Download Now From The Desk Of Zoe Washington Crafted By Janae Marks Accessible Through Paperbound

one was a solid read but i felt the ending didn't give me the punch I got from other middle grade novels.
This one had a storyline I never thought would be possible in middle grade and that's exactly why people need to read this genre more.
This was predictable yet entertaining, I enjoyed the prison part of the storyline more than the baking part, the latter feeling like a filler because the former wasnt enough to flesh out a wholepage book.


I liked the positivity here but I think the happily ever after ending came a little too quickly.
The character development was great, if only the ending hadnt been so rushed,

The messages shared within it regarding racism, the BLM movement, inadequacy of the justice system and prison reform where admirable to see in a middle grade book.
I think the take on them were a little too simplistic though, Simply saying something isnt “black and white” as the grandma states but then presenting it throughout the book as either black or white is really counterintuitive to the complexity of the matters.
I think more exploration was needed to make it seem like this wasnt a halfcommittal or a sugarcoated washeddown take tailored for kids, which really doesnt suit a book thats brave enough to discuss murder in an intimate way.


All in all, a charming read, especially for a debut novel, Brushing on some interesting topics with a relatively good storyline and characters but maybe a bit too happily ever after to really have a longlasting impact.
Zoe Washington isnt sure what to write, What does a girl say to the father shes never met, hadnt heard from until his letter arrived on her twelfth birthday, and whos 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 Zoes worrying about doing a good job at her bakery internship and proving to her parents that shes worthy of auditioning for Food Networks Kids Bake Challenge.


But with bakery confections on one part of her mind, and Marcuss conviction weighing heavily on the other, this is one recipe Zoe doesnt know how to balance.
The only thing she knows to be true: Everyone lies, I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity to read this pitch perfect debut, by Janae Marks, Zoe is the kind of protagonist I love in middle grade booksambitious, curious, strongwhat I would describe as a takecharge kinda gal.
She loves baking, which, hello, makes her the kind of kid I would have loved to be friends with in middle school.
Not only does she love to bake, but she dreams of joining a junior baking competition, so that one day she can become a professional pastry chef.
But her dreams get placed on the back burner when she discovers a letter in her mailbox from her biological father, who has been convicted of murder.
At first, she doesn't want to have anything to do with him, But her curiosity starts gnawing on her, so she decides to write him back, That letter is the first of many, and as she gets to know him, she discovers that he's been wrongly convicted.
Zoe makes it her mission, to find the evidence needed to set her biological father free, In the process, we get to know other members of her family, especially her grandmother, who is sympathetic to her plight, as well as her neighbor and friend, Trevor, who she enlists to help her.
While reading, I found myself cheering Zoe on, as she investigated the crime, and also in her quest to create her very own original cupcake recipe, which by the way, sounds totally delicious.
I know my own kid would love to gobble up a Fruit Loops cereal cupcake, If you love headstrong middle grade protagonists, contemporary stories dealing with reallife issues such as racism, wrongful conviction, mixed race blended families, and anything to do with baking, then I would definitely recommend you pick up, FROM THE DESK OF ZOE WASHINGTON.
hey cool cool i'm crying now Every now and then, I read a middle grade book that is engaging, wellwritten, and fun to read, AND deals with issues so unique and important that I wish I could shove it into the hands of everyone I know.
FROM THE DESK OF ZOE WASHINGTON is exactly that kind of book, Much of Zoe's life is pretty normalshe loves to bake and is thrilled to land a summer internship at a real bakery she's on the outs with her best friend after an incident earlier in the summer she longs for more responsibility and freedom now that she's twelve years old.


But one thing about Zoe's life is very, very different from most middle grade characters: Zoe's biological father, Marcus, has spent twelve years in prison for murder.
And on her twelfth birthday, Zoe gets a letter from himand with that letter, realizes just how much more there is to Marcus's story than she has ever known.


Mass incarceration of Black and brown men, and wrongful convictions, are issues that are extremely relevant in the U.
S. right now. FROM THE DESK OF ZOE WASHINGTON takes these topics on with grace, courage, and an enormous amount of compassion, Janae Marks deftly adds layer after layer of nuance to Marcus's case, as well as to his relationship with Zoe the book tackles big issues without ever feeling either heavyhanded or depressing.
Zoe's irrepressible spirit and determination to get to the bottom of Marcus's story is inspiring and uplifting, FROM THE DESK OF ZOE WASHINGTON is an absolutely perfect way to introduce the issue of mass incarceration to young readers.
Five enthusiastic! Loved it a storyline you don't see very often plus cupcakes! Who doesn't love cupcakes! I liked this a lot! It seemed almost too sweet sometimes like I felt her friend arc just seemed so predictable and the way Trevor spoke sometimes sounded robotic and like he knew exactly what to say and how to apologize.
I also found the parents to be really annoying except for Marcus, But I loved how Black it was, I kinda wouldve liked a book with just Marcus and Zoe, . . MIDDLE GRADE MARCH!

First of all I will listen to anything that Bahni Turpin narrates, she is truly wonderful.


Second of all This book was great!

Zoe Washington turnsyears old at the start of this book.
On her Birthday, she receives a letter from her Father, who has been in prison since before she was born.
She secretly begins corresponding with him and begins to question whether or not he is truly innocent, With her mind finally made up, she starts to do her own investigations about his alibi on the night of the crime.
Zoe is also very passionate about baking, and I loved those parts in the book, She is a pretty busyyear old dealing with some important stuff, If you're a Middle Grade fan, . . read this! I made the mistake of starting this in the evening, and then I stayed up way past my bedtime to finish! Couldnt put this pageturner down until I knew how it ended.

The tasty cupcake descriptions werent the only sweet thing about this bookI loved Zoes whole family especially Grandma lt.
Each one of them makes mistakes along the way, but they learn important lessons, forgive each other, and let go of past hurts.

This should be a mustread for any budding middle schoolers, Zoe navigates friendship problems, works to uncover difficult secrets from her past, and all the while she never loses sight of her dream to become a pro baker.
So inspirational! I hope Im half as cool as Zoe when I grow up stars

From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks reminded me how great middlegrade can be.
I rarely read it, and Im not sure why, I enjoyed this one so much,

With one letter, Zoe Washingtons life changes on her twelfth birthday, Though she has her dad, Paul, shes never met her father, Marcus, Hes been in prison her entire life, Then one day, she gets a letter from him, Marcus is in prison for a crime he never committed and Zoe is determined on clearing his name, On top of that, shes working on her baking skills, Shes got a lot going on for a twelve year old,

This was such a sweet and heartwarming story, but it also showcased some important topics, I loved Zoe and this book!

Audio book source: Libby library borrow
Story Rating:stars
Narrators: Bahni Turpin
Narration Rating:.
stars
Genre: Contemporary Fiction Middle Grade
Length:hoursminutes

Wow, Wow.

I LOVED this book!

Buddingyearold pastry chef Zoe Washington receives a letter on her birthday from her incarcerated father, Marcus.
. . and it's the first time she's ever heard from him, He's in jail for a violent crime, but as Zoe continues to correspond with him, she starts to wonder if he might actually be innocent after all.


This book is about love, the highs and lows of friendship, baking be ready to have intense cupcake cravings, complex family relationships, and the importance of taking a stand.


The masterful way the author weaves in themes of social justice throughout Zoe's very personal journey will allow kids to come to conclusions about racism within our judicial and prison systems themselves, which is a powerful tool to give a child.
Zoe is such an proactive protagonist, and I can see kids reading this in classrooms across the country, galvanized to take a standbecause Zoe shows us that you're never too young to make a big difference.


/stars! From the Desk of Zoe Washington consistently popped up in conversations during the yearabout which juvenile novel would win the Newbery Medal.
It was Janae Marks's first book, but that hadn't stopped other authors from winning the highest award in American youth literature.
Ultimately, it didn't get the Newbery, but after reading this book I see why so many believed it worthy, As she turns twelve years old, Zoe has plenty of goals for herself, One of the most audacious is earning a spot on the Kids Bake Challenge!, a Food Network reality television show for aspiring preteen chefs.
Yet her focus on this goal dims when Zoe checks the daily mail on her birthday and finds a letter from her father, Marcus.
. . who has spent the past dozen years in prison for murder,

Zoe's mother and stepfather have never been keen on discussing Marcus, and Zoe hesitates to read his letter.
Marcus never contacted her before is he dangerous Knowing that her mother would probably confiscate the letter, Zoe secretly reads it on her own.
Marcus's words seem kind and warm, not at all like a coldblooded killer, He mentions sending previous letterswhatever happened to thoseand says he wishes he were free so he could be part of her life.
Zoe loves her stepfather as her true dad, but part of her is curious to know her biological father, Would her mother let Zoe write back to Marcus

Her mother reacts with suspicion when Zoe casually mentions Marcus one day, so she drops the subject.
Without asking permission, Zoe composes a letter back to Marcus, acknowledging his message and asking a few questions, As the two continue trading letters, Zoe fears her mother will discover the deception, but instead it's Zoe's maternal grandmother who finds out what's going on.
Grandma knew Marcus well when he was married to her daughter, and her opinion of him isn't as low as Zoe's mother's.
Marcus isn't a manipulator, Grandma says in fact, she doesn't believe he's a murderer, Twelve years ago after police arrested Marcus for killing that woman, he insisted he had an alibi, It was never substantiated, but Grandma has doubted his guilt ever since, Now that he and Zoe are communicating for the first time, she doesn't want to jeopardize that by alerting Zoe's mother.
Grandma reluctantly agrees to keep the secret, on two conditions: that Zoe allow Grandma to read every letter Marcus writes, and that Zoe promises to tell her mother the truth before summer ends.
Zoe relaxes a bit: for the moment, she can continue getting to know Marcus,

After all these years, Marcus still maintains he's innocent, He tells Zoe he went to a tag sale the morning of the murder, but when he relayed that piece of information to his public defender attorney prior to the trial, the man dismissed it out of hand.
He seemed convinced of Marcus's guilt, and put minimal effort into keeping him out of prison, When the jury handed down a guilty verdict, Marcus appealed through legal channels, but he never had a chance without that witness from the tag sale, and he's given up hope of proving himself innocent.
He's eligible for parole after twentyfive years, he assures Zoe maybe then they'll see each other for the first time in person.
Father and daughter together, as they should have been all along,

Hiding all this from her parents is hard on Zoe, but her mother's attitude toward Marcus makes it clear she wouldn't tolerate any communication between Zoe and him.
Zoe adores her stepfather and considers him her dad in almost every way, but her connection to Marcus remains despite never meeting him.
She finds out from his letters that he shares her love of baking he enthusiastically supports her dream to appear on the Kids Bake Challenge!, and encourages her to create an original, innovative recipe to wow the judges.
Marcus also does his part to further Zoe's music education, suggesting some of his favorite songs from his own adolescence.
"My Little Tomato," Marcus fondly calls her in his letters, and whenever Zoe listens to her "Little Tomato Playlist" of the songs he has recommended, she feels close to her biological father as she never thought possible.
Could this gentle, generous man have murdered a young woman, and be lying to Zoe about it Or was he victim of a justice system stacked against him As weeks pass and Zoe's loyalty to Marcus grows, she can't bring herself to sit back and wait for a parole that may never come.
If no one else is interested in saving Marcus, she'll do it herself,

Her relationships with her mother and grandmother aren't the only ones under stress, Summer after summer, Zoe's best friend has been Trevor, whose family lives in the other half of their divided twofamily house.
Lately Trevor is more interested in hanging out with guys from his basketball team, and not long ago Zoe overheard him talking about her in a very unflattering way.
If that's how Trevor sees her, she doesn't want to be friends, but as she commits more and more to proving Marcus innocent, Trevor may be the only one willing to do whatever she needs to free her father.
Marcus tells Zoe the name of the woman he claimed could vouch for his whereabouts at the time of the murder all those years ago, but he urges Zoe to forget about his problems and enjoy her life.
She isn't responsible for engineering his freedom, and he doesn't want to get her into a messy situation, Zoe has no intention of standing pat an internet search reveals a few possible leads on this "Susan Thomas" whom Marcus says he met at a tag sale on the morning in question.
The most promising lead Zoe has is a professor by that name at Harvard University, a short train ride from where Zoe lives in Boston, but does she have the gumption to sneak away to Harvard by herself and question a stranger Is Marcus's freedom worth betraying the trust of her own mother and grandmother

If Zoe can't prove Marcus innocent before her mother finds out she's been corresponding with him, she'll never be allowed to write him again.
It's a tense journey downtown and then on the train to Harvard's huge campus, but Zoe isn't alone, An unexpected friend is willing to take the risk with her, to search for a woman who, in all likelihood, won't remember Marcus at all.
Time is of the essence to get to Harvard, interview Susan Thomas, and be home before Zoe's mother or Grandma realize she's missing, but Marcus's future depends on it.
Zoe may be about to find out the truth, a truth bigger than a twelveyearold is capable of carrying by herself.
Is Marcus a liar, or was he railroaded for a crime he didn't commit Is he a monster, or just a man abandoned twelve years ago by everyone he knew Zoe is the only one with both means and motive to end an injustice older than she is.


The mountain Zoe seeks to climb is a real Everest, Would her mother consider the possibility of Marcus's innocence if good evidence is presented, or is she convinced beyond all reasoning that he's evil Grandma has been hesitant to conceal that Zoe is writing to Marcus if she finds out Zoe is taking personal risks to exonerate him from decadesold

murder charges, will she forbid her from communicating with Marcus at all Lawyers don't seem to care that Marcus may have gotten a raw deal during his trial, and Zoe can't expect a Harvard professor with no personal ties to Marcus to be deeply invested in an old, settled criminal case.
Zoe's parents and Grandma love her deeply, but she feels alone defending Marcus, Yet in Zoe, we see what a determined heart can do when no one else believes, Marcus could easily have lived the rest of his life behind bars, but his future may radically change if Zoe's plan works out.
Imagine an innocent man freed from his cage to be with his daughter again what risk isn't worth that If Zoe doesn't do it, no one else is lining up to, so it's hard to blame her for disobeying her parents and Grandma.
The fate of an innocent man matters, especially if he's your father, and an act of childlike faith could restore to Zoe a part of her life she never knew was missing.
What will be Marcus's fate, and Zoe's The answer is in these pages,

Part of what makes From the Desk of Zoe Washington a splendid novel is the depth and variety of relationships.
Zoe feels betrayed by Trevor before the book begins, but sees some signs that their friendship might not be dead.
Will they ever be comfortable together as they used to be The stain of hurt doesn't fade easily, "It was like when you drew something in pencil and then tried to erase itthe pencil lines would mostly go away, but sometimes the indent would still be there, so you could still sort of see what had been erased.
" Losing her friend permanently is more than Zoe can handle at the moment perhaps the friendship can be saved if they both need it enough.
"Maybe the pencil marks couldn't be erased, but at some point, you could decide to turn to a new page.
" There is a future with Trevor as her friend, just as Zoe hopes the page can be turned on the ugly pencil marks marring Marcus's past.
She can help him flip to a clean page and start writing a more hopeful tomorrow, A happy ending is a lot to expect, but if the miraculous occurs it will be because Zoe believed it could happen and did whatever it took to get there.
Saviors come in all shapes, sizes, and ages,

If From the Desk of Zoe Washington had won theNewbery Medal, I would applaud the selection.
Janae Marks writes with beauty, power, and pride, creating wondrously real characters and a situation filled with such moral complexity that there's no telling what the right thing is to do.
Is Zoe justified in ignoring her mother's wishes, and Grandma's, to pursue the lead on Marcus's alibi True, she owes her parents obedience, but if Marcus is innocent then he deserves redress for his wrongful conviction, and who will help him get it if not Zoe No one else has looked into the facts of his case for more than a decade.
The labyrinth of ethical and moral concerns is smartly constructed, stressful though the experience can be while reading, Janae Marks's debut is a fine piece of literature, and part of me wants to rate it three and a half.
A novel this good doesn't mosey along every day, so when it does, enjoy it, I certainly did. .