From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks

 

Last night, I finished reading From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks. This mystery is about a middle school girl, Zoe, who receives a letter from her birth dad, Marcus Johnson, on her twelfth birthday. Although Marcus has been in prison for a terrible crime her entire life, she decides to write back to him against her mother's wishes. While they are writing back and forth over the summer, Zoe begins an internship at a bakery, Ari's Cakes, to prove to her parents that she is ready to audition for a kid baking competition on the Food Network called Kids Bake Challenge!. In his third letter, Marcus claims that he is innocent and that he has an alibi witness. Zoe is left reeling after reading this letter, and when she goes to the library with her grandmother, she does some research into the criminal justice system to find out if it's possible for an innocent person to end up in prison. When she finds out that it is indeed possible, she and her friend, Trevor, research Marcus's case and look for the alibi witness upon learning her name from Marcus's next letter. Keeping the letters and her investigation a secret from her parents, Zoe is determined to uncover the truth and help get Marcus out of prison.

I was very excited to read this mystery after hearing about it last year, and it did not disappoint. Although I didn't think it was right that Zoe was keeping so many secrets from her parents, I loved her determination to follow her dreams and learn the truth about her birth dad's innocence. I definitely thought it was cool that Zoe enjoyed baking and the cupcake recipe she came up with during the story sounded delicious. This book may certainly give readers the urge for something sweet. I also really enjoyed the relationship that Zoe built with Marcus through their letters, and eventually, phone calls. Zoe ends up learning that they have a lot in common and I thought creating a playlist with the songs Marcus recommended in his letters was a great idea. I also liked how Zoe eventually decided to forgive Trevor after he said something about her that he didn't mean back in the spring while talking to his friends on the basketball team. He and her grandmother were the only two people who knew that she was communicating with Marcus and helped Zoe with her investigation. The story is quite suspenseful and there was a point towards the end where I didn't know if Zoe succeeded in finding the alibi witness or if it would all be for nothing. From the Desk of Zoe Washington is rooted firmly in the realities of the U.S. criminal justice system in a way that young people will understand, and it's a wonderful choice for anyone who wants to read a book about family and the search for truth.

Torpedoed: The True Story of the World War II Sinking of "The Children's Ship" by Deborah Heiligman

 

Yesterday, I finished reading Torpedoed: The True Story of the World War II Sinking of "The Children's Ship" by Deborah Heiligman. This unforgettable nonfiction book is an account of the sinking of the SS City of Benares in September 1940. Because the Germans were bombing England during World War II, parents had the opportunity to send their children out of the country through the Children's Overseas Reception Board (CORB) program if they were between the ages of five and fifteen. On September 13, the SS City of Benares, which became known as the Children's Ship, set sail for Canada with one hundred children on board. These children enjoyed playing, reading, and eating during the first five days of the trip. They especially loved the ice cream. In a devastating turn of events, the ship was torpedoed by a German U-boat the night of September 17 during a turbulent storm. Although the ship had enough lifeboats for everyone and held lifeboat drills, the conditions of this night were a significant factor and evacuating the ship was a challenge for both the passengers and the crew. In the midst of tragedy, many heroes emerged.

One of the most suspenseful pieces of narrative nonfiction I have ever read, this true story is absolutely riveting, and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, especially during the last part of book when the focus was on the survival of the people on lifeboat 12 who weren't rescued for eight days. Each time I read about a child dying during the tragedy, I would shed some tears and feel awful for the parents. I definitely admired the heroic actions of the survivors; including CORB escort Mary Cornish, CORB child Jack Keeley, and BBC reporter Eric Davis; and some of the victims, including Michael Rennie, another CORB escort, and George Crawford, another CORB child. Despite my horror and heartache, I also enjoyed the friendship of two of the CORB girls, Beth Cummings and Bess Walder. Their determination to survive on an overturned lifeboat was admirable. All in all, I wish I had learned about the tragedy of this disaster sooner. It may not have the magnitude of the Titanic, but the loss of children broke my heart, especially when they were supposed to be going to safety during World War II. Anyone who is interested in ship disasters and survival tales should read Torpedoed.

The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart

 

Last night, I finished reading The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart. This beautiful and adventurous realistic fiction novel is about a girl, Coyote, who has been traveling around the United States on a school bus with her father for the past five years after the tragic car accident that took the lives of Coyote's mother and two sisters. When she calls her grandma while in Florida, she learns that the park in Poplin Springs, Washington where she buried a memory box with her mom and sister is going to be demolished in four days. Although Coyote and her dad haven't been back there since the accident, Coyote comes up with a plan to travel all the way across the country back to the park for the box without her dad realizing it. On the way, they meet other misfit travelers and invite them to come along with them. 

After a bit of a slow start, I thought this book was amazing. The language that Gemeinhart used is beautiful and the story moved me. I definitely got a little teary-eyed at the more emotional moments. There were times that the story was heartbreaking, but there were also funny moments that caused me to laugh out loud. The novel was an emotional roller coaster ride. I thought the story was very tense, too, because I had no idea if Coyote would make it back to the park on time. One of my favorite moments was when Coyote and some of the other travelers planned a concert for her new friend, Salvador, to play violin because he and his mom had to leave their home just before he was going to play a solo in his youth orchestra's big concert. All of the travelers were unique and I came to love them all. Because I'm a cat person, I especially adored the cat that Coyote adopted at the very beginning of the story, Ivan. Coyote had this deep loneliness because she and her dad never stayed anywhere long enough for her to make friends, but Ivan is the catalyst for Coyote to seek out what makes her happy. The major themes of The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise are home, family, and friends, and it's a book I think that anyone would enjoy.