Prisoner B-3087 is a historical fiction novel by Alan Gratz that shares an incredible story of a Jewish boy through the Holocaust. Shared on the front cover, Prisoner B-3087 is based on the story of Jack Gruener and his own journey through Germany's attempt to exterminate the Jewish people. Reading the "Afterword" at the end is a MUST, quite possibly the best part of the novel. Only in reading the "Afterword" can you truly appreciate Yanek's journey through the novel and fully understand the suffering so many went through, specifically Jack Gruener. The novel is 260 pages and 30 chapters, and reads even faster than it seems. The novel is also broken into "parts" that represent the different parts of Yanek's journey. Author Alan Gratz sometimes likes to change narrators through his novels, giving the reader a variety of perspectives while reading. However, this novel is told from one narrator: a first person account of Yanek's journey.
Yanek is a ten year old boy living in Krakow, Poland in 1939 when the Germans invade his hometown. Very quickly, life turns upside down for Yanek and his family. In only a matter of weeks and months Yanek and his family feel like outcasts in the city they have always lived in. Everything is taken away from them: their freedoms, their possessions, and even their home. The Germans have invaded and are now the ones in charge and they are determined to locate and detain all Jews in Poland and surrounding areas. Yanek and his family do their best to survive the inhumane conditions the Germans have put them in and avoid the deportations at any cost. It is not easy and Yanek struggles, as a young boy, to understand why things have changed so quickly. But then one day the unthinkable happens: Yanek's parents and other family members are snatched up in the mass deportations, leaving Yanek to fend for himself. But it isn't long before Yanek is sent away himself, put on a train filled with fear, anger, determination, and uncertainty. Yanek must find out what has happened to his family, while also learning how to fight the daily life-and-death battle to survive.
Prisoner B-3087 is a fabulous read for both boys and girls looking to learn more about the Holocaust. As with most novels about the Holocaust, the novel contains sensitive material that is not appropriate or the right choice for all readers. This novel is a great depiction of the Holocaust, so there are parts that are graphic and can be shocking for many readers. For this reason, I think this novel is a better read for middle school students, particularly students who are studying or have already studied the Holocaust. I do not feel this is an appropriate novel for elementary school students, especially ones that have not yet studied the brutality of the Holocaust. This novel does move quickly and includes lots of action, so this will appeal to many types of readers, even readers that typically shy away from historical fiction. If you read this novel and love it, check out Alan Gratz's other novels. He is a very talented historical fiction writer and has several other novels including Projekt 1065, Grenade, Resist, Refugee, and Ground Zero.
