From the Desk of Zoe Washington

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. 

Zoe Washington isn’t sure what to write. 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.

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 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.

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 only thing she knows to be true: Everyone lies.

"When Marcus tells Zoe he is innocent, and her grandmother agrees, Zoe begins to learn about inequality in the criminal justice system, and she sets out to find the alibi witness who can prove his innocence." (Publishers Weekly, "An Anti-Racist Children's and YA Reading List")

Plus don't miss Janae Marks's A Soft Place to Land!

• Social Justice for Kids: Zoe dives into the complex world of the criminal justice system, determined to find the truth for her father, Marcus, even when the adults in her life won’t listen.
• Family Secrets: Hiding letters and a secret investigation from her mom is tough, but Zoe knows that uncovering what really happened twelve years ago is the most important thing she’ll ever do.
• A Heartfelt Pen Pal Story: It all starts with a letter on her twelfth birthday. As Zoe and Marcus get to know each other through their writing, she starts to wonder if the father she’s never met is really the man everyone says he is.
• A Passion for Baking: While she’s secretly trying to exonerate her father, everyone else thinks Zoe is focused on her bakery internship and her dream of competing on the Kids Bake Challenge.