From the Desk of Zoe Washington (Zoe Washington #1) in Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge

Jun 02, 2020 Abby Johnson added it

Shelves: 6th_grade, 4th_grade, 5th_grade, author-of-color, contemporary

What do you do when life throws you a curveball? Zoe Washington plans to spend the summer baking and avoiding her ex best friend who happens to also be her next door neighbor. Now that she's turned twelve, she's finally old enough to apply to be a contestant on her favorite kids' baking reality show IF she can prove to her parents that she's mature enough to handle it. But when Zoe grabs the mail early one day, looking for a birthday card from a generous aunt that's on its way, she discovers a l ...more

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Dec 08, 2020 Renata rated it really liked it

Shelves: middle-grade, fiction, contemporary, we-need-diverse-books, mystery

I think what I loved most about this mystery is how very real and achievable it felt. A lot of mysteries for younger readers rely on pretty improbable clues/scenarios (which is fine! That's engaging and interesting) but this felt like exactly the amount of detective work that a 12-year-old with internet access and the ability to sneak off to the Harvard campus (and later get in trouble by getting home late due to MBTA issues) could do. Similarly, when she gets her "internship" at the bakery and ...more

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Feb 09, 2022 Noam rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: juvenalia, anglo-america, audiolibros

I think this would make a good book for an upper elementary class read-aloud and discussion, or to be read independently by middle schoolers and some upper el readers too.

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Jul 17, 2020 Adriel rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: j-diverse, j-fiction

Book balances cozy topics like baking with harder ones like wrongful incarceration and racism in an engaging, gentle way.

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Mar 11, 2022 Kate (kate_reads_) marked it as dnf

Shelves: dnf-2022

DNF at 60%. Library book was due. Good story though and would recommend to middle grade readers!

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Dec 12, 2020 Kate McCartney rated it it was amazing

Shelves: jfiction, friendship, girl-power, 2020

Zoe has never had a relationship with her father until her 12 birthday, because he was found guilty of murder before she was born. When she starts writing him letters she learns he claims he is innocent. This is nice, introduction to how our justice system can get it wrong for middle grade readers.

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