The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas Quiz

Answer: Ireland

John Boyne was born in Dublin in 1971 and began writing while he was at Trinity College in the city. He published his first novel, 'The Thief of Time', in 2000 and 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas' came out in 2006. It was made into a film, with the same title, in 2008 which starred David Thewlis and Rupert Friend, among others.

Answer: Bruno

The book begins with the boy discovering that his belongings are being packed by the family's maid. He is distressed to find someone going through his things, and discovers from his mother that the whole family is moving from Berlin. The other three names belong to his friends, who are described as 'friends for life', although he begins to forget them in his new home.

Answer: Fury

Early in the book, we discover that the family's departure from Berlin is a direct result of the visit of the Führer as the boy's father has been given a new job. Later in the book, more details about the visit are revealed, with the boy describing that Eva Braun had treated him kindly.

Answer: Hopeless Case

Gretel is three years older than her brother, and when the book begins she is more interested in dolls than anything else. When she meets her father's assistant, Lieutenant Kotler, she begins to flirt with him, much to her brother's disgust. The children are then tutored privately, and Gretel becomes a fanatical Nazi supporter as a result of the teacher's influence.

Answer: Doctor

The boy has an accident when he falls off his home made swing. Pavel is the only person around and cleans up the wound before bandaging it. When the boy asks if he needs to see a doctor, Pavel tells him that there is no need as he himself is a doctor. The boy finds this hard to believe, but finds out that it is true by talking to the family's maid. The event is kept secret from his father, with his mother taking the credit for tending the injury, much to the boy's disgust, as he doesn't understand that she is protecting Pavel.

Answer: Poland

The boys are separated by a fence, which the German boy finds hard to understand. He struggles to make sense of the situation and decides that the camp he can see must be some kind of farm. Shmuel describes his life before coming to the camp, initially living with his family above the watchmaker's shop where his father worked. Later, his family is moved to another part of Krakow, where they have to share one room with another family before being transported to the camp.

Answer: Liszt

Herr Liszt is very strict and does not allow the boy to read his favourite adventure stories, insisting instead that he must study History and Geography. The tutor influences Gretel much more than her brother and she gives up her beloved dolls and decorates her room with Nazi symbols.

Answer: Out-With

Although the reader soon understands the reality, the boy remains in ignorance throughout the book and cannot get to grips with the reasons for the striped uniforms and the lack of food. Shmuel, although the same age, is much more aware of what is happening and does his best to explain to his friend. The boy simply cannot grasp that his father would mistreat other humans in this way, despite having been told by him that 'they are not people at all'.

Answer: Chicken

The boy finds Shmuel washing and polishing the family's glasses, having been brought to the house by Lieutenant Kotler. The boy finds some cold chicken in the refrigerator, which he starts eating before realising that Shmuel is hungry. Shmuel quickly eats the food, but is caught by Kotler and accused of stealing it. The boy is too afraid to tell the truth and denies knowing Shmuel.

Answer: Neither

The boy's mother has persuaded his father to allow her and the two children to return to Berlin and the boy visits Shmuel one last time. For the first time, he manages to get under the fence that separates them and get into the camp, with truly devasting consequences. For the sake of anyone who hasn't read the book, I will not give away the full details, except to say that they are shocking.