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ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSTwelve-year-old Zoe Washington loves baking and dreams of competing on a Food Network kid baking show, but on her birthday she finds something that shakes up her whole summer: a letter from Marcus Johnson, the biological father she has never met, sent from a Massachusetts prison. Her mother has always refused to discuss Marcus, and Zoe knows he was convicted of murder, so she keeps the letter secret and faces a hard question: should she write him back? As the weeks pass, Zoe secretly exchanges letters with Marcus, starts a bakery internship, and finds herself wondering whether the man who signs every letter "Love, Daddy" could really be guilty of the crime that put him behind bars.
Free Battle of the Books questions for From the Desk of Zoe Washington
SPOILERSEvery one of these has the same answer, and that is the point. In a real battle the question is read aloud with a dozen other books in play, and students have a few seconds to place it. Here is what a battle might ask about From the Desk of Zoe Washington. Use them as a quiz, a trivia round, or BOTB practice.
Where in the book they come from
- Early in the book
In what book does a girl have her dream birthday party at a bakery called Ari's Cakes in Beacon Hill?
✓ Answer
From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks
Zoe celebrates her twelfth birthday by baking chocolate fudge cupcakes with friends Jasmine and Maya at Ariana's bakery in Boston's Beacon Hill neighborhood. The shop has a pale-blue awning and signature pale-blue aprons.
- First half
In what book does a girl first learn about an organization called the Innocence Project from a library book?
✓ Answer
From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks
Reading the introduction to The Wrongfully Convicted, the narrator discovers the Innocence Project, a group that helps wrongly convicted people get out of prison. This becomes central to her plan to free Marcus.
- First half
In what book does a girl overhear basketball teammates mocking her after she tripped in gym class?
✓ Answer
From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks
Home sick on the couch, the narrator overhears Sean and Lincoln making fun of how she fell during a basketball game. Lincoln admits he tripped her on purpose the second time, and Trevor laughs along with them.
- Second half
In what book does a man on a prison phone call greet his daughter as "My Little Tomato"?
✓ Answer
From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks
Marcus uses his nickname for her, which comes from the Pink Martini song Hang On Little Tomato. His deep, comforting voice reminds the girl of Morgan Freeman narrating animated movies.
- Second half
In what book do two kids fail to feed wrinkled dollar bills into a train ticket machine?
✓ Answer
From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks
Trevor's crumpled cash gets spit back out by the kiosk in Davis Square. They lose precious time getting to Harvard until they finally give up and buy passes from the human attendant at the ticket booth.
- Near the end
In what book does a furious girl scream "I hate you!" at her grandmother and immediately wish she had not?
✓ Answer
From the Desk of Zoe Washington by Janae Marks
Grandma demands the main character hand over her phone after she returns from Harvard, refusing to let her call Professor Thomas back. In a moment of pure anger, she screams the words even though they are not true.
