A Crooked Kind of Perfect

Urban, Linda. A Crooked Kind of Perfect. Harcourt, 2007. ISBN-10:0-15-206007-7

Plot Summary
Zoe Elias pictures herself at Carnegie hall, seated in front of a grand piano, a respected master. Her father, knowing her desires, buys her a Perfectone D-60: an electric organ he finds at the mall. Adding insult to injury, Emma, who used to be Zoe's best friend but doesn't seem to be anymore, gets a baby grand for her birthday. Meanwhile, Zoe and her father, who is afraid to leave the house, spend their afternoons working through the Perfectone lesson book "The Hits of Seventies" and her father's lesson books from Living Room Universtiy.  Add to the cast of characters Wheeler, a boy in Zoe's class who starts hanging out at her house every day after school. Zoe's dad theorizes that Wheeler needs a place to go, but in the end Zoe's dad needs Wheeler's encouragement to get out of the house and get to Perform-O-Rama. Perform-O-Rama isn't Carnegie hall, but it's the Perfectone equivilent and it's Zoe's big chance.

Critical evaluation

The plot is absurd, but it doesn't matter because the characters and emotions are realistic.  In a lesser book, Zoe's father and his Living Room University courses would be an amusing background. In Urban's work, they demostrate the depth of his anxiety, which affects the whole family dynamic. Zoe's mother is a work-a-holic and Zoe is accepting of the situation to a fault, putting even her small desires aside for the good of the family.

Told in short chapters, each with an explanatory title, this book is well written for out of practice or inexperienced readers who will appreciate a rest for their eyes every few pages.


Nonetheless, A Crooked Kind of Perfect will appeal to all readers who are looking for loveable characters, zany, funny situations and real drama.

Readers Annotations


Zoe's father doesn't like to leave the house. He's easily overwhelmed by the unfamilar sounds, smells and sights. Thus, he's easily influenced by the Perfectone D-60 salesman, which is how Zoe ends up with an electric organ instead of a grand piano. Now Zoe is practicing for the Perform-O-Rama but she may never have a chance to perform unless she has a way to get there. Will her work-aholic mother find a way to leave work? Or will her father find the courage to brave driving and staying in a hotel? And in the end, will the Perfectone measure up to Zoe's Carnegie Hall dreams?

Information About the Author
Linda Urban also got an electric organ instead of a piano. She grew up in Michigan but currently lives in Vermont. A Crooked Kind of Perfect is her first novel.

Genre
Humorous fiction

Curriculum Ties


Booktalking Ideas
Anxiety
Disappointing Parents

Reading Level/Interest Age
Grade 5-8

Controversial Subject Matter and Defense of Ideas
none

Why Book Included
Recommended by Green Bean Teen Librarian