Attack of the Black Rectangles
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4.7 • 12 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
Award-winning author Amy Sarig King takes on censorship and intolerance in a novel she was born to write.
When Mac first opens his classroom copy of Jane Yolen's The Devil’s Arithmetic and finds some words blacked out, he thinks it must be a mistake. But then when he and his friends discover what the missing words are, he's outraged.
Someone in his school is trying to prevent kids from reading the full story.
But who?
Even though his unreliable dad tells him to not get so emotional about a book (or anything else), Mac has been raised by his mom and grandad to call out things that are wrong. He and his friends head to the principal's office to protest the censorship... but her response doesn't take them seriously.
So many adults want Mac to keep his words to himself.
Mac's about to see the power of letting them out.
In Attack of the Black Rectangles, acclaimed author Amy Sarig King shows all the ways truth can be hard... but still worth fighting for.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Pennsylvania sixth graders battle classroom censorship in this uplifting middle grade novel by King (The Year We Fell From Space). At Independence Elementary, Mac Delaney and his friends Denis, who's loyal and has anxiety, and Marci, an outspoken feminist, are outraged to discover that someone has used "ugly black rectangle" to expurgate classroom copies of Jane Yolen's historical novel The Devil's Arithmetic. The trio suspects their teacher, Ms. Sett—she's always writing letters about banning junk food or insisting that local homes be painted white "to maintain the look of history"—so they show the selectively redacted text to their principal. Dr. McKenney also dismisses their concerns, however, making the kids even more determined to fight for the right to the "whole truth." Their campaign inspires some students to publicly discuss aspects of their lives, including a girl who reclaims her non-Anglicized name. But Mac struggles with internalized shame, secretly fearing he'll turn out like his callous, erratic father, a fear kindly explored by his keenly drawn Vietnam War veteran grandfather. King empathetically tackles the intersections of multiple sensitive topics—mental health, patriarchy and sexism, war's realities, whitewashed history—while educating readers on the power of protest and the benefits of living with grace. Protagonists cue as white. Ages 9–12.
Customer Reviews
Fantastic!
I loved this book. It talks so honestly about so many important issues, and I think that every kid should read it. History is so often sugarcoated by adults for the supposed “protection” of children, and they should know that they have the right to learn the truth. I strongly encourage you to read this.
Never Take Candy from Kids…
It’s like George Carlin said, “They’re just words.” Some teacher thought it’s a good idea to cross out words. Just like houses should all be painted white. And no delivering pizzas in public. Mac seem to think otherwise. It’s the black rectangles that got his goat. And he’s not alone thinking so. He and his friends decided to put a stop to this black rectangle nonsense. This book is well written and kept the reader’s interest going.