The Boy at the Top of the Mountain

Gr 9 Up—The author of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (Random, 2006) delivers another powerful allegory in this compelling World War II story about a young boy swept into the fear, zealotry, and bigotry of Nazism. In 1936 Paris, seven-year-old Pierrot Fischer is orphaned. After the deaths of his devoted French mother and troubled, abusive German father, Pierrot is temporarily cared for by his neighbor, the mother of his Jewish friend, Anshel. When his German aunt, a housekeeper at Hitler's Berghof, Berchtesgaden home, sends for Pierrot, his name is changed to Pieter, his friendship with Anshel is denied, and he resides at Berghof with the house staff, awaiting Hitler's periodic visits. Despite the warnings of his aunt, Pieter embraces Hitler's volatile attention and dogmatism, turning against family and friends. With skill and emotional detachment, Boyne tells Pieter's story through descriptions and dialogue that are concise, spare, and vivid. Ahead of Pieter, readers will grasp the impending consequences, pain, and horror of the boy's obsequious relationship with Hitler. Woven into the story are authentic personalities and facts including the dictator's passion for dogs, painting, anti-Semitism, and unquestioning loyalty. Pieter's story offers a lens for examining post-traumatic stress disorder and the violent and coercive extremism of the 21st century.