Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz (Historical Fiction)

Based on true events, this novel tells the story about Yanek Gruener and the traumatic experience he went through as a Jewish boy in the 1930s and 40s in Poland. His unimaginably tragic journey starts in the Polish city of Krakow and ends In New York City. In 1941, when he is 12 years old, Yanek first lives in a Polish Ghetto until the Germans bring him to a concentration camp. He is without his parents and every day is a struggle to survive. There is hardly any food, the Nazis make him work till he is completely exhausted and there is the constant fear of being killed. Yanek has to dig trenches; mines rock in a quarry, and chop wood. From 1942 to 1945 he has to live in 10 different concentration camps. His uncle Moshe had told him not to talk to anybody, not to remember his family and not to tell anybody any personal details about himself. When he is brought to Auschwitz, a glimmer of hope appears in the form of a boy called Fred. He is the first person in years he opens up to and becomes friends with. They wait to be liberated by the Allied Forces. Will Fred survive and will Yanek ever be able to find his relatives? 

I recommend this book to people who are interested in learning about the Holocaust. Alan Gratz worked together with the Holocaust survivor Jack Gruener when researching details for this book and tells his story. Prisoner B-3087 is written in the first person so the reader feels as if he is there with Jack. Just like all books by Alan Gratz, Prisoner B-3087 is a fast-paced story that could also be made into a movie. Although many things in the book seem to be authentic, you need to brace yourself when you decide to read this novel. It is brutal and gruesome and at times there is no hope. This story is not for sensitive readers and you should be aware of that before you read this book. On the other hand, it has the best possible ending because in real life and in the book, Jack/Yanek survives the concentration camps. This is not a spoiler because when you read the dedication page, you will know that he survived. Nevertheless, after reading the book, you wonder, how those years in the concentration camps affected Jack/Yanek and if he was able to trust people again and to wake up in the morning without thinking of this dark chapter of his life.

Reviewed by Benn-Lennox B. 7th Grade