The Story of Yanek

A Jewish boy named Yanek Gruener lives in Krakow, Poland. He lives with his family in an apartment. The Nazis invaded Krakow and set up a wall around it. The Nazis were taking Jews into concentration camps for hard labor. The Nazis also broke into their apartment and took their valuable belongings. Yanek was in secret, until he got caught and he was taken into a concentration camp.

Yanek finally was in the concentration camp, and it was a terrifying place. People were being shot on site if they did something wrong. The Nazis sometimes randomly called people to be shot if one person did something wrong. The prisoners did hard labor and some gave up and were shot because of it. Yanek received his own number and a blue-striped prisoner uniform. His family was dead, and he found his Uncle Moshe, but he died soon after. Yanek became depressed and knew there was no hope.

The prisoners were sick and tired of all the hard work. Many prisoners died everyday. One morning, Yanek woke up from explosions heard outside. There were no guards guarding them and they were confused. They didn't know where to go or what to do. Americans came and saved them from Dachau. They were loaded into a truck and received food and blankets. And they also received their own beds. They were saved at last and free from the Nazis.