Lizzie down for the count…finally!   Zoe Triumphs!

vs

 

  Stephanie, Rushmi, Jon, Emily, Norma

Stephanie:  From the Desk of Zoe Washington is definitely a book I would recommend to younger students. I feel like it lightly broached important and relevant topics in a manner that would be palatable to children without being too intense or heavy. I, however, also agree with Norma regarding it’s underdevelopment with regards to plot and resolution, which was a tad disappointing. When reading it, I felt like it was missing a few chapters. 

The Borden Murders is definitely not a book I would read out of choice. I did find it harder to read and engage with at first due to the choppy narrative and different perspectives regarding the case. Despite my initial hesitation and irritation, I eventually found myself looking forward to reading it, which I feel attests to how good a book it actually is. I found myself talking to my husband about the case and how crime scene technology has developed over time. I also enjoyed the photos and the end of the book, where it talks about life after the trial. 

Although From the Desk of Zoe Washington is an easier read and the type of story I would normally be interested in, I vote for The Borden Murders this round. 

 

Rushmi:  From the Desk of Zoe Washington is a feel good read that you know will have a happy ending...which kind of leaves you wanting more from the book.  The book takes a straightforward path with the main storyline, which turns out better than expected, but doesn’t really dare to elaborate on the side stories, such as the baking show and apprenticeship, the “boy” friend, or the lies told to move the story along. In the end, it is an easy read, and good for middle school kids. The fact that the main character has motivation to meet her goals would be inspiring for kids, as is the fact that this book is very recent and mentions current events such as Black Lives Matter, relevant to the story seeing as the main character is a visible minority from a mixed family. Because it is current, you almost want to search up alongside Zoe to find out if there is truth to any of the story.  

The Borden Murders has you wondering with suspicion from the very get go. As part of history, it is interesting for readers to learn about how the people at that time lived, and what crime scene investigation was like. However, there are so many characters that you need to check the reference pages, along with the photos of the characters and the setting. What might help is a timeline of events at some point because things get fairly confusing. In the end, it is up to the reader to put together the facts of how the evidence was provided to make their own decision.  The one thing you do know all along is that this book probably won’t be appropriate for school aged kids. 

 

For this round, I nominate From the Desk of Zoe Washington to move to the next round.

 

Emily:  As a fan of crime and courtroom dramas, I was quite curious heading into The Borden Murders, especially since I was unfamiliar with the Lizzie Borden case. However, as I started reading, I found the shift in narrative voice from historical retelling, to analysis and extra background information to be jarring. It took me right out of the momentum of the story. If I were reading this book just for my own enjoyment, I don’t think I would have finished it.

In terms of the actual case, I found it was bogged down by the overabundance of details. Every piece of evidence or non-evidence was described by multiple witnesses, often with conflicting reports. In addition to this, witnesses contradicted each other and themselves so frequently that any “big reveal” lacked impact. I understand wanting to be historically accurate, but for me, the hyper-attention to detail made the case much more difficult to follow.

The final straw for me was the ending, or really the non-ending of we still don’t know if Lizzie Borden did it, and probably never will. This was frustrating for me after investing the time in reading the book. I kept expecting all of the extra evidence and detailed analysis to lead to something, but it never did.

From the Desk of Zoe Washington is an easy, feel good read with a main character that is easy to root for. This novel was much easier for me to get into in terms of writing style and flow, and I was quickly invested in the story of Zoe developing a relationship with her biological father.

The book isn’t perfect. The baking subplot felt a bit out of place in the context of the main storyline, especially since there isn’t much of a payoff with the internship or baking show audition.

The ending also felt slightly rushed. The author spends quite a bit of time developing the relationship between Zoe and her father, her investigation into his innocence, and the build up of all the secrets characters have been keeping from each other. But in the end when all is revealed, there seems to be a rush to tie up all the story threads, so you don’t feel the weight of the consequences to Zoe’s choices. Because of this, the ultimate resolution doesn’t feel as earned as it could have.

The story is sweet, despite its flaws and I can see my students enjoying this book.

For this round, I vote From the Desk of Zoe Washington to move forward.

 

 Norma:   Zoe is an easy read.  The story is simplistic and everything wraps up too quickly and positively with a big bow.  I would have liked more from the fallout from Zoe lying to her parents and Grandma and from breaking the rules; from Grandma aiding her in the deceit, from mom keeping things from Zoe.  There didn’t seem to be any real consequences.Such a build up and then a let down in how quickly everything was resolved. Judgement is reserved as to which book will move on.

 

The Borden Murders was a little more difficult to read as it wove facts of the case and narrative in an interesting way.  I was drawn to the story because  although I was familiar with the story of Lizzie Borden it was just very superficially.  I learned a lot about the judicial system of the day.  This book will appeal to kids who love mysteries and trying to find solutions.  There were many twists and turns to keep the reader interested. 

 

For me, I vote to move Lizzie Borden forward!

 

Jon:  Zoe was definitely the superior book.  It was a smooth read, it often left chapters on a cliffhanger to keep you interested and advancing the story.  It is a girl who slowly finds out that her father, who has been in prison for her entire existence, has been trying to play an active role in her life this whole time.  She wants to build the relationship, but has to do so in secret, as her mother wants him to play no role in her life.

 

There are numerous flaws and plot holes.  I find the backdrop of Zoe wanting to win the kid’s baking championship to be a chore to read through.  The second I entered a page where she was gathering baking materials, all I could think was “Oh no… not again… This is the next six pages of my life… Why does this keep happening…”  I get that the author used this as a time for Zoe’s self-reflection or important conversations, but it seemed that every other chapter she was baking something new.  Also, for a girl who wants to enter the Kid’s Baking Championship, she knows how to do surprisingly little without the use of someone else’s cookbook. 

 

Another issue that I had was how easy it was for a 12-year-old girl to resolve everything.  It literally took five minutes for her to find a solution to certain problems, whereas professionals couldn’t do it with time, money, and resources?  I’m not buying it. 

 

But no matter the issue in Zoe, it didn’t come close to the dry read that was The Borden Murders.  I will preface this by stating that I love a good murder mystery.  There is an entire channel dedicated to those shows where someone disappears, and they give a full hour breaking down the sequences of events, examining clues and suspects, and my favorite part is always right before the final commercial break when they say “When we come back, detectives find the clue that breaks this case wide open.”  And the excitement builds finding out what mistake the criminal makes to get caught. 

 

This was the opposite of that.  This was “And on every page we will show you one more clue and piece of evidence that leads nowhere or ultimately has nothing to do with the case.”  They brought in information under the guise that it would lead somewhere, but it ultimately never did. 

 

It may be that I had certain expectations for the book, but one of the more off-putting liberties the author took was adding detail that nobody could have possibly known.  How certain dialogue was said, what somebody doing when nobody was around, motivations for certain characters, etc.  It is as if the true story happened, that story was turned into a film with many artistic licenses taken, and that film was turned back into a story that became The Borden Murders.  

 

My vote goes for From the Desk of Zoe Washington.