Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe

Read these opening paragraphs and hear voice oozing out of every sentence:Turns out, it's easier than you might think to sneak out of town smuggling a live cricket, three pocketfuls of jerky, and two bags of half-paid-for-merchandies from Thelma's Cash 'n' Carry grocery store.The hard part was getting up the guts to go. It happened like this: There I was in Thelma's produce section, running my fingers up and down a bundle of collards. Collards never did make for good eating, but I was wondering if maybe they were some kind of sign that it was time for me to skedaddle. Collards always reminded me of Mama. She used to make me drawing paper out of collards, sumac seeds, dryer lint, and newspaper Daddy chopped up in his wood chipper. She plunked things in her paper the way other people stuck things in scrapbooks. Thread from the hem of her wedding dress, a four-leaf clover, Daddy's first gray hair. Mama's paper held so much life, it made my drawings pop off the page.That was the kind of Mama and Daddy I used to have. (p.1-2)Who wouldn't keep reading after a hook like that?Soon the reader discovers that Cricket is on a quest to find Mama who ran off and left her with Aunt Belinda. Taking a cricket who she names Charlene, a little bit of food, her father's pocketknife, a doogaloo, and a small notebook full of Mama's paper, she sets off.By nightfall she gets to the woods near her family's property. Here is a setting description that I used in my writing classes this summer: "The woods smelled like a hundred and fifty years of dark. A goose-bumpy ghost-town kind of dark."(p. 19)She climbs into the tree house that "smelled like cedar, clean and wild," which her father built before he died. There, she reviews a letter addressed to her mother indicating her Grandmother's tombstone was to be placed on March 1-- in exactly eleven days. On it her mother had scrawled before, "I'm off looking for my birds." This brings back memories of all the times her mother left to find the "Bird Room" so she could prove it was real.With her few supplies, Charlene to keep her company, hope, and a pocketful of clues, Cricket begins her quest--but first she has to learn how to survive living outdoors.Like all good stories, Cricket's search has several twists and turns that test her gumption: raccoons steal her food, snow, and a copperhead bite. The last is too much for her to deal with alone and she seeks help from Miss V., an eccentric woman who provides more answers about her mother and the bird room than Cricket could have dreamt of. At the same time that the story moves forward, the author provides bits and pieces of backstory that help put the puzzle pieces together.SMACK DAB is not only a story of outdoor survival or putting puzzle pieces together. It is also a story of a young person coming to grips with her mother's mental illness. Beautifully woven into the text is Cricket's slow realization that her mother's behavior was eccentric, unexplainable, and unstable. Like Laura in CRAZY by Linda Phillips, Cricket begins to see a different picture:What about all the sharp looks in the grocery store? The looks at Mama. The looks at me.If my mama was crazy, just what exactly did that make me?The floorboards felt like they were shifting. Nothing felt solid. I grabbed hold of the wall.Is this what going crazy feels like? (p. 141)After I finished reading SMACK DAB I told Jo, "When I grow up I want to be like Cricket." Readers young and old will be inspired by Cricket's courage and spunk--as well as her love for her mother and the truth. And of course, also for her love for the outdoors.

From the beginning paragraph in Smack Dab in the Middle of MAYBE, I was pulled into the deep southern dialect of Mississippi and into the story of survival in the harsh woods of a ghost town. This creative story grabs your heart and guides you through Cricket's self-discovery. Her spunk and bravery wove a terrific adventure and taught me about things I could eat from nature. Even while she's hungry, cold and hurt, her fortitude on finding the clues to solve her mystery kept me reading late into the night. This novel is a unique middle grade story that all ages will want to read.

This tale of a young girl, nicknamed Cricket, sets off on a journey to find her mother who abandoned her shortly after her father’s passing. Cricket ventures into the woods following a trail of clues, trying to find her mother along with the hopes of proving her mother’s sanity to the town that written her off as crazy. Jo writes with a unique combination of figurative language, riddles, and a peek into the characters’ thoughts, leaving the readers sure they’ve stepped into the woods with these characters, full of charm.

Pick your favorite genre! This middle-grade novel by Jo Watson Hackl is part mystery, part adventure and part coming-of-age in the Deep South. It's a page turner, too, spangled with poetic language and thoughts you didn't even know you had until you see them on the page in black and white. Cricket's dad has died and her unstable mom has disappeared, leaving her with her Aunt Belinda, who sends out mixed messages about providing a stable home. So Cricket sets out on a quest to find oout the answer to a secret she thinks will make her Mama want to come home again. She pits her wits and courage against confusing clues and the dangers of life in the wild to get closer to the truth about Mama...and about herself.

LOVED IT. "Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe" by Jo Hackl was a page-turner that I could not put down! The main character, Cricket, captured my heart in the first chapter. The desire for a stable home is universal and she is on a mission to figure out life.The advice from Daddy in chapter 14 sums it up when he explains "Woods Time" to Cricket. He said, "I think I needed to learn what the woods had to teach me. When you're around other people, it's easy to get caught up in everything and everybody around you. Out in the woods, it's just you. And if you're going to last any time out in the woods, you'd better get comfortable with whoever it is you are."Without spoiling the ending, I will share only that the plot takes many unexpected turns, and leaves the reader with a recognition that true happy endings aren't always getting what you want, but might still be what you need.

This book was so fun it was hard to put down. Cricket, the main character was a determined young girl determined to get back with her mom who is not quite right in the mind. Cricket's journey to make the reunion happen is well developed and keeps the reader interested. I'd recommend this book to young adults, kids, and adults, especially is you love a bit of Southern literary style in your life.

Art lovers, in particular fans of Walter Anderson, will enjoy reading this young adult novel. Twelve-year-old Cricket is on her own in nature, searching for "The Bird Room" and trying to find her mother, who disappeared after her father's death. The setting a desolate town where she lived, . The town now nothing but abandoned door steps, a few signs, and an occasional coin. As an adult reader, I still enjoyed the book. In fact, I've bought copies for both of my preteen granddaughters and look forward to their opinions. Fortunately, we live close enough to the Walter Anderson Museum of Art to plan a visit to his "Little Room." Author Jo Hackl also provides a nice summer reading kit for readers to explore nature and art as they read.

I was searching for a new book for my avid reading ten year old granddaughter. I read the teaser on my kindle and couldn't help but download it. That was at 8:30 in the morning, at 4:00 in the afternoon (and some wine later) I read the last page with tears running down my cheeks. Little Cricket and her adventure is heart-warming, sensitive, touching and loveable. This is not just a book children, soft hearted grandads beware! It grabbed me and held me all the way through. Jo Hackl might be the new kid on the block but she stands out from the crowd.. Smack Dab is my best read of 2019. Michael Green on wife's Amazon account.