Press

What the critics say

An account of a dreadful episode, short on actual horror but packed with overtones that remain in the imagination. Plainly and sometimes archly written, it stays just ahead of its readers before delivering its killer punch in the final pages
- Independent

A small wonder of a book. Bruno's education is conducted slowly, through a series of fleeting social encounters rather than by plunging him into a nightmare landscape
- Guardian

An extraordinary tale of friendship and the horrors of war seen through the eyes of two young boys, it's stirring stuff. Raw literary talent at its best. More please!
- Irish Independent

Quite impossible to put down, this is the rare kind of book that doesn't leave your head for days. Word of mouth should be strong and this has the potential to cross over to an adult audience. A unique and captivating novel, which I believe deserves huge success
- The Bookseller

Overwhelmingly powerful . . . This is a story so exceptional and vivid that it cannot be erased from the mind
- Carousel

Grab it before it is grabbed by the curriculum gurus. It won't let you go
- The Bookseller

Set to become a publishing phenomenon . . . It will take children over 10 on an emotional rollercoaster. Adults will love the book too. They will be moved, amazed and astonished
- Irish Examiner

The most exciting book since Curious Incident with John Boyne's Boy In The Striped Pyjamas
- Inis

A powerful and emotionally-charged piece of literature
- Yorkshire Evening Post

A tale of the innocence of youth and the disastrous consequences of a friendship across a divide
- Waterstone's Books Quarterly

Deceptively simply written . . . The story is beautifully written in the style of a fable and the message seems clear - adults do stupid, cruel things
- TES Teacher

An extraordinary book that made me feel increasingly chilled
- TES

A fresh and new perspective on the Holocaust . . . It is a novel whose ending remains with readers long after the pages are finished, it is a novel that inspires thought and difference of opinion, it is a book that deserves to be read, to be discussed, to be held close to the heart
- ACHUKA

It's that very rare thing - a book so simple, so seemingly effortless, that it's almost perfect
- Irish Independent

Very simply written and highly memorable. There are no monstrosities on the page but the true horror is all the more potent for being implicit
- Ireland on Sunday

An extraordinary book . . . A powerful story, simply told
- Irish Examiner

John Boyne is one of the most exciting young writers of the moment, and this, his first novel for children, is likley to be the one that makes him a household name. It is one of the most powerful and bitterly touching books I have read . . . The story is told so beautifully and with such poignancy that I challenge anyone not to be affected and impressed by it. A definite five out of five
- Homes 2 Business Journal

A very sad and haunting story . . . It will really make you think, long after you have finished it, and leave you slightly stunned as Bruno's innocence contrasts with the cruel world of the Nazis. Not for the faint-hearted, but definitely for everyone else
- Herts & Essex Observer

A moving book that will have you gripped from start to finish
- Daily Ireland

So chilling is the conclusion that children under 12 would be advised to stay away
- Jewish Chronicle

This is such a poignant tale it will pull at the heart strings
- Colchester Evening Chronicle

It has much in common with the classic children's book My Name is David . . . A brave, unusual and heart-rending tale; it may be a world seen through a child's eyes, but it deals with adult - indeed timeless - themes
- Capital

An ambitious debut
- Books for Keeps

A book which sensitively deals with the Holocaust and is bound to provoke questions in young readers
- Inis

A memorable and moving story, with a child's view of a frightening adult world
- Oxford Times

A book for teenagers that will be read by even more adults and is sure to win literary prizes . . . A wonderful, haunting story
- The Bookseller

This is what fiction is supposed to do: introduce you to the minds of those you wouldn't ordinarily meet
- Guardian

A very human and profoundly moving introduction to one of the darkest moments in human history
- The Good Book Guide

An extraordinary book and set to become a modern classic
- Historical Novels Review

Utterly compelling
- Birmingham Post

Brilliantly written, superbly conceived novel, ending with words as bleakly ambiguous as any I have ever read. Boyne's ability to lead us on with crystal clear prose so that we unthinkingly fall into the elephant trap reminds me irresistably of another Irishman - Jonathan Swift
- The School Librarian

Incredibly poignant and beautifully written book
- Birmingham Post

It is a story so well told that adults and children alike can understand it and feel engaged in this doomed friendship
- Peterborough Evening Telegraph