A review by melbev
Attack of the Black Rectangles by A.S. King
4.0
Mac is a middle schooler facing more than his share of problems: a crush on one of his best friends, his dad the alien anthropologist who can't love, and the black rectangles that have appeared in his school book. Frustrated by
King beautifully creates a thoughtful portrait of the strength and intelligence that children are capable of with the space to grow and think for themselves.
The book touches on a variety of perspectives and personalities. The author does an excellent job of giving dimension to secondary characters, and Mac is an exceptionally intuitive individual with a kindness and wisdom that most adults lack.
At the risk of sounding like Ms. Sett, I thought this book was pretty intense for a middle school audience. None of the content is too mature, but the book touches on quite a number of topics including censorship, whitewashing, bullying, unreliable perspective, family division, mental health, perspectival erasure/dismissal, protesting, sexism, Constitutional rights, responsible citizenship, shame, and more. It is well-written and thoughtful, but it was a lot even for me, an adult.
I walked away with the message that there is always more to the story. Our outlook should carry nuance and compassion, but that doesn't mean it can't lend itself to a good fight for truth.
King beautifully creates a thoughtful portrait of the strength and intelligence that children are capable of with the space to grow and think for themselves.
The book touches on a variety of perspectives and personalities. The author does an excellent job of giving dimension to secondary characters, and Mac is an exceptionally intuitive individual with a kindness and wisdom that most adults lack.
At the risk of sounding like Ms. Sett, I thought this book was pretty intense for a middle school audience. None of the content is too mature, but the book touches on quite a number of topics including censorship, whitewashing, bullying, unreliable perspective, family division, mental health, perspectival erasure/dismissal, protesting, sexism, Constitutional rights, responsible citizenship, shame, and more. It is well-written and thoughtful, but it was a lot even for me, an adult.
I walked away with the message that there is always more to the story. Our outlook should carry nuance and compassion, but that doesn't mean it can't lend itself to a good fight for truth.