I'd be interested to hear what children actually make of this, particularly their response to the events of the holocaust, but also how plausible the children in this novel are. As many criticisms of the book state, the children seem either the wrong ages, or labotomized. Bruno's inability to grasp German words, words which he would have heard every day, was especially jarring. That said, it's an easy read on a difficult subject, telling it from the other side of the fence makes it feel a little different, and it's hard not to feel the power of naive innocence contrasted with unspeakable horror. As it's aimed at younger readers, it's ultimately up to them to decide. I can't imagine it being more suitable than a real life account of a child's experience of the holocaust [such as Anne Frank's diary or Elie Wiesel's Night] but despite its flaws, it still packs some punch.