The Faraway Truth

'When Marcus tells Zoe he is innocent, and her grandmother agrees, Zoe begins to learn about inequality in the criminal justice system, and she sets out to find the alibi witness who can prove his innocence.'PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, 'An Anti-Racist Children's and YA Reading List'

'From the outset, debut author Janae Marks takes a sensitive approach to difficult themes of justice and racism to produce this
important, heartfelt book.’ THE SCOTSMAN

Zoe Washington isn’t sure what to write. What does a girl say to the father she’s never met, hadn’t heard from until his letter arrived on her twelfth birthday, and who’s been in prison for a terrible crime?

A crime he says he never committed.

Could Marcus really be innocent? Zoe is determined to uncover the truth. Even if it means hiding his letters and her investigation from the rest of her family. Everyone else thinks Zoe’s worrying about doing a good job at her bakery internship and proving to her parents that she’s worthy of auditioning for Food Network’s Kids Bake Challenge.

But with bakery confections on one part of her mind, and Marcus’s conviction weighing heavily on the other, this is one recipe Zoe doesn’t know how to balance.

• A warm and wise contemporary middle-grade novel by a fantastically talented debut writer.
• An incredibly moving and important story with important themes of racism and justice.
• Despite the big themes it sacrifices none of its middle-grade appeal – Zoe is a wonderfully lovable character and her journey is a real adventure.