Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe
  • Published: 26 July 2019
  • ISBN: 9780399557415
  • Imprint: RHUS Children's Books
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 240
  • RRP: $17.99

Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe

Formats & editions
EBook
10 Jul 2018
Paperback
26 Jul 2019
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11 days. 13 clues. And one kid who won't give up. Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe is "part treasure hunt, part wilderness adventure, and all heart" (Alan Gratz, New York Times bestselling author of Refugee).

11 days. 13 clues. And one kid who won't give up. Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe is "part treasure hunt, part wilderness adventure, and all heart" (Alan Gratz, New York Times bestselling author of Refugee).

How far would you go to find something that might not even exist?

All her life, Cricket's mama has told her stories about a secret room painted by a mysterious artist. Now Mama's run off, and Cricket thinks the room might be the answer to getting her to come back. If it exists. And if she can find it.

Cricket's first clue is a coin from a grown-over ghost town in the woods. So with her daddy's old guidebook and a coat full of snacks stolen from the Cash 'n' Carry, Cricket runs away to find the room. Surviving in the woods isn't easy. While Cricket camps out in an old tree house and looks for clues, she meets the last resident of the ghost town, encounters a poetry-loving dog (who just might hold a key to part of the puzzle), and discovers that sometimes you have to get a little lost . . . to really find your way.

2020 Mississippi Library Association Children's Author Award
2019 Southern Book Award Winner--Children's Category

"A tale of adventure, full of mystery." --Robert Beatty, New York Times bestselling author of Serafina and the Black Cloak

"An unforgettable story about a gutsy girl who will steal your heart." --Kathleen Glasgow, New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces

"Lyrical and endearing, this debut is a genuine adventure tale." --Kirkus Reviews, Starred
  • Published: 26 July 2019
  • ISBN: 9780399557415
  • Imprint: RHUS Children's Books
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 240
  • RRP: $17.99
Categories:

Praise for Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe

* "Told in the easy, laconic tone of good, Southern storytelling, Hackl's debut rolls off the tongue and into the heart easy as warm butter on a biscuit. Lyrical and endearing, this debut is a genuine adventure tale."--Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"This piercing, often humorous adventure demonstrates how facing the truth can bring freedom and hope."--Publishers Weekly

"The plot, full of adventure, treasure hunts, and mystery, will keep young readers hooked."--School Library Journal

"Colorfully narrated by Cricket, who comes across as idiosyncratic, intrepid, and wholly likable. An engaging first novel with a distinctive Southern setting."--Booklist

"Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe is part treasure hunt, part wilderness adventure, and all heart."--Alan Gratz, New York Times Bestselling author of Refugee

"A heartwarming coming-of-age story." --Kirby Larson, Newbery Honor-winning author of Hattie Big Sky

"A masterful debut. Cricket is my new hero, brave and funny and full of heart. I couldn't put it down."--Augusta Scattergood,  author of Glory Be

"A brilliant, utterly absorbing debut."--Carrie Ryan, New York Times Bestselling author of The Forest of Hands and Teeth

"Like my childhood favorite From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe is an art mystery, but with a Southern twist. This touching coming-of-age novel mixes Southern dialect, woodscraft, puzzle-solving, and art into a wonderful adventure that also delicately addresses the topic of mental illness. Highly recommended!" -Jill Hendrix, owner of Fiction Addiction Bookstore

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