<p>Just Maria is the story of Maria Romero, a blind sixth-grader who is trying her hardest to be normal. Not amazing. Not inspiring. Not helpless. Not weird. Just normal. Normal is hard enough with her white cane, glass eyes, and bumpy books, but Maria’s task is complicated by her neighbor and classmate JJ Munson, an asthmatic overweight oddball known in the halls of Marble City Middle as a double-dork paste-eater. When JJ draws Maria into his latest hare-brained scheme—a series of public challenges to prove their worth as gumshoes for his Twinnoggin Detective Agency—she fears she’s lost her last chance to go unnoticed. When a young girl goes missing on the streets of Marble City, Maria’s new-found confidence is tested in ways she never anticipated. Use your cane and your brain, and figure it out . . . Aimed at middle-grade readers, Just Maria explores difference and disability without resorting to the saccharine and engages universal themes about the price of popularity and the meaning of independence.\nFrom School Library Journal\nGr 4 Up—Sixth grader Maria Romero is blind and opinionated. She doesn't want to be pitied for her blindness; it's all she has known. She doesn't have any superpowers, and she doesn't want to have to behave in an exemplary way, especially when it comes to her neighbor and classmate, J.J. Munson. He's fat, asthmatic, wears army boots, and has no filter. He does treat Maria with consideration for her blindness, like announcing himself by name when he greets her instead of making her guess his voice as others tend to do. Maria allows herself "Crabby Abby Days" and shares her top ten list of the most annoying things about being blind, with number one being the "Can You Guess Who This Is?" game. J.J. is also relentlessly optimistic and takes fabulous care of his severely autistic younger sister. He wants to start a detective agency with Maria, which Maria has no interest in. He blithely ignores her and sets up a series of challenges, which Maria has no intention of attempting, until she does. Maria is an utterly engaging, often hilarious narrator. Her cynicism and dry humor make her a bit prickly, which is the way she likes it. J.J. is endearing and perhaps not as clueless as Maria believes. Short chapters and a hunt for a missing child add to the appeal. VERDICT Readers will learn much as they fall in love with Maria and J.J. A terrific title that will be popular.—Brenda Kahn</p>

Just Maria

Children's Books

Hardwig, Jay

Mysteries & Detectives

Fitzroy Books

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Hardwig, Jay. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Hardwig, Jay

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Hardwig, Jay. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Just Maria