Attack of the Black Rectangles by Amy Sarig King

The family closeness, the deep bonding friendships, and sticking together in the worst of times made this an inspiring tale. Mac and his friends stood up for what they believed in and it made banned books week even more powerful.

I'm sitting here trying not to cry at my desk.

This book was so good and it made me emotional. That my friends is a story for another day. I guess this guy didn't get the memo about the Library being a place for everyone. I've got a tale for you all about me being screamed at for the Library I work for posting about banned books. Don't like it? Don't look at it! Why can't everyone take that lead? I was taught early on in life that if I don't agree with something, I can act as if it doesn't exist. I just don't understand why you would want to take books out of people's hands because they go against whatever rule you think that they break. I mean, isn't it a lie to think you know better than everyone else?'īook banning is one thing that really gets me angry. (Sept.'I think lies are the same as crossing out words in a book. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. Pennsylvania sixth graders battle classroom censorship in this uplifting middle grade novel by King ( The Year We Fell From Space).

Attack of the Black Rectangles by Amy Sarig King