Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion Question on suitability for specific book

"Boy in the striped Pajamas" yes or no for a 6 year old who has existential issues, has major issues with people being cruel or "bad" for no purpose other than because they want to be and believes that rules are rules and fairness is of high importance. He also believes that the police are the good guys and will always get the baddies and make things right.

He has no understanding or knowledge or exposure to the history of war, or to the themes in this book...

On one hand I feel he is too young and I am not sure I am ready to open this can of worms.

On the other hand would he understand/"get" the references or will it just be a story of a 9 year old's life. (does this make sense?)

I have not read the book - we started reading it together last night and after the first chapter I told him I need to read it more first to see if it's okay for him. It was a gift from my mom for bedtime reading (I assume she doesn't know what its about though)

thoughts? opinions?

I wouldn't choose that book for a six year old with the specific needs you mention. In particular, I'd wonder if you are ready to discuss the police figures being bad in some instances, people being not only cruel but inhuman to children simply because of their religion, and the overall sadness of the Holocaust.

I can say that reading another book from that period, albeit a nonfiction work rather than fiction, did lead to my dd14 wanting to have extensive discussions about those topics and to us reading Stanley Milgram together to help her work through how people could have let this happen. She was a bit older (8), so she was a little more into a place where everything wasn't black and white, but it wasn't just a conversation to have or book to read and then move on.

I would put that one away for now.

I haven't read it, but the topic seems unsuitable for a young child. I also wonder if it's a book that might be better appreciated with more life experiences? I think reading a book like this one without historical context misses the point?

thanks - I agree and will pack it away once I have read it. I will explain to him that we need to wait a few years/till he is ready for it.

He will discover the evils in the world and be horribly upset at some point but is there any reason he should do so at six?

My daughter found The Boy in Striped Pajamas upsetting even at-- ten.

On the one hand, that's rather the point of the story; on the other, I can't imagine having let her see the film adaptation at age six, and she's pretty extraordinary in terms of handling emotional content (even that which bothers adults).

We saved the Holocaust-themed items for 9-11yo. We also focused on a balanced presentation, honestly-- for every Anne Frank, we gave her an Oskar Schindler. The Sound of Music is a fairly gentle introduction to the era (though it is not devoid of emotional intensity, by any means).

I remember being read "I am David" by a teacher when I was about seven, but it wasn't until I was much older I realised what it was about.

Personally, I would wait until maybe 10+

The Holocaust, IMHO, needs to be assessed as an awful event.

But, to be 'understood', I believe that it also needs to be shown in a) its historical context - the full intensity of early 20th century ideological conflicts and not seen in isolation but rather contrasted with the Red Terror, the forced collectivization/Ukrainian famines, Stalin's purges, show trials etc b) how it illustrates that Mankind's intelligence can be misdirected in truly ghastly ways c) it is not restricted to one continent/one race as victims and unfortunately people do not seem to learn from others' mistakes - look at the Cultural Revolution, Pol Pot, Ruanda, Darfur etc. I do not think even gifted kids would be ready for the full impact of that before at least 10.

Furthermore, gifted kids can be extreme empaths and 'feel' other people's anguish in almost amplified ways (I know that I did and I see it in my DD too). Until a kid learns to 'harness' that I think that overly disturbing stuff like this is best left alone.

At the end of the day, the best people to judge whether or not their kid is ready are the parents.