Attack of the Black Rectangles

Important, timely. Very mature thinking for 12 year-olds, but what do I know.

4.5/5 stars

Really well written and approachable exploration of censorship and the power of activism. I would have loved more information about the dad character, as I feel like A. S. King's normal exploration of mental health topics was lacking here.

ok for ME I prefer AS King when she's writing stuff for teens and can really let her freak flag fly. But I think this is a good middle grade book that deals with timely issues (censorship, sexism, racism, adults being unhinged fascists) in a way that respects kids.

I did think the subplot with Mac's dad (CW for mental illness? I THINK?) was maybe...idk maybe could have been its own book? But I guess it contributed to Mac's general stress and confusion about like, what's the deal with ADULTS.