Prisoner B-3087

By: Alan Gratz

Reviewed by Tinhsu Wen

Fall 2016

REVIEW: Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz

ISBN#: 054545901X

THE STORY:

Yanek Gruener is a Jewish boy who lives in a small neighborhood at Krakow, Poland, with his parents. His family lives in the 1930s and 1940s, where Jews were being killed in the Holocaust started by German ruler Adolf Hitler. In this book, Yanek experiences the terror of being a Jew in this time period by becoming separated from his family. He is forced to go through ten concentration camps, testing his luck and skill of survival. He realizes how hard it is in a concentration camp. As he is subjected to the cruelty of the Germans, he learns that they are unforgiving and show no mercy for any of the Jews. He is forced to carry heavy rocks around for their entertainment, and only gets thin soup and hard bread every day. The Germans tattoo him with the letters B-3087, and his identity is lost. At the same time, World War II is storming around them, and Yanek hopes that the Allies will save them. As the years go by, even the smallest bit of food is considered precious, and Yanek and the other Jews are forced to march for many days at a time without it. Along the way, Jews died from overwork, hunger, and disease. Despite the misery that led countless numbers of Jews die, Yanek has the will to live and bravely fights for his life as the Germans throw everything they can muster at the Jews. With time, Yanek gets used to the routine and smoothly plays his part with the Germans. (257)

MY OPINION:

This book is very emotional and it emphasizes the importance of remembering the past and that time is very valuable. In every one of the concentration camps, Yanek works very hard to not become a Muselmann, which is a person who does not have energy to do anything. It is hard to imagine the environment he is in, except I can clearly understand what he thinks. In a society, the people who are discriminated struggle to live in comfort. With this book, I have a clearer picture of how it is to be like to be forced to do all sorts of labor. In this period of time where Jews were discriminated, they had brutal treatment. This book was not very interesting once I started reading it, but it became riveting as Yanek got captured. Through the camps, though, the story became a little more tedious to read. This book does not use very complex words so it is easy to read, and most words I didn’t know could be figured out with context clues. I would recommend this book to middle schoolers, since the vocabulary is simple except knowing the main character’s emotions is sometimes difficult. I would rate this book eight out of ten stars and it makes for a satisfying read. (214)

STUDY QUESTIONS AND VOCABULARY:

FIRST SECTION

1. Who is the main character?

1a. The main character is Yanek, a Jewish boy living in Krakow (Podgorze is the name of his neighborhood). (page 4)

2. When does this story take place?

2a. This story takes place in Poland and Germany when World War II is happening. (page 17)

3. Where does Yanek’s family live in an attempt to hide from the Jews?

3a. His family live right below the roof in a pigeon coop. (page 35)

4. When Yanek gets taken, who is the important member of his family that he meets, and what does he tell Yanek to do?

4a. Yanek meets Uncle Moshe (page 66), and he tells Yanek to not be noticed. (page 68)

5. How much money does Yanek find in his sewn pocket, and what does he do?

5a.He finds two thousand zloty (a type of currency) (page 78), and tells Uncle Moshe about it. Uncle Moshe plans to use the money for food. (page 80)

Ghetto (page 15)

Squirreled (page 29)

Liquidated page (51)

Putrid (page 76)

Munitions (page 80)

MIDDLE SECTION

6. How did Yanek get more rest than the other Jews at Plaszow (his first concentration camp)?

6a. He hid under the boards of his bed in the day so he didn’t need to work (page 89)

7. Where does Yanek go for his second concentration camp?

7a. He is forced to go to the Wieliczka salt mine to mine salt. (page 98)

8. How do the Nazis make fun of the Jews in Trzebinia (his third concentration camp)

8a. The Nazis forced the Jews to work to experience pain, like by making them move pillars of rock back and forth. (page 108)

9. What miracle happens at Birkenau (his fourth concentration camp) that saves his life?

9a. Instead of poison being released from the chamber, freezing water pours down on the Jews and the Nazis spare their lives. (page 129)

10. In Auschwitz (his fifth concentration camp), when does Yanek find a friend and what is his name?

10a. Yanek gets advice from someone who tells him to dig through the pockets of other people. His name is Fred, and they quickly make friends. (156)

Sentinels (page 97)

Gypsy (page 133)

Asylum (page 147)

Immaculate (page 149)

Liberated (page 168)

             

LAST SECTION

11. Why did the prisoners not have any energy when they entered the Sachsenhausen camp?

11a. This is because they were forced to walk for two weeks with a small piece of bread. (page 186)

12. What happened as Yanek and the prisoners entered the Bergen-Belsen camp?

12a. THe commandment decided to give the prisoners one week’s worth of food and rest. (page 197)

13. On the second Death March after the Buchenwald camp, who were the people who were kind enough to give food to the Jews?

13a. The Czechs gave food and helped many Jews stay alive. (page 225)

14. What camp was Yanek in when the war ended, and who saved the Jews?

14a. He was in the Dachau concentration camp and American soldiers saved the Jewish prisoners. (page 244)

15. Did Yanek still have family members after after the war? Who told his to go to America?

15a. Yes, Yanek still had a cousin called Youzek who had also survived the Holocaust. Youzek and his wife took in a few families, and the Gamzers, one of those families, suggested Yanek to move to America. (page 254)

Scant (page 191)

Guises (page 204)

Berated (page 209)

Depot (page 233)

Reverently (page 249)