A review by alliemikennareads
From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks

adventurous emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad 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? Yes

5.0

I really liked this middle grade read. It has rich details, interesting characters, and age appropriate conflict between friends that’s totally believable. I loved Zoe’s character. The mixture of the storylines with her baking passion, friendship with Trevor, and the letters to Marcus were perfectly interwoven. Each was shown equal attention and this book covered a lot of topics really well in my opinion. 

I felt like this book handled the topic of systemic racism and wrongful conviction in a really age-appropriate way that offers an opportunity for young readers to learn and understand what it would be like to be in Zoe’s situation. The narrative style brings you along while letting you get inside Zoe’s head and it’s so well written. 

I really enjoyed reading this as an adult and would absolutely recommend it to fellow adults who love middle grades and to middle school level readers. 
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