Caroline Bobick's Censored is a raw, powerful, emotive novel that shows just how quickly a world can devolve. Told from the perspective of a 13 year old Jewish girl, this book shows how young minds grapple with the world and the information given them. It shows a democracy become a totalitarian state. It shows the truth behind what can happen when you disagree with those in power. I will be purchasing this book for my library so that my students can benefit from this message.

It’s an interesting time to read this book. This is an easy read (took me 2 hours) as it’s clearly aimed at the 9-11 years age group. This narrative challenges the reader to consider their freedoms of thought, speech, religion and association.

The story is written “by” a 13 year old Jewish girl in America. A single day of peaceful protests by teachers about their wage quickly leads to a police state. The only way to stay safe and alive is to say nothing or become a refugee.

This book raises so many important issues. Freedom. Power. Rights. Safety. What to believe in the media and on social media. How it might feel to become a refugee.

What the book really lacks, however, is a proper depth. I appreciate this is aimed at “kids” but it has no detail. It gives no reasons for the government suddenly deciding protest is illegal. It has no good cops, no good politicians or other leaders. The only good protagonists, a rabbi and a teacher, are quickly silenced. There is no hole in this book. There is no chance to oppose the bad, only to run away and try to stay alive. And I know that for some people in history and today, that has been reality, but I find it unhelpful in this book. This book just leaves you depressed. It leaves you thinking everyone in power is bad and I can’t trust anyone. That’s not the right message to be sending to our youth. Yes, they need to know that some in power are bad, but they need to be equipped with tools to challenge this.

Censored is an original thought provoking read that looks at some very current and topical issues about using your voice and it being censored and how people react to that.
It's a gripping, well paced and thought out page turner which is very easy to get lost in and read in just one sitting.

WOW! It's as if this book were referring to the current climate of the US and the American media. This book does a phenomenal job of tackling the media's corruption and how quickly the media can shift the reality of an incident. The media holds the power of spewing false information to the public as a means of control. The government in the book claims democracy but leans along the lines of dictatorship, as they arrest protestors for "terroristic agitation". Imagine living in a country where you have to fear for your livelihood or freedom because you decide to exercise your constitutional right of free speech against injustice. The narrator was such a like-able character, and I was able to connect with her and her family. This is definitely a book that will make its way into my classroom.

Thank you #NetGalley and Creative Seminars for providing me with a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Xpresso Book Tours for providing a DRC of Censored in exchanged for an honest review.

Censored is a middle-grade/YA book like you've never seen before. Told through the perspective of a 13 year old girl, Censored examines the slippery slope that comes from a government taking too much control. After social media outcry sparked by harsh, violent attacks at a peaceful protest, Censored explores a towns progression through covering up a police shooting of a civilian, censoring speech and social media, and eventually raising false terrorist claims to anyone who speaks out against them.

This book examines how easily government and media can become corrupted enough to control narratives and cautions readers to never take anything at face values in a way that anyone of any age can understand. This feels like a really important read right now.