Solving Zoe

June 1, 2009
Gr 5-8-Zoe Bennett feels out of place at her progressive school. Her older siblingsone a talented actress and the other a math geniusdeserve to be there, but Zoe isn't so sure that she does. And while it may be something that she's thought to herself, she isn't prepared to hear the head of her division suggest that she should "consider other options." On top of her school trouble, Zoe's best friend, Dara, seems to be pulling away, hanging with more popular girls, and the strange new student, Lucas, is convinced that Zoe has a gift for reading codes and ciphers. When encrypted notes begin appearing in the lockers of some of the popular girls, she is a suspect and all of her problems come to a head. Zoe's reactions are believable, and readers will follow along as she gains confidence and tries to figure out what she wants and where her passion lies. Keys for the ciphers in the book are appended, as is a short bibliography."Amanda Raklovits, Champaign Public Library, IL"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2009
Grades 4-7 Zoe knows that she should feel pleased when her best friend, Dara, lands a part in the school musical, but she fears losing Dara, who has already shown signs of drifting away. Zoe herself feels rudderless among the highly motivated students at their gifted-and-talented school. A new classmate encourages Zoe to develop her aptitude for codes and ciphers, an idea that she finds increasingly compelling. Though unable to concentrate on her schoolwork, she focuses intently on a puzzle involving an ancient Mayan hieroglyph. The novel realistically portrays Zoes general unhappiness and her pain at losing a close friend while it shows her finding a way out of the emotional tangle through an intellectual interest coupled with growing self-confidence. Though the resolution is not entirely believable, this vivid middle-school novel offers readers plenty to think about. An appended section includes explanations of the ciphers used in the novel as well as a short bibliography.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)