Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz is a powerful novel based on the true story of Jack Gruener, a Jewish boy who survived the horrors of the Holocaust. The story follows Yanek, a young boy whose life is shattered when the Nazis invade Poland. As he is forced from his home and taken through ten different concentration camps, he endures unimaginable cruelty, starvation and loss. Despite everything, Yanek refuses to give up hope, clinging to the promise of survival.
Gratz’s writing makes Yanek’s journey feel incredibly real and emotional, showing both the brutality of war and the resilience of the human spirit. The novel is gripping and intense, immersing readers in one of history’s darkest periods through the eyes of a boy forced to grow up too soon. Prisoner B-3087 is an unforgettable story of courage, survival and the will to keep going, even in the face of unimaginable suffering.