Parents' Guide to

Blackout

By Joe Applegate, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Thriller with superpowered teens has coming-of-age appeal.

Blackout Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

age 13+

Based on 1 parent review

age 13+

More profanity than CSM Overview suggests

Blackout is a good read. I wanted to write this review to let potential readers know that the profanity content is actually several instances of: d***itt, h***, a**, and b****. I wouldn't call it excessive, but the CSM overview says there is no profanity, and that isn't accurate.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1):
Kids say (2):

BLACKOUT has the makings of an effective thriller. A cell of three young terrorists spreads havoc across the American West, while the Army tries to identify the virus that gives superpowers to the still-developing brains of teens. It also tries to enlist some of them to fight the terrorists. Aubrey and Jack, connected by their unpopularity in high school, face harrowing tests of their loyalty to each other as they try to figure out who the terrorists really are.

The aspect of young adults learning to use their newfound powers gives the story a coming-of-age quality that adds to its appeal. Too bad the page-turner fizzles into a sequel-ready ending.

Book Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate