The Boy at the Top of the Mountain by John Boyne

The Boy at the Top of the Mountain is a YA historical fiction novel by John Boyne. When Pierrot is left an orphan, his aunt Beatrix brings him to live with her. She's a housekeeper for a house called Berghof, in the Bavarian Alps. Little does he know, the master of the house is none other than Herr Hitler himself.

Sex: Pierrot attempts to force himself on a neighborhood girl he likes. It's mentioned in the book that Eva is Hitler's mistress.

Language: Mild.

Drug/Alcohol Use: None.

Violence/Gore/Frightening Scenes/Death: Told from a young German's perspective during World War 2, there are definitely some disturbing scenes. Several people die. There is also an attempted poisoning.

Final Note: John Boyne is also the author of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. I actually enjoyed this book a lot more. This story gives a look into German history and how easy it was for people to watch and do nothing. I thought it was a nice twist on typical World War 2 novels.

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Hello fellow parents and friends! My name is Danielle. I had the idea for this blog a couple of years ago when I was working in my son's school library. It was a known fact that I was an avid reader of middle school and young adult literature and several parents would ask me about books before checking them out for their kids. (Or buying them at the book fair!) Because I read so much, I've never worried too much about what my kids might be reading. My oldest is only eight years old and anything he's read, I've read already! But what about parents who don't necessarily enjoy reading or have the time? I wanted to offer a resource that gave these parents the chance to make educated decisions about books their kids are reading. That's how this blog was born! Before we go any further, I want to point out that I am strongly opposed to book banning. I believe in freedom of speech and expression of art through literature. But I also feel strongly that kids should ...

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