The only thing she knows to be true: Everyone lies. Her party consisted of a baking session at Ari’s Cakes in Beacon Hill, her favorite neighborhood of the city. Zoe just turned 12, and she loves to bake. Now her birth father has finally been released from prison and to an outpouring of community support, so everything should be perfect. Zoe Washington, a Black American girl who lives in the Davis Square neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, returns home following an amazing birthday party. Two years ago, Zoe Washington helped clear Marcus’ name for a crime he didn’t commit. 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 below description contains spoilers for From the Desk of Zoe Washington. 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.

Even if it means hiding his letters and her investigation from the rest of her family. Could Marcus really be innocent? Zoe is determined to uncover the truth. 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. From the Desk of Zoe Washington is a moving, true-to-life middle-grade novel that highlights just how potent perseverance can be even when you’re just twelve. 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.

From the desk of zoe