I really enjoyed the perspective of a young, German child, and I didn't find his naivete too unrealistic -- although it would have seemed more accurate in a younger child. I was content to ignore some trivial inaccuracies like the idea that the son of a high-ranking Nazi official would be unfamiliar with Hitler, or the idea of an unguarded portion of fence that just happens to be loose.

However, the ending was just awful. I understand wanting to rewrite history and make it more just, but doing so changed the book from historical fiction to pure fantasy. I felt like it trivialized the experience of both boys; it robbed Shmuel of a witness to the tragedy of his life and it robbed Bruno of the chance to lose his complacency and grow.