Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe

In this emotional first novel, the 12-year-old narrator, Cricket, poses an essential question: “Just how far will you go to get your mama back?” After the death of Cricket’s grandmother, her mother “went to pieces” and then “ran off.” Cricket is left with her steady father, but his sudden death thrusts her into the care of a scheming aunt. When lonely Cricket learns that she’ll be sent to a greedy second cousin, and she’s subsequently abandoned in a grocery store, she flees to the woods, along with a new pet—an actual cricket, which she names Charlene. Together, they set out to solve a mystery that Cricket hopes will bring her mother home. Hackl crafts an authentic, memorable character in Cricket as she pieces her mother’s mood swings, medicine, and eccentric behavior into a penetrating and mature realization about mental illness. This piercing, often humorous adventure demonstrates how facing the truth can bring freedom and hope. Ages 8–12. [em](July) [/em]