Skip to main content

ENCHANTED STORIES: From the Desk of Zoe Washington

Image
By


From the Desk of Zoe Washington
By Janae Marks
New York: Katherine Tegen Books, 2020. Fiction.

On her 12th birthday, aspiring baker Zoe Washington receives a surprise letter from Marcus - her biological father who's been imprisoned for murder since before Zoe was born. Against her mother and stepfather's wishes, Zoe secretly begins writing to Marcus with the help of her maternal grandmother. As Zoe gets to know Marcus, she has a hard time believing the kind, basketball loving, R & B music listening, recipe-sharing man could actually be guilty. Zoe learns that the evidence used to convict Marcus was circumstantial and inconclusive, which prompts her to learn more about inequality in the criminal justice system and how black people like her and Marcus are more likely to be wrongfully convicted of crimes.

This incredible debut novel is perfect for facilitating conversations about racial profiling with middle grade readers. Though the subject matter may seem heavy at first, Janae Marks keeps the story age-appropriate and well-paced. Zoe is a wonderfully well-rounded character dealing with lots of twelve-year-old issues like friendship, family, doing what's right, and, of course, her dream of competing on Kids Bake Challenge. This is a powerful and hopeful story about a difficult topic, but its timely message is a great starting point for parents wanting to discuss race with their children.



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Painting for Peace in Ferguson

By
Painting for Peace in Ferguson By Carol Swartout Klein Treehouse Publishing Group, 2015. Nonfiction. When the city of Ferguson was overrun with so much hate and despair that homes and businesses had to be boarded up to protect property, citizens of the community decided to bring a message of hope by painting the boarded windows. Klein’s rhyming text supports the photographs of the hundreds of artists and volunteers and their artwork as they bring the messages of peace, hope, love, and that by being united they can make a difference. A great book to show children how a community rallied to make a positive change and that even a small gesture can make a huge difference. A great discussion opener on how we should treat each other.
Post a Comment
Read more

Dragon Run

By
Dragon Run by Patrick Matthews Scholastic, 2013.  336 pgs.  Fantasy      Al Pilgrommor is excited for Testing Day, when he will receive his rank, a tattooed number on the back of his neck, and a path forward to his future occupation and life.  He feels confident because his parents were fours on a scale of seven, but he is worried for his friend Wisp who doesn't have much of a chance of scoring above a two at best. But when Al is scored a zero, he not only has no prospects, he may lose his life as the dreaded Cullers are unleashed to kill him and his family to purify the land's bloodlines.  Al's world is ruled by dragons--the lords and supposed creators of humankind--so he thinks that even if he survives, he will have to make his living as a beggar or thief. But when Al sticks up for his Earther friend in front of Magister Ludi, he is drawn into the struggle of a secret organization hoping to destroy the Cullers, and perhaps the dragons them...
1 comment
Read more

Review: We're All Gonna Die-Nosaur!

By
We’re All Gonna Die-nosaur! By Kon Tan  New York: Disney Hyperion, 2025. Intermediate. 157 pages.  Pterry (the “p” is silent) pterodactyl is a worry wart. Pterry is worried about flying (he doesn’t how to fly yet), dinosaurs going extinct (he had a scary dream), and how to protect his family (he has a little brother who hasn’t fully hatched from an egg yet). Even though there is a lot of feels for Pterry, this is actually quite a funny book. Pterry tries to learn how to fly with kites as his “training wheels” and his brother who is inside an egg is quite the adventurer.  This is a funny, heart-felt comic-like intermediate fiction book that will be great for many readers. If kids love dinosaurs, this book is for them. If kids like funny graphic novels, this book is for them. If kids want to read something about facing fears and doing things even though they don’t always want to, this book is for them. Plus, even though Pterry does a lot of things on his own, he still has s...
Post a Comment
Read more