W

e were so pleased to bring Alan Gratz, thanks to Scholastic Inc., to two Denver schools and to visit our store! We were lucky enough to spend time with Alan and get the low-down on what his books really are about. Below are his own words about his six Scholastic books, including his new-this-week novel, ALLIES. Come by today to pick up your SIGNED copies of his books, while supplies last! Signed books make great gifts for the readers in your world! Look for the display of his various autographed books at the front of the store right now.  

Prisoner B-3087 is based on the true story of a man named Jack Gruener, who as a boy survived TEN different Nazi

concentration camps during World War II.

Project 1065 is the story of an Irish boy named Michael who lives in Nazi Germany during WWII because his father is the Irish Ambassador. He and his family hate the Nazis, but they smile and pretend to get along with them because they have a secret: in addition to being diplomats, Michael and his family are spies, collecting information about Nazi Germany and sending it back to England and America to help win the war.

Refugee is the story of three different kids, from three different eras and three different parts of the world, all of whom are driven from their homes by violence and hate to find places of refuge with their families.

Grenade is about the battle of Okinawa. It was the last major battle of WWII, fought between the United States and Japan. I got to go to Japan a few years ago, and while I was there I met an older man who had been a kid on the island of Okinawa during WWII, and he told me an incredible story. He said the U.S. invaded his island, the Japanese Army pulled him and the other middle school boys out of school, took them outside, lined them up, and gave them each a grenade. They told them "Go into the forest and don't come back until you've killed an American soldier with your grenade." That's the first chapter of my book, and what my main character Hideki does with his grenade is the rest of the story.

Allies is my newest book and is the story of D-DAY told from the viewpoint of six different characters! What happens when marginalized people go to war for their country?