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A Crooked Kind of Perfect

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A CROOKED KIND OF PERFECT; Linda Urban; New York: Harcourt, 2007, 211pp. Fiction

Nine-year-old Zoe Elias yearns to play the piano--a baby grand, in the manner of Vladimir Horowitz. Her father responds to her musical wishes by bringing home a "wood-grained, vinyl-seated, wheeze-bag organ. The Perfectone D-60." Desperate to play just about anything, she starts up lessons with Mabelline Person (Per-saaaahn) , a ginger-ale loving instructor who sees her talent and takes her all the way to the Perfectone Perform-O-Rama,
where she plays Hits of the Seventies to universal acclaim. Throw into this already laugh-out-loud mix her agoraphobic father (holder of umpteen degrees from Living Room University), her totally unexpected new friend, Wheeler Diggs, to whom she is known as Zsa Zsa Goober, and Merv, the fast-talking organ salesman and you have a classic screwball comedy. Zoe and Wheeler both act older than their nine years, but this story is so fun, who cares?
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Carla Morris said…
I really enjoyed this book as well.
Although an organ wasn't the instrument of choice, Zoe still has a musical experience, a trophy for
competition, and in the end her dream of a piano is granted along with the celebration of having her workaholic
mom and fearful dad come together to hear her perform. The power of music!
cm
March 7, 2008 at 8:41 AM
curlyq said…
A very fun and entertaining read! I really enjoyed the characters in this book and the support network some of them form.
March 29, 2008 at 9:31 AM
2112 said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
April 9, 2008 at 10:10 AM
2112 said…
I loved the characters of this book. I loved how her dad was willing to try and taker her places despite his fears. (I especially loved how they always called a towtruck driver to give them directions back home). I also loved Wheeler's character and how it showed why we shouldn't judge people (especially kids) by how they act or dress, you never know what their home life is like.
April 9, 2008 at 10:12 AM
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