From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks

Reviewed by Sai

Can you imagine receiving a mysterious letter from your birth dad in prison? Specifically a birth dad you’ve never met, but seems to know so much about you? In From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks, that’s exactly what happens to Zoe on her 12th birthday.

Zoe Washington is just a normal girl, trying to get through a so-so summer. That is, until a puzzling letter arrives from her incarcerated birth father, Marcus. Zoe is unsure what to do-- criminals are criminals, and she certainly doesn’t think Marcus is in jail for nothing. However, Zoe’s view of Marcus’s imprisonment slowly starts to change. While juggling a baking internship, friendship troubles, and Marcus’s mystery, Zoe starts to wonder if she’s taking on way too much. More importantly, she wonders if Marcus could really be innocent.

The first reason I liked this book is because it had a captivating plot. Conflict after conflict would arise in the story! One of the most interesting parts of the book is when Zoe and her friend, Trevor, lie to their parents about going to a movie theater and take a train to Harvard University. Zoe and Trevor end up getting caught not going to the movie. They had been hoping to speak to a professor at Harvard who was supposedly Marcus’s alibi witness. 

Another reason I really liked this book is because it was such a suspenseful story. The author, Janae Marks, does a wonderful job of highlighting the climax and making it as breath-holding as possible. When Zoe goes to visit Marcus in prison, my heart was beating really fast. It is the first time she is going to meet her father! 

I would rate this book a 10/10 because it was very absorbing and page-turning. I would recommend this book to both boys and girls, especially people who like mystery. This book is not in a series, so you can read it without reading anything else first. Want to find out if Marcus’s prison sentence is overturned? Go to your local library and borrow From the Desk of Zoe Washington now!

Katherine Tegan Books, 320 pages