Book Review: Smack Dab In the Middle of Maybe

Synopsis: Cricket’s had a rough go of it lately, her father has died, her mama ran off and now she’s stuck with her aunt and cousins who make her life miserable. So when an opportunity presents itself to learn the the truth about a secret room her mama’s always talked about, she takes the bull by the horns and heads out on her own to solve the clues left behind in the hopes of bringing her mama back for good.

Review: This is the story of how life can be so unstable and yet, kids will be more resilient than expected. Cricket’s lost her dad, her mom clearly suffers from bipolar disorder which leaves Cricket’s world rocking each and every time she goes from one extreme to the other and yet Cricket’s love for her family is evident and she wants nothing more than what all kids want – someone to love her and take care of her.

I found the setting of this story to be extremely unique and yet realistic at the same time – the ghost town with cement sidewalks through weeds and trees, the woods where spending any amount of extended time takes preparation and skill and a friendly, yet mysterious home which might just hold the answers Cricket needs.

While Cricket collects the clues to better understand her mama’s secret room obsession, Cricket learns more about what it means to be family and how to best take care of herself, even when the answer still hurts. I really enjoyed the ending in this book and how Cricket became a self-advocate even though the decisions she made were difficult.

Twitter Booktalk (280ish characters or less): While Cricket collects the clues to better understand her mama’s secret room obsession, Cricket learns more about what it means to be family and how to best take care of herself, even when the answer still hurts.

Title: Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe
Author: Jo Watson Hackl
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: July 10, 2018 (expected date)
Page Number: 240 pgs.

I reviewed this title compliments of Netgalley.