Obe’s sense of possessiveness arises out of a profound loss which began over 100 years ago with Great-grandpa Devlin’s addiction to liquor, which was so total, so ruinous that, in family lore, he “drank dirt.” Left with a shrunken inheritance of a single farmhouse and a couple acres of scraggly woods with a creek running through them, both of Obe’s parents are plodding wage earners in the new service economy. It is the voice of Obe Devlin, the 11-year-old protagonist of Me and Marvin Gardens, at once passionate and possessive, fierce and tender, that suspends the reader’s credulity and leans him in to hear more. “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.By Amy Sarig King.

A striking book on censorship a must-have in all middle grade classrooms and school libraries.”-School Library Journal, starred review ⭐️ “King’s latest novel is so timely and relevant, some readers may feel like the author has been privy to what’s going on in their own schools. A searingly relevant opus to intellectual freedom.”-Kirkus Reviews, starred review ⭐️ “Skillfully encourages keeping open minds and extending grace to the oblivious and hostile alike. ⭐️ “ respect for young people is exemplary, and her characters indelible.”-Horn Book, starred review Against the backdrop of family issues, first crushes, and the end of elementary school, this is a beacon of hope for middle grades and an object lesson in treating kids like the intelligent readers they are.”-Booklist, starred review Whip-smart, tuned in to the mind of sixth-graders, and beautifully concluded, the novel takes a bold stand in a time of book bans and rampant censorship. In Attack of the Black Rectangles, acclaimed author Amy Sarig King shows all the ways truth can be hard. Mac's about to see the power of letting them out. So many adults want Mac to keep his words to himself. but her response doesn't take them seriously.

He and his friends head to the principal's office to protest the censorship. Someone in his school is trying to prevent kids from reading the full story.Įven 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. But then when he and his friends discover what the missing words are, he's outraged. 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. Award-winning author Amy Sarig King takes on censorship and intolerance in a novel she was born to write.

Me and Marvin Gardens by Amy Sarig King