Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe

Smack Dab in the Middle of Maybe is a decent mystery where Cricket searches for a room that her mom says is alive with birds. No one else believes Cricket’s mom (who we learn later is mentally unstable), but Cricket thinks the room is a clue to reuniting with her mom.

Details are slowly revealed, which makes the beginning super confusing, and it’s hard to believe that Cricket would find and understand the clues so fast. I found the middle of the book to be fairly boring and slow, as most of the action occurs in flashbacks and there’s a lot of reflection on her relationships with her parents. The book leaves a lot of unanswered questions, like how her dad died and why her mom left, and ultimately I found the ending very unsatisfying.

My favorite part of the book is that the main character’s nickname is Cricket and she befriends an actual cricket! Their relationship brought some light and fun to an otherwise very sad book. I think this book may be of more interest to older kids who have more experience with strained relationships with their parents or caregivers, but I felt alarmed and frustrated by the adult’s actions in this book.