The Boy at The Top of the Mountain

The Boy at the Top of the Mountain

• Genre: Fiction; middle-grade historical fiction
• Originally Published: 2015
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 970L; grades 5-9
• Structure/Length: 14 chapters; approx. 288 pages; approx. 5 hours, 20 minutes on audio
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: Orphaned at a young age, Pierrot ends up with his aunt at the home of Hitler. Grateful for the attention and power Hitler offers, Pierrot follows his teachings and turns against his true nature.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Holocaust; antisemitism; assault; sexual assault; executions; bullying; suicide; domestic abuse

John Boyne, Author

• Bio: Born in 1971 in Ireland; loved reading and writing from a young age; has spoken about challenges growing up gay; earned BA from Trinity College Dublin and MA from University of East Anglia; won multiple awards for The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, which was also adapted for film, theater, ballet, and opera; awarded Hennessy Literary Award Hall of Fame (2012); won four Irish Book Awards; his books have been translated into over 50 languages
• Other Works: The Thief of Time (2000); The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2006); Stay Where You Are and Then Leave (2013); My Brother’s Name Is Jessica (2019)
• Awards: German Book Prize for Young People’s Literature

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

Literature and the Arts as Opposition to Destructive Ideologies

Violence and the Loss of Innocence

Coming of Age

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Develop an understanding of the historical and social contexts that incite Pierrot’s conflict.
• Analyze paired texts and other brief resources to make connections via the text’s themes of Literature and the Arts as Opposition to Destructive Ideologies, Violence and the Loss of Innocence, and Coming of Age.
• Plan, design, and construct visual media to advocate for good choices based on friendships and behaviors.
• Analyze and evaluate plot and character details to draw conclusions in structured essay responses regarding the Berghof staff, Anshel’s perspective, and other topics.