logo

47 pages 1 hour read

Janae Marks

From the Desk of Zoe Washington

Janae MarksFiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2020

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Essay Topics

1.

Middle grade novels often feature situations that prompt new discoveries about self, others, or life in general for the protagonist. How does the internship at Ari’s Cakes befit one of these coming-of-age experiences for Zoe? What do her tasks there and the tasks or roles of others symbolize regarding growing up? Cite specific examples from three to four different work sessions at Ari’s Cakes in your response.

2.

When Zoe receives Marcus’s second letter, she feels like a weight has lifted: “[…] it was like I’d been tensing my whole body for all of my twelve years, and now I could finally relax. At least a little bit” (60). Yet when she receives the next letter, in which Marcus claims he is innocent of the murder charge, Zoe becomes angry; she crumples the letter and discards it in her backpack. What is the rationale for each of these reactions? What later events in the plot might the messages and tone of these letters foreshadow?

3.

Zoe and Trevor incite change in each other’s characters in both direct and indirect ways. What do Zoe and Trevor do or say to cause eventual change in the other?

blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
blurred text
Unlock IconUnlock all 47 pages of this Study Guide

Plus, gain access to 8,450+ more expert-written Study Guides.

Including features:

+ Mobile App
+ Printable PDF
+ Literary AI Tools