anything
anymore, said Shmuel.
Bruno said again how sorry he was. I really hate
Lieutenant Kotler. I feel so ashamed. I have
never done anything so bad to a friend before. I
cant believe I didnt tell him the truth.

Bruises on his face

Shaking hands

Shmuel smiled and nodded and Bruno knew that

he was forgiven and they were still friends.
Shmuel lifted up the fence. He slid his hand
under it for Bruno to shake.

Chapter 16: The Haircut

It was a year since Bruno moved from
Berlin. He had even forgotten the
names of his friends. Then his family
had to go back to Berlin because his
Grandmother had died.
As he walked around his house in
Berlin he realized that he had grown.
He could now see the people houses
and cafes out of the windows on the
top floor.
He remembered his Grandmother and
how they used to perform plays at
Christmas and birthdays. He was very
sad because he knew that they would
never do that again.
Grandmother's funeral was very sad.
Father wore his best uniform and
looked like he was going to cry. He
had an argument with his mother and
had not talked to each other since.
Now he could never talk to her again.
There were so many wreaths. One
was sent by the Fury. Bruno's mother
said that Grandmother would turn in
her grave because she hated the
Fury so much.
Bruno was glad to be back at Out-With.
He liked living at Out-With. It was his
home. Having a friend like Shmuel
made him happy. He was also happy
because his mum and dad were happy.
His mother was not sleeping as much
and not taking her sherry which she
said was a medicine. Also one day
Lieutenant Kotler was sent to another
camp. He heard his mother and father

shouting one night. Gretel was very

unhappy but Bruno was happy that
he was not coming back.
Every afternoon Bruno went to see
Shmuel. Shmuel seemed happier but
still had sunken eyes, a skinny
body and his face was still grey.
Bruno wanted to play with Shmuel
so much. "All we do is sit and talk, he
said.
Bruno really wanted to play football or
to go exploring without the fence to
divide them.
Bruno still felt guilty about
denying that Shmuel was his friend
to Lieutenant Kotler. Shmuel just
pretended it had not happened. He
was a good friend.
Bruno wanted to ask his father about
the fence.
"What is the fence for?" he
wondered. He thought that his parents
would be angry with him so he kept
quiet.
Gretel had got rid of all her dolls.
When Lieutenant Kotler left she said
that she didn't like them anymore.
Instead she had maps of Europe
which Father had given her. She read
the daily newspapers and put pins in
the maps and moved them around.
Bruno thought she was going mad. He
decided to ask her about the fence at
Outwith. She told him that it was not
called Out-With but Bruno could not
say the real word.
Gretel was surprised. "You mean you
don't know what this place is?" she
asked.
Bruno said that he really wanted to go
to the other side of the fence and see
all the people.
Gretel laughed so much.
"The fence is not to stop us getting in,
it is to stop them getting out."
"Why?" asked Bruno puzzled

Gretel said that they had to be kept

together with their own kind. Bruno did
not understand this at all.
"Jews, she said," they are kept
together."
"Are we Jews, he asked
curiously?
Gretel could not believe what he
said.
"No, we are absolutely not."
Bruno wanted to know what he was.
"We are the opposite, said Gretel.
She could not explain why the
Opposite like them lived on one side of
the fence and the Jews inside.
Bruno wanted to know if the Jews did
not like the Opposite.
"No, you stupid boy, we don't like
them."
Bruno wanted to know why they did
not like the Jews. Gretel said that they
could not get along.

Gretel was touching her hair and then

screamed. Mother heard her. She
came and looked at Gretels hair and
found a tiny egg. She was angry
because Gretel had lice. Mother said
that it was because it was such a dirty
place to live.
Everyone had to have their hair
washed with a special shampoo. It
smelled horrible.

Father decided to just shave off

Bruno's hair. Bruno looked at himself
in the mirror. His head looked a
strange shape. His eyes looked
really big. He thought that he
looked like Shmuel. He wondered if
all the people living with Shmuel in the
camp had lice and that was why their

heads were shaved. That made sense.

When Shmuel saw him the next day he
laughed.
"I look like you," said Bruno
laughing too.
"Yes, said Shmuel, "but you look
fatter!"

Chapter 17
Mother gets Her Own Way
Over the next few weeks, Bruno could see how
unhappy Mother was at Out-With. For him, life
was better lately. He had his friend. But Mother
didnt have a Shmuel. The only person she
could talk to before was Lieutenant Kotler, but
he had been transferred. He was now working
far away from Out-With.
Then, one day, Bruno heard Mother and Father
talking.
Its horrible, Mother was saying. I want to
take the children and go back to live in Berlin.
What will people think if you do that? They
will think we are not serious about doing a good
job here. said Father. Our work is here.
Our work? Its not our work. You mean your
work.

Transferred (moved to another

place)

Bruno did not know what to think. He

remembered that he liked Berlin, but it would be
different there now. Grandmother was dead and
Karl and the other two friends (whose names he
could not remember) would have forgotten him
by now. He was now much friendlier with Maria.
Even Gretel wasnt so bad and he didnt think
she was a Hopeless Case anymore. She didnt
play with her dolls anymore. She spent her time
reading newspapers and putting maps on her
bedroom wall.
Then one day, Father called Gretel and Bruno
into his office. He said there needed to be some
changes. Do you like it here?
Gretel said how she missed her friends from
Berlin.
Yes, I often think how lonely you two must be
here, Father said. How would you like to go
back to Berlin with your mother?

Maps on her bedroom wall

What about you, Bruno? Father said. Would

you like to back to Berlin?
All of us? asked Bruno.
Father shook his head. No. Only you,
Mother and Gretel.
I just want us all to be together, said Bruno.
I dont care if its here at Out-With or in Berlin.
Father said he had to stay in Out-With. The Fury
would not let him leave his important job. But
Mother thought it would be a good time for the
children to go back to Berlin. When I think
about everything, perhaps Mother is right. This
is not a place for children.
But there are hundreds of children here,
said Bruno. The problem is that they are on
the other side of the fence.
Father looked angry for a moment. Have you
been watching them?
No, said Bruno. But I have seen them. Its
not quite the same thing.
Youre right, Father said and he smiled.
But Im certain your mother is right. You have
been here for long enough. It is time you both
went back to Berlin.
Father ordered that the house in Berlin should
be cleaned and painted. He said that everything
should look nice for Mother, Gretel and Bruno
when they returned to the old house the
following week.

Children on the other side of

the fence

But Bruno was not excited. He would miss

Shmuel terribly. And he worried how his friend
would manage without the food that he took
him.
He really didnt want to tell Shmuel the news.

Chapter 18: Thinking Up the Final Adventure

Bruno went to see Shmuel the day after his
father told him that he, Mother and Gretel would
be going back to Berlin. Shmuel was not at the
fence, nor was he there the next day, nor the
day after that.

BERLIN
.

Bruno became worried. On the third day, he was

waiting cross-legged. He was about to go home.
Then saw a dot which turned into a speck, then
into a blob and Bruno saw the boy in the striped
pyjamas.
Bruno was so happy to see him but Shmuel
looked very depressed. He did not even ask
Bruno for any food. Something was wrong

depressed

Shmuel told Bruno that his father was missing.

He said that he went to work three days earlier
but none of them had come back.
"I have looked everywhere around the camp but
I cannot find him, "he said starting to cry.

idea

Bruno had an idea. "They must be working in

another town and he will write you a letter."
Bruno thought about asking his father but
Shmuel said that was a bad idea.
"The soldiers hate us."
Bruno did not believe him.
Fathers work
Shmuel got angry. I hate them too."
Bruno did not believe that anyone could hate his
father.
Shmuel was really angry now. He had seen
Bruno's father. He could not believe that a man
like that could have a kind son like Bruno.
Bruno felt uncomfortable and changed the
subject. He told Shmuel that he was going back
to Berlin. Shmuel was surprised and upset.
"I'm going in three days time on Saturday," said
Bruno.
He said that his father would stay because the
Fury had big plans for him. Bruno said that they
would see each other again someday. He
thought that one day surely Shmuel would leave
the camp. He would be free.

"I won't have anyone to talk to, "said Shmuel.

Bruno wanted to tell Shmuel that he would miss
him but he was too embarrassed.
"Tomorrow will be the last day we see each
other. I will bring you something nice to eat.
Shmuel was too sad to speak.
Bruno just wished that they had played together.
Shmuel agreed. They had talked so much but
Bruno had never seen the place where Shmuel
lived.
"You would not like it. Your house is much nicer."
Bruno said that he still wanted to see Shmuel's
house.
Then Shmuel lifted up the fence. There was

upset
free

enough room for a small boy to fit underneath.

"I don't think I'm allowed, "said Bruno.
"You probably are not allowed to come here and
talk to me but you still do it, "said Shmuel.
Suddenly Bruno had an idea. His head was
shaved. He looked like Shmuel but fatter. If he
had some striped pyjamas he could crawl under
the fence and they could have their final
adventure.
Shmuel said that Bruno could help him look for
his father. Bruno was sure that they could
explore the camp.
However, Bruno did not have any striped
pyjamas.
Shmuel said, "No problem they keep them in a
hut and I can get some."
They agreed to meet the same time the next
day. They had a great plan. Both boys were
really happy.
Before Bruno went back to Berlin he would
explore the camp and at the same time help
Shmuel to find his father.

Chapter 19
What happened the Next Day
The next day was Friday and it was raining very
hard. Normally Bruno would stay at home on a
day like this. But it was the last chance that he
would have to see Shmuel before he went back
to Berlin, so he had to go.
Also, Bruno was excited about dressing up, so
he enjoyed the walk to the fence, even though

it was very muddy. Sometimes his boots came

off because the mud was very sticky, but he
didnt mind.
Shmuel was waiting for him when Bruno
arrived. He was holding a folded pair of striped
pyjamas and a cap like the one Shmuel wore.
Bruno took off his normal clothes. He had
forgotten to bring a bag to put them in. He
couldnt take them under the fence with him, so
he had to leave them by the fence. He hoped
they wouldnt get too wet and muddy because
Mother would be angry if they were dirty when
he got back home.
Then he put on the striped pyjamas. Urrgh,
these smell. When were they last washed?
I dont think they have ever been washed,
Shmuel said.

Bruno dresses up in striped

pyjamas

Urrgh, these smell

Bruno put on his cap to complete the uniform.

He felt wonderful- the same way he used to feel
on those wonderful days when Grandmother
dressed him up for the plays they performed
together. This time he was playing the role of a
Jew.
Shmuel couldnt believe it! Apart from being
fatter, Bruno looked exactly like him. He looked
no different to lots of the people on his side of
the fence. But youll have to take off your
boots, he said.
But what will I wear on me feet? asked
Bruno.
Nothing, said Shmuel. If someone sees
you in your boots, they will know you shouldnt
be here.
Bruno knew Shmuel was right so he left his
boots with his clothes and slid under the fence.
By the time he stood up on the other side, his
uniform was already very dirty. At first it felt
horrible putting his feet in the cold mud. The
mud came up to his ankles. But after a few
steps he got used to it and started to enjoy it.
He had never been this filthy (very dirty) in all
his life and he loved it!
The boys walked off in the direction Shmuel
always took after his meetings with Bruno;
meetings that had been taking place for over a
year now. They were hoping to find Shmuels
Papa.

Bare feet in the mud

What Bruno imagined he

would see

Before he had entered the camp, Bruno had

imagined what it would be like. In his
imagination he saw happy families playing
games and telling stories. He thought there
would be games of football and tennis going on.
He assumed there would be shops and a caf in
the centre of the camp.
But Bruno saw none of these things. Instead
there were groups of people sitting around
looking sad and staring at the ground. There
were no games or shops or cafes; just lots of
very skinny people with shaved heads. Bruno
thought there must have been some lice here
too.
In one corner, Bruno saw three soldiers who
were shouting at a group of men. Some of these
men were kneeling on the ground with their
heads in their hands for protection. Other
soldiers were laughing at them. Bruno felt very
uncomfortable watching the soldiers being so
cruel.

What Bruno saw instead

Soldiers being cruel to some

men

I dont like it here, said Bruno.

Neither do I, replied Shmuel.
I think I should go home, said Bruno
Shmuel stopped walking and looked at
Bruno. What about Papa? You said you would
help find him.
Bruno stopped to think. Of course he couldnt
leave now. He had made a promise to his friend
and he would stay and keep it.

whistle

The boys looked for evidence (clues) of where

Papa would be. But they could find nothing.
They looked everywhere, but there was no sign
of him.
Shmuel was not surprised. He knew it would be
difficult. But at least he felt good that Bruno
was with him and trying to help. Eventually it
started to get dark and they had to give up.
Bruno needed to go before night time set in and
it was too dark to find his way home.

People surrounded by soldiers

Shmuel was about to show Bruno the way back

to the fence when they heard a loud whistle.
Suddenly they were surrounded by a group of
ten soldiers.
Soldiers taking people on a
march

Whats happening? asked Bruno

This happens sometimes, replied Shmuel.
The soldiers make the people they surround go
on a march. I dont know where they will take
us.
US!? said Bruno. I cant go on a march. I
have to be home in time for dinner.
Shhh, whispered Shmuel. The soldiers will
get angry if they hear you talking.
Everyone in the circle looked frightened. Bruno
didnt know why. Marching isnt a bad thing to
do, he thought. And father was Commandant
of the camp. Bruno was sure he wouldnt let
this happen if it was a bad thing.

Inside a long room

The whistle blew again. There were about one

hundred people in the group and they all
started to march slowly together, with Bruno
and Shmuel in the centre. Bruno heard some
people at the back arguing that they didnt
want to march. Then he heard some gun shots,
but he couldnt see anything.
Bruno was feeling hungry. Does the march
go on for a long time? he asked.
I never see the people after they march,
said Shmuel. But I dont think so,
It was raining now and the ground was very
muddy. Bruno was worried about catching a
cold. Just then they started walking down some
steps. Suddenly it felt warm and there was no
rain. They were all inside a long room.
Bruno thought that they were going wait in this
room until the rain stopped. Then they could go
back on their march.
Im sorry we didnt find your Papa, or play
much, Bruno said. But we can do that when
you come to Berlin. I can introduce you to my
three friends there. Bruno wanted to say their
names, but he couldnt remember any of them.
At that moment, he realised that Shmuel was
his best friend for life.
Bruno took hold of Shmuels hand and squeezed
it tightly. They looked at each other. Shmuel
was about to say something when they heard a
loud sound of the metal door behind them being
slammed shut. The room went dark and there

chaos

was a funny smell.

All around them there was chaos. Bruno
couldnt see it, but he heard it. And through it
all, he kept hold of Shmuels hand.
Chapter 20: The Last Chapter
No one knew what had happened
to Bruno.
For days soldiers searched the
house and the towns and villages
nearby with his picture.
Then one of them found a pile of
clothes and a pair of boots at the
fence. The soldier left them there and
went to get the Commandant.
Bruno's father looked at everything
carefully. He just could not
understand what had happened to
his son. It was as if Bruno had
vanished.
Bruno's mother waited at Out-with for
a few months for news of her son. One
day she thought he might have gone
home, so she and Gretel went to
Berlin. Of course he was not there.
Gretel cried a lot. She missed her
brother.
Father stayed at Out-with for one more
year. The other soldiers did not
like him because he was mean to
them. Every minute of the day he
thought about Bruno.
One day he had an idea about what
had happened to Bruno so he went
back to the fence where the clothes
had been found.
He looked down at the fence which
was not fixed properly. He lifted it up
and saw a gap just big enough for a
small boy to crawl under. He
imagined the scene step by step.
He looked towards the camp. His
legs started shaking in horror. He fell
to the ground and sat almost
exactly in the same position as

Bruno

Bruno had sat, cross-legged at the

fence.
A few months later some soldiers
went to Out-with and took Father
with them. He did not care about
what happened to him now.

That is the end of the story about

Bruno and his family. Of course this
happened a long time ago and we
know that this could never happen
again, especially these days!