Faraway Truth

From debut author Janae Marks comes a warm, wise andcaptivating mystery full of heart, as one girl searches for the truthin the face of great opposition.'Truly a must-read.' ANGIE THOMAS, author ofTHE HATE U GIVE'When Marcus tells Zoe he is innocent, and her grandmotheragrees, Zoe begins to learn about inequality in the criminal justicesystem, and she sets out to find the alibi witness who can provehis innocence.' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, 'An Anti-RacistChildren's and YA Reading List''From the outset, debut author Janae Marks takes a sensitiveapproach to difficult themes of justice and racism to producethisimportant, heartfelt book.’ THESCOTSMANZoe Washington isn’t sure what to write. What does a girlsay to the father she’s never met, hadn’t heard fromuntil his letter arrived on her twelfth birthday, and who’sbeen in prison for a terrible crime?A crime he says he never committed.Could Marcus really be innocent? Zoe is determined to uncoverthe truth. Even if it means hiding his letters and her investigationfrom the rest of her family. Everyone else thinks Zoe’sworrying about doing a good job at her bakery internship and provingto her parents that she’s worthy of auditioning for FoodNetwork’s Kids Bake Challenge.But with bakery confections on one part of her mind, and Marcus’sconviction weighing heavily on the other, this is one recipeZoe doesn’t know how to balance. A warm and wise contemporary middle-grade novel by afantastically talented debut writer.An incredibly moving and important story with importantthemes of racism and justice.Despite the big themes it sacrifices none of its middle-gradeappeal – Zoe is a wonderfully lovable character andher journey is a real adventure.