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Solving Zoe

Solving Zoe
Solving Zoe
This edition: eBook, 240 pages
Ages: 8 - 12
Availability: Available for immediate download
List Price: $5.99
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Awards and Nominations

  • Bank Street Best Books of the Year

Description

Zoe Bennett feels lost at her fancy private school.

She's not the star drama queen like her sister, or a brainiac math genius like her brother. Luckily her best friend, Dara, is just as content as Zoe is to stay in the shadows -- or is she? When Dara gets a part in the school musical, Zoe feels abandoned. What's worse, Zoe's practically being stalked by the weird new kid, Lucas. Then Lucas accidentally drops his notebook and Zoe finds it's written in symbols and numbers -- it's complete gibberish. Yet she sees her name in there, plain as day. Now Lucas is telling her she's a natural code-reading genius -- or some kind of mental freak.

As Zoe's daydreaming lands her in trouble at school, anonymous notes start to appear in students' lockers, and Zoe is the number one suspect. Solving word puzzles may come easily to her, but now there's more at stake -- will Zoe be able to solve her way out of this?

With plenty of wit and insight, Barbara Dee has created this fresh, funny story of a girl who discovers that fitting in sometimes means standing out.

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Chapter 1
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    1. Author Barbara Dee: Revealed
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How did you come to write this book?

I was thinking about the heroine of my first book, Just Another Day in My Insanely Real Life, who, despite her messy family life, was actually pretty lucky: she knew that she was a talented writer, and that knowledge helped her get through some rocky times. And then I started thinking: what would it feel like to have an amazing talent but not know it? Or maybe know it but not understand it? It would be especially hard if you were going to a school where all the kids were "gifted and talented" in obvious, typical ways. I began imagining a girl who was used to hanging back in the shadows, holding onto a long-time best-friendship that wasn't really working anymore--until one day a strange new boy exposes her secret ability. The more I thought about this story the more it seemed to be about the exciting, scary process of figuring out who you are and where you fit--which I think anyone in any middle school can relate to.

Learn more about Barbara Dee
"Solving Zoe is funny, fast-paced, smart, and totally absorbing, with a twist of intrigue that will keep you reading past bedtime. Barbara Dee's a terrific writer."
-- Frances O'Roark Dowell
"...this vivid middle-school novel offers readers plenty to think about."
-- Booklist
"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."
-- School Library Journal
A Girls Life magazine Top 100 Must Read!