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Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe

By Jo Watson Hackl

By Jo Watson Hackl

By Jo Watson Hackl

By Jo Watson Hackl

By Jo Watson Hackl

By Jo Watson Hackl

Best Seller
Paperback $8.99

Jul 30, 2019 | ISBN 9780399557415 | Middle Grade (8-12)

Hardcover $19.99

Jul 10, 2018 | ISBN 9780399557392 | Middle Grade (8-12)

Ebook $8.99

Jul 10, 2018 | ISBN 9780399557408 | Middle Grade (8-12)

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    Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe by Jo Watson Hackl
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    Jul 30, 2019 | ISBN 9780399557415

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      Jul 30, 2019 | ISBN 9780399557415 | Middle Grade (8-12)

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    • Hardcover $19.99

      Jul 10, 2018 | ISBN 9780399557392 | Middle Grade (8-12)

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    Ebook
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      Jul 10, 2018 | ISBN 9780399557408 | Middle Grade (8-12)

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    About Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe

    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

    About Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe

    Eleven days. Thirteen 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 only 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
    2020-2021 Young Hoosier Book Award Nominee

    * “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

    “A tale of adventure, full of mystery.” –Robert Beatty, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Serafina and the Black Cloak

    “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. I couldn’t get enough of Cricket’s adventures. Totally unputdownable.”–Carrie Ryan, New York TImes Bestselling author of The Forest of Hands and Teeth

    About Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe

    Eleven days. Thirteen 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 only 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
    2020-2021 Young Hoosier Book Award Nominee

    * “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

    “A tale of adventure, full of mystery.” –Robert Beatty, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Serafina and the Black Cloak

    “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. I couldn’t get enough of Cricket’s adventures. Totally unputdownable.”–Carrie Ryan, New York TImes Bestselling author of The Forest of Hands and Teeth

    Read An Excerpt

    Read An Excerpt

    Read An Excerpt

    About Jo Watson Hackl

    Jo Watson Hackl was born in Biloxi, Mississippi, not far from Ocean Springs, where her favorite artist, Walter Anderson, lived and once painted a secret room. When Jo was eleven, she moved to a real-life ghost town, Electric Mills, Mississippi…. More about Jo Watson Hackl

    About Jo Watson Hackl

    Jo Watson Hackl was born in Biloxi, Mississippi, not far from Ocean Springs, where her favorite artist, Walter Anderson, lived and once painted a secret room. When Jo was eleven, she moved to a real-life ghost town, Electric Mills, Mississippi…. More about Jo Watson Hackl

    About Jo Watson Hackl

    Jo Watson Hackl was born in Biloxi, Mississippi, not far from Ocean Springs, where her favorite artist, Walter Anderson, lived and once painted a secret room. When Jo was eleven, she moved to a real-life ghost town, Electric Mills, Mississippi…. More about Jo Watson Hackl

    Product Details

    Category: Children’s Middle Grade Mystery

    Paperback | $8.99
    Published by Yearling
    Jul 30, 2019 | 240 Pages | 5-3/16 x 7-5/8 | Middle Grade (8-12) | ISBN 9780399557415

    Category: Children’s Middle Grade Mystery

    Hardcover | $19.99
    Published by Random House Books for Young Readers
    Jul 10, 2018 | 240 Pages | 5-1/2 x 8-1/4 | Middle Grade (8-12) | ISBN 9780399557392

    Category: Children’s Middle Grade Mystery

    Ebook | $8.99
    Published by Random House Books for Young Readers
    Jul 10, 2018 | 240 Pages | Middle Grade (8-12) | ISBN 9780399557408
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    Praise

    “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

    “A tale of adventure, full of mystery and suspense.”—Robert Beatty, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Serafina and the Black Cloak

    “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. I couldn’t get enough of Cricket’s adventures. Totally unputdownable.”—Carrie Ryan, New York Times Bestselling author of The Forest of Hands and Teeth

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