Review: From the Desk of Zoe Washington by

 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.

Review: Oh I loved this middle grade novel. It came highly recommended to me and I have to say that the audiobook was a real treat!

This book has just a little bit of everything. We have a main character who is wonderfully independent. She has a passion in life an is trying her best to chase her dreams with the support of her family. Her family in unconventional but I loved them nonetheless and they made me feel good about families who are out there, they made me happy. 

Then we have the fact that Zoe's father is in prison for something she believes he did not do. This new communication with her father helps to grow her relationship with him which has up until now been nonexistent and it also strengthens the relationship with her grandmother. I loved that we got to see these two relationship with more distant family members grow and evolve over the course of the book because that isn't something we usually get to see in novels especially middle grade novels and I found it fascinating to follow!

I loved getting to know Zoe and watch her emotional rollercoaster over the course of this novel. This is a book I would happily share with a reading group or a class and I think it is something which should have pride of place in today's market. Highly recommend.

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