The Faraway Truth

From debut author Janae Marks comes a warm, wise and

captivating mystery full of heart, as one girl searches for the truth

in the face of great opposition.

‘Truly a must-read.’ ANGIE THOMAS, author of

THE HATE U GIVE

‘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.