From the Desk of Zoe Washington

#1 Kids Indie Next List * Parents Magazine Best Book of the Year * Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book of the Year * SLJ Best Book of the Year * Kirkus Best Book of the Year * Junior Library Guild Selection * Edgar Award Nominee * Four Starred Reviews * Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year * An Indie Bestseller *

From debut author Janae Marks comes a captivating story full of heart, as one courageous girl questions assumptions, searches for the truth, and does what she believes is right--even in the face of great opposition.

Zoe Washington isn't sure what to write. What does a girl say to the father she's never met, hadn't heard from until his letter arrived on her twelfth birthday, and who's been in prison for a terrible crime?

A crime he says he never committed.

Could Marcus really be innocent? Zoe is determined to uncover the truth. Even if it means hiding his letters and her investigation from the rest of her family. Everyone else thinks Zoe's worrying about doing a good job at her bakery internship and proving to her parents that she's worthy of auditioning for Food Network's Kids Bake Challenge.

But with bakery confections on one part of her mind, and Marcus's conviction weighing heavily on the other, this is one recipe Zoe doesn't know how to balance. The only thing she knows to be true: Everyone lies.

"When Marcus tells Zoe he is innocent, and her grandmother agrees, Zoe begins to learn about inequality in the criminal justice system, and she sets out to find the alibi witness who can prove his innocence." (Publishers Weekly, "An Anti-Racist Children's and YA Reading List")

Plus don't miss Janae Marks's A Soft Place to Land!

Author: Janae Marks
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Published: 01/14/2020
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.8lbs
Size: 8.20h x 5.80w x 1.10d
ISBN: 9780062875853
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 4.4
Point Value: 8
Interest Level: Middle Grade
Quiz #/Name: 506687 / From the Desk of Zoe Washington


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 10/01/2019 pg. 99
Publishers Weekly 11/04/2019
Booklist 11/15/2019 pg. 56
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 12/01/2019
School Library Journal 01/17/2020 pg. 1

About the Author
Marks, Janae: -

Janae Marks graduated from the New School with an MFA in writing for children. When she isn't writing fiction, she's spending time with her husband and daughter at home in Connecticut. From the Desk of Zoe Washington is her debut novel. Visit Janae online at www.janaemarks.com.