Janae Marks’s debut novel From the Desk of Zoe Washington should be required reading for all middle grade children. Not only is Zoe a loveable, humorous protagonist to follow, but the social justice topics covered in this book are crucial issues to which young people should be exposed. Zoe’s life is complicated enough with her baking internship and broken friendship with her next-door neighbor, Trevor. Yet when she receives a letter from her father, a man incarcerated for murder, on her twelfth birthday, Zoe begins an investigation that she refuses to stop until she uncovers the answers she seeks. Is her father innocent and, if so, what can she do to help him get out of prison?

Zoe, her friends, and her family all felt so realistic, and it is clear from the beginning that Zoe is surrounded by love and support. I love that the setting is clearly in Boston, referencing the Celtics and Harvard. There are many modern cultural references as well that set this book specifically in the late 2010s to 2020 with mentions of the Black Lives Matter movement and the very popular baking show craze we are experiencing in the last ten years or so. Speaking of the BLM movement, Marks does a brilliant job of addressing social justice issues, including the incarceration rates of black men and the prejudice/discriminations many BIPOC people experience every day. I think that our younger populations deserve to learn about these issues, and they are certainly not “too young” to learn about BLM or the failures observed in our current judicial system in the US. Marks is thoughtful and thorough, and never did I feel that the material was inappropriate or too mature for middle grade readers.

While this book does cover very heavy topics, Marks alleviates the narrative with moments of baking, bonding with family and friends, and Zoe simply growing up. It was lovely to become a part of Zoe’s world, and I think any child (or adult) reading this would want to be Zoe’s friend. I also love that this middle grade mystery features a young black protagonist. From my experience, the mystery industry is far too white for my liking, and I love that young readers have a new BIPOC author writing riveting mysteries with BIPOC protagonists. 

A middle grade mystery that everyone should read and cherish, From the Desk of Zoe Washington should be on your TBR shelves ASAP!