Attack of the Black Rectangles

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[s]” 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. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Sept.)