Rating: 5/5
I wasn't sure what to make of Americus at first. It begins with a couple of young teens discussing the new book in their favorite fantasy book series, a la Harry Potter. The story doesn't take off until the conservative mother of one of the boys finds out he is reading these books.
From there the story explodes into a tale about censorship and the importance of public libraries. It doesn't sound like the most interesting plot, but the creators do a great job of keeping it engaging. One way they do this is to shift between the story in the town of Americus and the story within the fantasy series that is under scrutiny.
They also show the protagonist grow over the course of the story. He is moving from middle school to high school, without the support of his best friend, and the thing he values most, reading, is being attacked. There isn't really an opportunity for him to be complacent. Also, the people around him become supports that he didn't expect to find.
The illustrations are nicely done, though I don't recall anything that blew me away. It can be a bit cartoony, but that fits with the themes and the target audience.
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