A Crooked Kind of Perfect

A Crooked Kind of Perfect

Urban, L. (2007). A crooked kind of perfect. NY: Scholastic.

Young Zoe Elias dreamed of playing the piano at Carnegie as a protégé. However, her dream dimmed when her father bought her an organ. As she is learning her new instrument while taking the free lessons that came with the purchase, Zoe gets wrapped up in the organ competition; The Perform-O-Rama. While juggling best friends and possible boyfriends, she prepares for the competition by practicing frequently. When competition time comes and her mom is delayed, Zoe must rely on her agoraphobic father to take her. She ends up learning a lot about making mistakes, and remembering to just keep playing.

Evaluation Criteria:  Style and Plot

The title for the book is very fitting to what the Zoe’s life in the story entails. Zoe starts wanting to own a grand piano but ends up getting an organ instead. With the help of her slightly dysfunctional family and unexpected friends, she goes through the organ lessons and signs up for the annual Perform – O – Rama organ competition but does not expect too much out of it due to how things in her social life have been going. The plot of the story is a slightly complex one with all the little bumps happening in Zoe’s life that keep her from her main goal but she still ends with a happy ending. The author’s chosen style of writing although short within chapters did not abruptly pause the story but led to Zoe’s actions and thought processes. 

Book Trailer:

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/asset/crooked-kind-perfect-book-trailer