Scan barcode
kristenremenar's review against another edition
5.0
Great book to talk about the Innocence project and kids with incarcerated parents while also having the fun background of a kid who loves to bake. A fun read as well as an important one.
jwinchell's review against another edition
4.0
This is an outstanding novel about wrongful convictions and baking and friendship for the middle grade reader set. Zoe gets a letter on her 12th birthday from her birth father Marcus, who is in prison for murder. Zoe secretly starts writing him letters and getting to know her better. Grandma helps with this project because she believes Marcus is innocent and that Zoe deserves to have a relationship even though mom thinks Marcus is guilty and doesn't want Zoe to have anything to do with him. Zoe becomes determined to find Marcus' alibi and goes to great lengths to find her. Meanwhile Zoe is a very round character because she is really into baking and has a small internship at a local bakeshop for the summer. Her goal is to make a cupcake that the shop will sell and to land a spot on a Food Network show. Her friendship with her best friend Trevor hits some rough patches and it's good to see young people working out their struggles and finding their way back to being friends.
I gave this book 4 stars because I think the author could have included some back matter about wrongful conviction to round out the information the story provides.
I will be recommending this book to all readers who like fiction that challenges the dominant narrative.
I gave this book 4 stars because I think the author could have included some back matter about wrongful conviction to round out the information the story provides.
I will be recommending this book to all readers who like fiction that challenges the dominant narrative.
mbrandmaier's review against another edition
4.0
Zoe Washington is a 12-year-old who knows what she wants to do with her life.. become a baker. She spends most of her free time in pursuit of this goal until she comes across a letter from her biological father, Marcus, whom she has never met due to his being in prison for murder.
Now Zoe wants to find out more about Marcus, but her mother refuses to talk about him. Zoe communicates with Marcus secretly, and he tells her that he is innocent. Can Zoe find out if he is telling the truth?
Now Zoe wants to find out more about Marcus, but her mother refuses to talk about him. Zoe communicates with Marcus secretly, and he tells her that he is innocent. Can Zoe find out if he is telling the truth?
hellastrong's review against another edition
3.0
This is part of my middle-grade book exploration, and the results have been pretty mixed. There are aspects of this book that I liked quite well and others that have me rolling my eyes.
On the one hand, this is a sweet story (pun intended), nicely written for its audience level. It takes on important issues and has a good cast of well-developed characters.
On the other hand, it makes me feel that much worse for all the kids whose parents are in jail for something they did, in fact, do. The narrative arc of this book basically says hey, if your parent IS a "criminal," well, they're a schmuck and you shouldn't have anything to do with them.
Also, yay /sarcasm/ another book bashing public defenders! Listen, Janae, do you *know* any PDs? You will not find a group of people anywhere who will work harder to help people fight the system. They, unlike you, don't care whether their clients are guilty. They're working their butts off to get the best outcomes they can. This book, like so many, completely and utterly misses the mark.
Last but not least -- does Zoe even *like* baking? While this improved in the last part of the book, for most of the book Zoe was just going through the motions while being distracted about other stuff. She wasn't excited about the opportunity to learn about working in a bakery; she was resentful that she was being asked to [gasp] actually prove herself as a worker before being given more responsibility. The horror! She was burning stuff and overworking fondant and honestly, I wouldn't have let her do more either. While I'm being nitpicky, what bakery is open on major holidays like the 4th of July or Labor Day -- and what bakery would suggest that a kid start an "internship" on the busiest day of the year?
It occurs to me now that my history as both a former public defender AND a former professional baker meant that I *really* shouldn't have read this book.
It's not terrible, just flawed.
On the one hand, this is a sweet story (pun intended), nicely written for its audience level. It takes on important issues and has a good cast of well-developed characters.
On the other hand, it makes me feel that much worse for all the kids whose parents are in jail for something they did, in fact, do. The narrative arc of this book basically says hey, if your parent IS a "criminal," well, they're a schmuck and you shouldn't have anything to do with them.
Also, yay /sarcasm/ another book bashing public defenders! Listen, Janae, do you *know* any PDs? You will not find a group of people anywhere who will work harder to help people fight the system. They, unlike you, don't care whether their clients are guilty. They're working their butts off to get the best outcomes they can. This book, like so many, completely and utterly misses the mark.
Last but not least -- does Zoe even *like* baking? While this improved in the last part of the book, for most of the book Zoe was just going through the motions while being distracted about other stuff. She wasn't excited about the opportunity to learn about working in a bakery; she was resentful that she was being asked to [gasp] actually prove herself as a worker before being given more responsibility. The horror! She was burning stuff and overworking fondant and honestly, I wouldn't have let her do more either. While I'm being nitpicky, what bakery is open on major holidays like the 4th of July or Labor Day -- and what bakery would suggest that a kid start an "internship" on the busiest day of the year?
It occurs to me now that my history as both a former public defender AND a former professional baker meant that I *really* shouldn't have read this book.
It's not terrible, just flawed.
aoosterwyk's review against another edition
4.0
Sweet story about a young girl trying to prove her father’s innocence.
earowdy's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
cosy_novel_niche's review against another edition
4.0
A sweet middle grade story about the meaning of forgiveness, family and the very thought-provoking theme of innocence and guiltiness in the prison system.
ladymelaberger14's review against another edition
5.0
Great book for the middle grades. Themes of social justice, friendship, father/daughter relationships, perseverance.
valli200's review against another edition
5.0
What an absolutely crucial story to have out there for young children to access. I find it utterly fascinating to see how authors can condense such hard topics into works children can understand and this was done beautifully. I highly recommend.
chickchick22's review against another edition
3.0
Amazing. WOW. But uh…the ending was a bit too….happy. A bit too complete for such a heavy topic (her dad was accused of murder!). The ending was like “I figured out how to save dad! Yay. He is out now and all is happy. Whoopee.” Um…hello? If the ending was more like “I found a lawyer from the Innocence Project. Its getting there, getting dad free.” That is far more realistic.