Zoe Washington is a few years older and a few years wiser as her story continues in "On Air with Zoe Washington." After spending her 12th summer connecting with and working to prove Marcus' (her biological father) innocence, Zoe is back on the case this time as a 14 year-old burgeoning high schooler who wants nothing more than to see Marcus thrive now that he is out of prison.

In "On Air with Zoe Washington," Zoe is not only faced with the normal ins and outs of a rising ninth grader - parent dynamics, friend relationships, romantic relationships, work-school balance - but she is also faced with the challenge of helping her newly exonerated biological father land on his feet socially and financially. Zoe wants Marcus to live his best life and is willing to spend her entire summer ensuring that he is able to do so. She learns about the struggles exonerees face establishing themselves as active members of society despite the fact that they were wrongly imprisoned. She learns just how hard it is to start a new business. More importantly, Zoe learns that with a little grit and a little determination, she is able to achieve almost any goal she sets her mind to.

A phenomenal follow up to From the Desk of Zoe Washington! Marks gave much needed portrayal to families with incarcerated members in her first book and this sequel delicately and expertly explores what happens in the aftermath of release. Masterfully accessible for young readers, this book deserves a place in all collections.

This sequel to From the Desk of Zoe Washington continues the story of Zoe and her family. In the first book, Zoe helped to free her father, Marcus, from prison with the Innocence Project and he has been working to get himself back on his feet. Zoe continues with her love of baking and makes a good partner to Marcus and his love of cooking. When she hears that Marcus has always had a dream of opening his own restaurant, Zoe decides to move forward with a plan. She soon realizes the challenges that former inmates have with regaining a life outside of prison. Zoe had many preconceived ideas about former inmates and she was wise enough to know that she needed to learn more about their problems through Marcus.

This story is well-written and Zoe is a delight. She has perseverance and such dedication to her family, and she keeps the story moving forward. I loved all the characters and how her family all came together to support Marcus. I liked that Zoe had an open mind and was willing to learn more about formerly incarcerated people.

I was impressed that this book introduced the topic of the struggles of formerly incarcerated people. It was handled in an age-appropriate way and I think it provided many opportunities for future discussions. I definitely would recommend this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Zoe is back, now with a plan to open a food truck with Marcus. But there are so many obstacles! It’s eye-opening to read what life is like for exonerees and people who were previously incarcerated. It gives hope!

Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins for an eARC of this book.

It's the summer before high school and Zoe is busy. Her birth father has been exonerated from prison and is trying to get his life back together by opening a restaurant with Zoe. Between working at the bakery and planning for the restaurant, Zoe becomes aware of the difficulty formerly incarcerated people face to get back on their feet. And if that wasn't enough, it looks like her two best friends might be developing feelings for each other.

This was such a great middle-grade read. It addresses real issues with real characters and shows Zoe trying to create real change. Baking played an even bigger part in this book. Zoe really showcases her talents by making desserts for Sunday family dinners and planning the signature dessert for the restaurant. I loved how the separate plots ended up relating to each other and helped Zoe understand her feelings with her friends and her Dad's feelings toward Zoe's birth father in her life. I really want a third book where Zoe finally gets to be on a baking show.

I read From the Desk of Zoe Washington last June and absolutely fell in love not only with the character of Zoe, her passion, and her story but with Janae Marks’ writing as well. When I saw that she was writing a sequel to From the Desk of Zoe Washington, I knew I needed to get my hands on it as soon as possible!

In the first book, Zoe uses her courage and perseverance to get her birth father, Marcus, cleared of a crime for which he was wrongly convicted. Now that he is free, Zoe realizes that life is not as easy for an exoneree as she would have assumed. After seeing how Marcus struggles, Zoe spends a lot of time questioning what life after prison for both exonerees and previously incarcerated individuals looks like; she asks difficult questions, does her own research, and spends time working to overcome her own unconscious bias. At the same time, she deals with family, friendships, relationships, a new job, creating a podcast, and her dreams for the future which include opening a restaurant with Marcus.

One thing that I loved in the previous novel was the straightforward and understandable language that Marks uses to explain such important but potentially overwhelming topics. While she continues that writing style in this book, it would be nice to hear Zoe’s voice mature as the series progresses and she enters high school. Regardless, I can’t wait to see what Zoe does next!

FROM THE DESK OF ZOE WASHINGTON is one of the best modern Middle Grade novels, in my opinion, so I was thrilled to see that Marks released a sequel. Zoe is still a lovable, tenacious, passionate, and engaged young woman, and I loved reading about her continuing adventures and advocacy for exonerees. The way Marks wove in questions about prison reform and life after prison for both exonerees and convicts was a unique and important conversation and handled in a very age appropriate way. The only things that held this back from being quite as perfect as the original is that I felt there was a lot going on with the plot -- we had the bakery/Zoe's baking, the exonerees and prison reform conversation, Zoe's podcast, Marcus's restaurant dreams, Zoe's new friendship with Hannah, her best friends' burgeoning romance, her relationship with her dad after Marcus entering her life-- it was a lot for not a long page count. Also, Zoe is 14 years old in this book but because this is a middle grade, she and her peers read much younger, more like 11 or 12. If there is a third installment, it would be nice to see the perspective mature a bit while still maintaining a tone that is readable for the audience. Overall, a lovely MG read that fans of Zoe will love!

Fantastic follow-up to From the Desk of Zoe Washington! It has all the charm of the original and builds upon the foundation set in the first book (though readers can pick up this title solo and not feel lost). Marks writes honestly about the challenges of an eighth grader without oversimplifying. Kids will love Zoe's refusal to give up, her love for her family and friends, and her willingness to change her mind when she sees her blind spots. The story is well-plotted and paced, making it a fun read for adults and children, and the topics within are a jumping off point for all sorts of valuable family conversations. Loved it!

I loved this 2nd installment of Zoe's story! The book was so relevant with including a food truck and Zoe starting a podcast. I love her go get 'em attitude and always working to overcome the obstacles in her way! She's a great role model!

I was so excited to read the continuation of Zoe and her dad. This time around Zoe wants to help her father realize his dream of owning his own restaurant. She's also dealing with her two best friends crushing on each other. With her usual determination and spirit, Zoe finds a way through it all.

4.5 stars

I'm noticing some unusual review activity on this book, so I'd like to start by saying that (1) I actually read this novel and did so carefully, (2) I know and love Zoe, and (3) my students (college undergrads who primarily aspire to teach English or language arts in K-12, college, and/or university) are always wild for the first book in this series. My hopes were high, and I'm finishing the read feeling pretty satisfied with this book, especially as a follow-up to its predecessor.

Zoe, the m.c. and titular character, has her life and goals more together than most adults I've met. What's wild is that she also achieves her goals and always puts her plans into action, and while this might seem unrealistic at times, Marks provides her with an incredible support system and immense emotional intelligence that make even the borderline implausible seem totally fine for Zoe. In this novel, one character tells her that she is basically the living embodiment of Black Girl Magic, and it's impossible to disagree.

As readers of the first book will expect, there is a lot happening here. The family relationships and friendships continue to evolve, though there is a lot more of Marcus and Maya than mom, grandma, and Trevor in this round. The fellowship is still intact, but I did like getting to explore some of these other relationships in a new context. Zoe's still baking her heart out, and WOW. I hope Jasmine Guillory is reading this book. Zoe, in 20 years, needs to be a romantic lead in a Guillory novel. She is not only living her best life even as a kid; she also demonstrates an unwavering love for food that rivals only what I've seen in Guillory's characters. These authors need to be making plans if that's not already happening! Oh, and Zoe's continued fight against injustices surrounding the prison industrial complex, racism, and generally not getting what she wants? She's still the fiercest and most effective advocate around.

There are three details that I wanted to see refined a bit here. Two are brief but important moments: Zoe's interaction with a customer, which needs some follow-up (why did this happen, what is she supposed to learn, how does this help her going forward) and the idea that Zoe would be able to go on public radio as a young kid, say where she works, and then this is just...left in (?!) by the interviewers/producers. That seemed WILD to me, especially considering her mom's response (like it's on Zoe...?!). The bigger sticking point for me is considering the title, the cover, and the at times really important role of Zoe's pod, how incredibly late it comes up in the book. In the first book, the letters are at the center, and they are present from the jump; this structure works so well. I'd have loved to see the podcast eps and interviews work more like this. Get them happening earlier, in a clearer format (visually and structurally), and in a way where they can really help readers chart Zoe's growth (as the letters do in book 1). These instances and choices didn't kill the vibe for me, but I did find them a little messy considering the detail I've seen in all of Marks's other works. I'm hoping this is early draft specific and on the way to pre-publication edits already.

I love Zoe and Janae Marks's writing in general, and I expect that fans of the first book will find a lot to enjoy about this sequel. Of course, I'll be recommending this one to my students, who can't get enough of Zoe in just one novel, and I'll be eagerly anticipating Zoe's continued exploits, which I fully anticipate will end in her presidency (unless the country implodes before she's of age, which is a real concern these days) and then her great love story written by Guillory (and I am really hoping that Hannah is the other half of that pairing). Recommended, obviously, with a dash of wish list items included!

It’s the sequel to From the Desk of Zoe Washington!
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Two years ago Zoe Washington did the unthinkable: she cleared her birth father’s name and was able to get him exonerated from prison. She also competed in baking competition on the Food Network. Now she’s fourteen and it’s the summer before high school begins. Zoe has so many plans now that Marcus is out of prison and they’re working together at a bakery. One of Zoe’s goals lined up with her dad’s: to run a restaurant together. If you know Zoe, she’s go big or go home. With the help of those around her Zoe creates a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for the restaurant, as well as hosts an event for incarcerated people to talk about their time in prison. She also starts a podcast on the same topic. Nothing is stopping Zoe, but what happens when the deadline looms and they haven’t reached their goal?
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I loved the first MG book on Zoe and adored this one just as much. Zoe is tenacious, passionate and goal-oriented, but this novel showed us the work she still needed to do to be more open-minded. I hope there’s more Zoe adventures in the future! This title releases 2.14.23!

CW: prison reform, wrongful imprisonment, parent imprisoned, drug use (mentioned)

4.25 ⭐️ only because now that Zoe is 14/15 years old, it no longer feels like she should be written about in a middle grade way. I’d love to see Zoe as a teen in a YA novel!