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A review by maryhannawilson
From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks
4.0
Everything changes for Zoe Washington when she intercepts a birthday card she was never meant to read. The card is from her father, Marcus, who is serving time in jail for a terrible crime that he claims he didn't commit. Despite her mother's refusal to let her communicate with her father, Zoe continues to correspond with him and becomes determined to find the truth.
In the meantime, Zoe is also trying to balance her commitment to an internship at the local bakery while handling her anger at a former best friend. With so much on her plate, how will Zoe handle everything coming her way?
I really enjoyed this book and thought it addressed the important topic of systemic racism in our criminal justice system in addition to the general "middle grade" problems that come along with growing up. Zoe is a likable character and I appreciated her relationship with her grandmother, though I didn't care for all of the deception required to hide everything going on with Marcus from her mother. The mother's refusal to allow Zoe to communicate with her father seemed a little far-fetched to me as well as the mother's own refusal to hear him out.
This book addresses the topic of systemic racism in a meaningful way. It's a great opening for discussions with your kids. I would include the movie, Just Mercy, for older to dive into some of the work Bryan Stevenson is doing in this arena.
In the meantime, Zoe is also trying to balance her commitment to an internship at the local bakery while handling her anger at a former best friend. With so much on her plate, how will Zoe handle everything coming her way?
I really enjoyed this book and thought it addressed the important topic of systemic racism in our criminal justice system in addition to the general "middle grade" problems that come along with growing up. Zoe is a likable character and I appreciated her relationship with her grandmother, though I didn't care for all of the deception required to hide everything going on with Marcus from her mother. The mother's refusal to allow Zoe to communicate with her father seemed a little far-fetched to me as well as the mother's own refusal to hear him out.
This book addresses the topic of systemic racism in a meaningful way. It's a great opening for discussions with your kids. I would include the movie, Just Mercy, for older to dive into some of the work Bryan Stevenson is doing in this arena.