Published: 6 September 2022 (print)/6 September 2022 (audio) 
Publisher: Scholastic Press/Scholastic
Pages: 258/5 hrs and 19 mins
Narrator: Pete Cross, Gretchen Bender, Amy Sarig King, and Jane Yolen
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Junior Fiction
★ ★ ★ ★ – 4 Stars
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.
I love King’s books and this is another fantastic book about growing up, about fighting for what you believe in, as well as figuring out who you are. It’s a great book that shows children are smarter and more insightful than adults give them credit for, but at the same time don’t have a complete awareness about certain things either.
Their inability to understand why people would censor books is a stepping point into censorship around books and what some adults deem appropriate for kids. It’s also a great discussion starter about leading kids into ignorance isn’t a better option and sometime the truth is important to hear.
This is also true of the people around them. Mac’s dad is someone he has faith in but has been let down by. His uncertainty about his actions and being conflicted about loving his dad but being wary of him is a great side plot that deals with mental illness and the struggles families face.
On the cusp of being teenagers Mac and his friends are learning about the world and are developing their social awareness and sense of what’s right. They are also exploring relationships – of liking each other, or like Dennis discovering they may never like anybody. At 12 they are a good age to try and work out who they are, but also understand that they are too young to worry about it. King balances their emotional awareness and sense of self really well and in ways kids can understand.
The innocence of the kids is a great point of the story. Not their naivety, but their insistence that things aren’t fair, their questioning about why rules are made, demanding things be fixed that aren’t right. They act impulsively and without question at times which King uses to remind us these are kids still. They are not justice hungry teens you might find in older audience books. They are kids with questions and know things aren’t the way they should be. It’s a great example of small changes and one voice making a difference.
The group of narrators do a great job with the audiobook and King’s vivid storytelling and great characters come to life as the story unfolds. It’s a wonderful insight into the American censorship battle and shows there’s hope and always a fight to have against those who try to silence others.
You can purchase Attack of the Black Rectangles via the following
Wordery | Angus and Robinson | Blackwell’s
Fishpond | Amazon | Amazon Aust | Audible
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