Attack of the Black Rectangles by A.S. King – Book Review

Title: Attack of the Black Rectangles Author: A.S. King Publisher: Scholastic Press Release Date: September 6, 2022

When Mac Delaney is given a copy of Jane Yolen’s The Devil’s Arithmetic for literature circle, he’s surprised to find a few words blacked out. Since Mac Delaney is not a young person that keeps quiet when a wrong has been committed, he teams up with his friends to discover what the black rectangles are hiding. When they discover the missing words, they are appalled. The censorship is a criticism of their own maturity and intellectuality. They choose to speak with the school’s administration, their outrage motivating them to contest the censorship. After their concerns are met with mild indifference, Mac and his friends decide they must do more. They want their voices, their words heard. As the fight unfolds, Mac starts to see how words can be a powerful source of strength and healing in other facets of his life. He just needs to speak up, but he also needs the adults to stop and listen.

Attack of the Black Rectangles by Amy Sarig King is a searing commentary on an issue growing in attention and intensity. Increasingly, libraries and schools nationwide must navigate more and more vocal calls to censor certain materials. The backdrop makes this narrative all the more relevant although its messages are timeless. At the center of the narrative, stands Mac, who presents as White and struggles against school and family forces that try to exert power and control over him. King’s narration of Mac’s experience reveals censorship’s aims and how its roots grow deep in a household, a school, and a community. While Attack of the Black Rectangles touches on many different themes, they remain secondary to the subject of censorship, adding depth not distractions. Still, some of these topics (i.e. Columbus Day) will likely draw the ire of those that do not want “such things” talked about or taught in school, only further proving the point at the center of King’s novel. For those that want to explore the issue head on, her fearless inclusion of those topics offers a powerful mirror to the modern moment. It is a brilliant examination of the ways censorship simultaneously strips words of their power while demanding people preserve that power in order to safeguard the truly free expression of ideas.

Educators willing to boldly tackle the topic of censorship will find plenty to teach in Attack of the Black Rectangles. The challenge of teaching such a theme is all too real, all too fraught, and all too timely. Book bans and challenges are becoming commonplace, and unfortunately, this reviewer would not be surprised to see King’s novel challenged and removed in some places. Still, such a fate would drive home the King’s central point, which only strengthens the argument to read and discuss such a thought-provoking story.

Thank you to Edelweiss+ and publisher, Scholastic Press, for an eARC of this book.

Classroom Applications

• Cross-Curricular Study – Teach the novel in conjunction with a study of censorship, rights, and book banning.
• Book Pairing – Pair the book with Yolen’s The Devil’s Arithmetic.
• Book Club or Book Exchange – Share the novel with students that enjoy reading realistic fiction.

Nonfiction Connections

The list below outlines topics that will enrich your students’ understanding of the novel.

• Censorship
• Book Banning

Book Companions

The following are great books to pair with Attack of the Black Rectangles. In parenthesis are the specific aspects students could explore when synthesizing across the texts.

• Answers in the Pages by David Levithan (Character Connections, Nonfiction Connections, Themes)
• The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen (Character Connections, Nonfiction Connections, Themes)

*LIT Lessons participates in the Amazon Associate Program and earns a fee from qualifying purchases made on the Amazon.com site.