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A Crooked Kind of Perfect

3.86 of 5 stars 3.86 · rating details · 5,472 ratings · 823 reviews

Ten-year-old Zoe Elias has perfect piano dreams. She can practically feel the keys under her flying fingers; she can hear the audience's applause. All she needs is a baby grand so she can start her lessons, and thenshe'll be well on her way to Carnegie Hall. But when Dad ventures to the music store and ends up with a wheezy organ instead of a piano, Zoe's dreams hit a sou...more

Hardcover, 224 pages

Published September 1st 2007 by Harcourt Children's Books

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A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban

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Aug 21, 2007 Betsy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Humor is just so hard in children's books. You either crash too hard on the adult side of the equation (see: The Manny Files) or you end up going too far the other direction and end up ridiculously scatological (see: Out of Patience). The balance has to be perfect and, if you want your book to be memorable, also work in some real emotion, heart, and (God help us all) learning. Because this mix is so difficult, you rarely end up with a book quite as pleasant as Linda Urban's "A Crooked Kind of Pe...more Humor is just so hard in children's books. You either crash too hard on the adult side of the equation (see: The Manny Files) or you end up going too far the other direction and end up ridiculously scatological (see: Out of Patience). The balance has to be perfect and, if you want your book to be memorable, also work in some real emotion, heart, and (God help us all) learning. Because this mix is so difficult, you rarely end up with a book quite as pleasant as Linda Urban's "A Crooked Kind of Perfect". First of all, it wins the 2007 Most Appropriate Title Award. Second, it has a firm grasp on hitting just the right tone. In a relatively blah year of realistic girl fiction, Urban's book is a cut above the rest.

Zoe has dreams you know. Dreams of owning a gorgeous piano, all shiny and black. Of performing before vast adoring audiences. Of being a prodigy and admired by people like her classically inclined mother. So what does she get instead? An organ. A Perfectone D-60 if you want to be precise. And it's not as if her school life is much of an improvement either. Her former best friend Emma Dent has informed her that Joella Tinstella is now her best friend right now, and to top it all off that bully Wheeler Diggs has somehow managed to ingratiate himself into her family. So when Zoe enters the Perform-O-Rama competition for organs she doesn't expect much. Fortunately for her, she finds that people can surprise you when you least expect them to. Sometimes for the bad, but also sometimes for the good.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm fairly certain that we haven't come up with a name for children's novels with short short chapters. You know the kind I mean. They look like verse novels at first, but a quick perusal shows that the author hasn't broken up the action into strategically separated tiny sentences. I think the author chose this method because she prefers to keep things sharp and sweet. Her storyline works best when she can leap from thought to memory to current event. Some parents like to pooh-pooh those children's books that eschew length for sure-footed pacing. I'll admit right here and now that due to its format "A Crooked Kind of Perfect" really does make for an enjoyably quick book. You might want to consider handing it to those kids who like to read but are turned off by long wordy novels.

If the book has a problem it probably concerns the lack of dramatic tension. For example, one day Wheeler's mildly pissed about something and yet the next time Zoe sees him she says, "I thought you might not come back here ever." It's a rather extreme sentence considering the two of them never ever really fight. There is some tension regarding Zoe's parents and their presence in her life, so that may make up for the lack of problems elsewhere in the book. Yet as a former resident of Southwestern Michigan, I'd have enjoyed a little more clarification as to the location of this book. The competition is in somewhere called Birch Valley? Aw, make it Kalamazoo. You could totally have a competition there.

Tiny nibbles of complaints aside, it's a swell read. Characters are crystal clear and their motivations make perfect sense. Urban wields the infinitely difficult first person narrative with aplomb. And, all that aside, it's about a kid who plays the organ. That's just a good high-concept idea right there. One of the more pleasant first-time novelist surprises of the year.(less)

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Jun 20, 2009 Marjorie Ingall rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: 4th to 6th graders, chicklit lovers, anyone who loves books about quirky girls

Recommended to Marjorie by: saw it in the library, liked the cover!

Shelves: girls-6-12

I adored this book. Hilarious, sad, suspenseful, and definitely quirky-odd-good.

Loved Zoe's resilience. She gets dumped by her best friend and is invited (by former friend's mom, who doesn't know of the dumpage, in the way that moms of 11-year-olds always know nothing) to former friend's party, where she is dressed wrong and brings the wrong gift. Ack! Who hasn't been there?? The portrayal of hyper-sophisticated, dismissive, clique-y, Bratz-wearing (called Brat here, mistakenly but amusingly ca...more

6 likes · like · see review

Dec 27, 2007 Brandy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2007reads, childrens, library, 2009, realistic, parents_exist, friendship

I haven't heard a lot of buzz yet about Newbery contenders, but I'd say this is one of them. It's another quiet story with all the action being character development, without a lot of outside plot to muck it up. It's ostensibly a middle-grade novel, with a protagonist who is 10 years old (going on 11), but the book's appeal will be more for older teens or adults--readers who remember being that age, rather than readers who are that age.

That said, as an adult, this is a very good story--a girl c...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 22, 2008 Judith rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is such a charmer of a book, gentle and funny and completely satisfying. I love the understated way the dad's inability to deal with the world is handled (it's agoraphobia, actually), the growing friendship between Zoe and Wheeler Diggs and the way Zoe refuses to give in to the popular girls, even though she'd kind of like to. ("I have gone over to the dork side.")

The organ competition at the end is so perfectly observed: the swoosh-click of the swing door; that feeling you get when you kno...more

2 likes · like · see review

Feb 26, 2012 Jeana rated it 4 of 5 stars

It's sweet, endearing, & silly--that's why my 10-year-old daughter loves this book so much and has read it more times than I can count. It's very tender at the end (even I was crying when Zoe realized that the mom was happy about Zoe, not work) and I loved seeing everyone find happiness at the end.

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Sep 27, 2007 Lauren rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: middlegrade

This is not necessarily the type of book I would normally pick up, but the author is a former children's bookseller. That right there peaked my interest because as a children's bookseller I knew she had to have hundreds of children's books over the years and could easily tell a good one from a crappy one, which gave her an edge over a lot of authors. Plus, other children's booksellers that I know gave the book rave reviews. And they were right. It's just such a good story - great characters with...more

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Dec 08, 2008 Hannah marked it as to-read

i really want to read it but i am in the middle of another book right know

1 like · like · see review

Jan 11, 2009 Jaemi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrens-fiction

Zoe Elias has grand dreams of being a pianist. For her, there is nothing better to be. She imagines evening gowns, audiences awaiting in anticipation, beautiful recitals, much adoration. So you can understand how, when her father comes home with a Perfectone D60 Organ, instead of her lovely piano, why she's a little upset. In fact, she's fairly sure this might be unforgivable.

But the organ came with free lessons, which she reluctantly agrees to take. Miss Person (read: Persaaahn) is not the worl...more

1 like · like · see review

Jan 23, 2013 Cheryl Gatling added it

This book is fun and funny. My daughter and I read it together. It's the story of how Zoe wants to play piano, but gets an organ instead, and how she practices to compete at the Perform-A-Rama. It's the story about how she gets rejected by the cool girls, who wear Brat brand clogs, and (unlike Zoe) never wear socks. It's about a scruffy boy named Wheeler who follows her home and becomes a part of her family, whether she likes it or not. My favorite parts of the book were about Zoe's weird family...more

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Jan 17, 2012 Julie Esanu rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: realistic-fiction, family-relationships, friendship, self-identity

Meet Zoe Elias—she’s ten years old and dreams of becoming a classical pianist and playing at Carnegie Hall. Zoe’s dad is agoraphobic—he is afraid to leave his house. He spends his days taking a variety of classes from the Living Room University. And Zoe’s mom, the Comptroller for the State, works all the time. Zoe’s dad was supposed to buy her a piano but instead he bought an organ—a Perfectone D-60. In addition, Zoe’s best friend, Emma Dent, is moving on. They’re not best friends anymore but Zo...more

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Oct 19, 2011 Mary added it

Shelves: crone-6th-realistic

School Library Journal (September 1, 2007)
Gr 4-6-An impressive and poignant debut novel. Eleven-year-old Zoe dreams of giving piano recitals at Carnegie Hall. When her father purchases a Perfectone D-60, though, she must settle for the sounds of the organ rather than the distinguished sounds of a baby grand. Her organ teacher, Mabelline Person, notices the child's small talent for music and recommends her for the "Perfectone Perform-O-Rama"; she will play Neil Diamond's "Forever in Blue Jeans."...more

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Apr 26, 2011 Clarabel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Ce petit roman a été une agréable surprise. Il est drôle et très fin.
Il raconte l'histoire d'une fillette de dix ans qui rêve d'apprendre à jouer du piano et se retrouve avec un orgue. Enfin, il s'agit tout de même du Perfectone D-60 ! Pour Zoé qui rêvait de devenir la nouvelle Vladimir Horowitz et briller au Carnegie Hall, la désillusion est énorme. Toutefois, inutile de baisser les bras. Elle suit avec assiduité les cours de Mabelline Person, un prof particulier qui aime boire du Canada Dry b...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 17, 2010 Brenda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kid-s-books

My daughter and I finished reading A Crooked Kind of Perfect tonight, after she read it out loud to me every night. She is ten, and told me she wanted to take a break from Percy Jackson to read me this book "because I would love it". The characters in A Crooked Kind of Perfect are charming, unique and flawed, as we all are. I loved Zoe, the main character, and her outlook on life, as she "adapts" her dream to play a "wheezy organ" in place of a baby grand. Instead of classical music, she has to...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 05, 2010 Erin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: award, disability-illness, girl-main-character, michigan, realistic-fiction, tween

This is a sweet story, and (not to ruin it for you) the ending is so hopeful and positive I couldn't help but enjoy this quaint little story. Zoe ends up with an organ instead of a piano, and for much of the book that represents how her life is going. Instead of glamor, fame and class, she plays on a 'cozy,' outdated organ, still wears socks, has lost her old best friend, and has a workaholic mom and a limited dad. The charm for me was in how each problem was addressed and, if not solved, at lea...more

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Nov 01, 2009 Ms. Sapkarov rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: child-lit, fiction, music, realistic-fiction, rebecca-caudill-2010, middle-grade

I'm surprised by how much I liked this book. It has so much appeal to 4th/5th grade, maybe even 6th grade. The chapters are very short and nearly self-contained. It's witty. The characters are eccentric but in a way that's normal. Zoe is a ten year-old girl who desperately wants to be a prodigy pianist so she can play at Carnegie Hall. This is mostly her story - of learning to play the keyboard (pianos are too expensive) - but you also get to meet her parents and her friends. Her dad has a serio...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 17, 2009 Beth rated it 4 of 5 stars

The back of this book notes that this is a novel for ages 8 to 12. Well, I'm more than 8 to 12. I'm more than 8 *plus* 12. But then again, I watch Arthur and listen to High School Musical.

So it shouldn't be much of a surprise that I found A Crooked Kind of Perfect to be absolutely delightful. It had it all: good morals; quirky characters; and plenty of humor in the less-is-more (or should I say "Les is More"?), pun-filled writing. It had a fashion-backward, piano-loving protagonist who sometimes...more

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Jun 10, 2009 Lisa rated it 3 of 5 stars

Zoe's life is not like other kids. Her mom is a bit of a work-a-holic, her dad hates to leave the house and spends all of his time getting correspondence degrees that arrive in packets via UPS.

When Zoe decides she is a musical prodigy and wants to play the piano her dad makes a rare trip out of the house and buys her a Perfectone D-60 wheeze-bag organ.

Zoe wants to make music, so she plays the wheeze-bag organ and gives it her all. She is encouraged by her organ teacher (six months of free lesson...more

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May 14, 2009 Karin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: funny, juvenile-fiction, quirky, realistic, outsider, middle-school, friendship, families, audio-edition, 2010-caudill-nominees, social-anxiety, competition, music, gutsy-girls, favorites, borrowed-from-the-library

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Zoe Elias is ten, going on eleven, and she’s planning to be the next child prodigy playing piano at Carnegie Hall. Unfortunately, her father sidetracks her big plans by getting her an organ (the Perfectone D60) instead of the baby grand piano she’s got her heart set on. No matter. Zoe decides to become proficient at the Perfectone D60 first, and to compete in the Perform-O-Rama – a yearly organ-playing competition for kids and adults. Zoe doesn’t really fit in with most of the girls at school, w...more Zoe Elias is ten, going on eleven, and she’s planning to be the next child prodigy playing piano at Carnegie Hall. Unfortunately, her father sidetracks her big plans by getting her an organ (the Perfectone D60) instead of the baby grand piano she’s got her heart set on. No matter. Zoe decides to become proficient at the Perfectone D60 first, and to compete in the Perform-O-Rama – a yearly organ-playing competition for kids and adults. Zoe doesn’t really fit in with most of the girls at school, which is ok, because she really hits it off with the boys – particularly Wheeler, who starts coming over to her house every day after school to hang out with her and her dad. Wheeler and Zoe’s dad spend their afternoons baking cookies and breads and delicious tarts while Zoe practices playing the Perfectone D60. Zoe’s dad has a kind of social anxiety that interferes with his ability to lead a normal life (crowds of people make him extremely nervous, as does traffic), and he spends most of his time at home earning mail-order degrees. So, when Zoe learns that her mom won’t be able to take her to the Perform-O-Rama, she’s convinced that she’ll never get her chance to shine. Dad surprises everyone, however (except Zoe’s friend Wheeler who knows he can do anything he sets his mind to), and gets Zoe to the competition where she carries off the 4th place trophy!

I love Zoe Elias. She’s so determined, so unique, so unintentionally funny. She and Wheeler really understand one another on a level that most kids don’t – she gets that his father can’t stand to be home, and he gets that her father has problems going out – and they care about each other in a teasing, but completely honest way (this is how everyone wants to be loved and understood). It was almost heartbreaking at times to read about Zoe’s father’s difficulties, but it just makes his triumph over them all the more exciting. There are stories which seem to be specifically designed to address certain problems or issues, and they feel clunky or deliberate – A Crooked Kind of Perfect had none of these flaws. I believe in Zoe Elias. I highly recommend the audiobook edition – it was fantastic; Tai Alexandra Ricci does an excellent job with Zoe’s voice.(less)

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Nov 16, 2012 Dena (Books for Kids) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrens-books

Read more reviews on my blog: Books for Kids
Quirky, humorous, and entertaining, A Crooked Kind of Perfect is an adorable middle grade novel with loads of personality. The short chapters add to the overall quirkiness and young voice of the main character, Zoe.

With a full set of fascinating and funny characters, you can't help but love this story. Zoe is an adorable little girl that has big dreams of playing the piano and being a prodigy. Even though things don't work out the way she planned or h...more

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Jun 29, 2012 Jan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Nothing is really perfect in Zoe's life, but her optimistic point of view keeps her plugging along, always expecting good things to happen. And when they don't happen quite like she expected, Zoe rolls with the punches and gets on with her life. When she wanted to take piano lessons, her dad signed her up for group lessons with "More with Les." Nine students sat at folding tables with cardboard keyboards. Zoe then explained to her dad that she really needed to practice on a real piano. Her dad w...more

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Jul 18, 2010 Yoonmee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s-books, 2010-nene-nominees

Zoe Elias dreams of one day playing the piano in Carnegie Hall, but, instead of a piano, her quirky father purchases an organ -- a Perfectone D-60 to be exact. As if this weren't disappointment enough, her best friend has dumped her for another girl and one of her classmates, Wheeler, is now spending all his afternoon at her house baking with her father (who seems to have some form of agoraphobia or panic disorder and cannot leave the house w/o panicking). To top it off, her workaholic mother is...more

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May 29, 2009 Samantha rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: caudills

As an adult reading this book, I wanted to delve far more deeply into the psychology of Zoe's parents. I wanted to know about their relationship, and whether her mother ever resented her father for his neuroses. But, as always when reading a children's book, I had to take out my adult brain and put in my ten year old's brain. And from that perspective, "A Crooked Kind of Perfect" was exactly that. (I know, I'm sure everyone has used that joke in their review.)

As a fourth or fifth grader, I like...more

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Sep 06, 2011 Rapunzel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When I picked out this book I did not think beyond the fact that it sounded interesting, I liked the socks on the cover, and I wanted to read about someone learning how to play the organ. My decision was not premeditated. I had just recently finished reading something about The Phantom of the Opera and so just the word organ caught my interest. I had thought that it would be interesting and if it was not, oh well, I spent less than four dollars on it.

What I was not expecting was a book that mad...more When I picked out this book I did not think beyond the fact that it sounded interesting, I liked the socks on the cover, and I wanted to read about someone learning how to play the organ. My decision was not premeditated. I had just recently finished reading something about The Phantom of the Opera and so just the word organ caught my interest. I had thought that it would be interesting and if it was not, oh well, I spent less than four dollars on it.

What I was not expecting was a book that made me laugh and want to be able to know more about her family. Not only her dad that spends all day at home getting diplomas that he would never use but the mother who actually gave a fourth grade class money only to take it back.

A couple of reviews that I have read said that because she started to learn the organ everything in her life begins to go wrong. I didn't see the book that way. I saw it as when she started to learn the organ she began to shake free of her bubble of how she thought everything was. She stops living in a fantasy world where everything is parties and sunshine and starts to see that not everything is how she thought they should be. Every time before her dream bubble is popped she shares with us how she thought they would be and even as you read it you know it is wishful thinking. In the end I like the reality better than the dream.

The book is cute and funny. Because of the fact that Zoe is ten there is not really any romance. There is a short crush or two but that is all.

My other favorite character had to have been Wheeler Diggs. However, while I did learn more about him than say the mother I did not learn what I had been biting my nails for since they alluded to it from the beginning: his home life. They make little mentions of how his home life might not be the best and how he is surprisingly skinny but the author never confirms or denies if anything is going on there.

Finally I wish I could try some of the delicious cookies that are mentioned in the book or that I was able to learn how to play an instrument as fast as Zoe seemed to be able to.(less)

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Sep 18, 2012 Tiffany rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: school-books

Genre: Realistic Fiction

I have to admit that I have never read or at least don't remember reading realistic fiction before. As much as I love to read a wide variety of books, novels and poems, I am reluctant to admit that I have never found realistic fiction to be something I was drawn to. I realize now that the reason I never got into it was that I never found a story I could relate to. This book by Linda Urban is a book I can relate to. I fell in love with Zoe from page 1! She jumped into my m...more Genre: Realistic Fiction

I have to admit that I have never read or at least don't remember reading realistic fiction before. As much as I love to read a wide variety of books, novels and poems, I am reluctant to admit that I have never found realistic fiction to be something I was drawn to. I realize now that the reason I never got into it was that I never found a story I could relate to. This book by Linda Urban is a book I can relate to. I fell in love with Zoe from page 1! She jumped into my mind and I could see her, her family and friends as I turned each page. Zoe's thoughts and attitudes about life and what she wanted for her life were ideas that we can all relate to 9maybe not wanting a piano, but we all have wanted something!). Life never goes as we think it will and at 10 you really want things your way. I was sad for her when she did not get a piano and got an organ, but I was so proud of her as she accepted what she was given and made the best of the situation. At 10 she exemplifies what we all need to do with our lives, we can't always have what we want, but we can make a change to accept what we have. I was intrigued with her dilemmas with boys and her friends and felt for her when her friend decided not to be best friends anymore and she had to find a new table to sit at for lunch. It seemed as if life couldn't get any worse for Zoe, but in reality it was turning out for the best and she saw that by the end of this book. She made new friends as she journeyed on her new path and along the way she learned that these new friends are the ones she will have forever. The writing for this book was a perfect combination of simple and complex that helped the story flow perfectly in a way that brought the characters to life. I feel that children around the age of 10 would understand the story as well as adults. I have opened a new reading style into my heart after reading this book and enjoying the story so much. I would recommend this book to EVERYONE over 9. I think young and old readers alike can learn from Zoe and her story. We all have had similar issues and this story can remind us of what is truly important in our lives.

Three words to describe this book: Heartwarming, loving, Perfect(less)

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Oct 26, 2011 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, audiobook, children-s, middle-grade

What a great book for readers in grades 4 - 6! I put off reading this title because I had some idea that it was a mediocre read. And I was totally, thankfully wrong! Linda Urban writes with an authentic, snappy style that is so easy to get into. Zoe Elias wants, with her whole being, to be a piano prodigy but unfortunately, she doesn't have a piano. Instead, her father purchase an organ and Zoe ends up stuck taking lessons. She enters a Perform-O-Rama contest and learns a lot about herself, her...more

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Jan 12, 2013 Nobies57 rated it 4 of 5 stars

10 year old Zoe dreams of becoming a concert pianist like Vladimir Horowitz and playing on a shiny black baby grand to a Carnegie Hall audience. But she has some obstacles. With a matter of fact voice (not unlike an older Clementine) she depicts her life as an only child, living with her hard working mother who is the State Comptroller and her quirky father, who has diplomas hanging in the living room for online courses he took, from airplane flying to being a chef.
Zoe seems to accept dad's be...more

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Nov 12, 2012 Misty rated it 4 of 5 stars

CHARMING! Surpassed all expectations!

Ten-year-old Zoe Elias has perfect piano dreams. She can practically feel the keys under her flying fingers; she can hear the audience's applause. All she needs is a baby grand so she can start her lessons, and then she'll be well on her way to Carnegie Hall. But when Dad ventures to the music store and ends up with a wheezy organ instead of a piano, Zoe's dreams hit a sour note. Learning the organ versions of old TV theme songs just isn't the same as masteri...more

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Jul 24, 2009 Regina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Regina by: 2010 Children's Sequoyah Masterlist

Shelves: kids-books, books-i-ve-reviewed

Enjoyable story about almost 11-year-old Zoe Elias, who would really like to play the piano, but gets a cheesy Perfectone D-60 organ instead. She sticks with her lessons, though, and even has fun. Her organ teacher encourages her to enter the local Perform-O-Rama contest for Perfectone players. Along the way she loses a so-called best friend and makes real friendships with kids who value her for herself and her lopsided talents. Her workaholic mother and her agoraphobic dad add complications to...more

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Aug 20, 2012 Lilly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favourites

I waited three weeks to buy this book at my school's book fair.

Yeah, I know. Overly-sentimental, "Oh The Memories" intro. But, seriously. I waited and saved to get this book.

I'm a pianist; piano and music are my life, and I don't mean that in "I'm So Emo, I'm Going to Marry Gerard Way" kind of manner- it's really all that matters to me. However, there's not a lot of teenagers who are as into music as I am, and see it as anything more than background noise.

I adored this book. I read it to shreds,...more

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May 06, 2012 Alyssa Bloedow rated it 2 of 5 stars

The theme of this book is frustration, drama, jealousy, and happiness. In the beginning, a 10 year old girl named Zoe Elias. Zoe's best friend soon abandon's her because she found a new best friend. Zoe's old friend gets a grand piano for a birthday present and Zoe gets very jealous.After all of that happens, Zoe had realized that the piano lesson's she had been taking were somewhat working. A while after she had been taking her lesson's a boy that is in her grade had started to come over to her...more

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About Linda Urban

This was from the About Me section at Linda Urban's website.

I was born in Detroit, Michigan, and raised in a suburban house that looked like all the others on my street. Sometimes I liked that sameness. It made me feel normal, when I worried I wasn’t.

Other times, though, I wanted to be different — to shine, to have people see me as special. I tried ballet dancing and singing and playing musical in...more

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Quotes from A Crooked Kind of Perfect

“Never trust an exclamation point.” — 13 people liked it

“I told Dad about yesterday...I told him how I made all those mistakes.
'But you kept on playing?' Dad said. His eyes got wide when he said it. I could tell he was proud.
'Everybody does,' I said. 'You can't just get up and walk away every time you mess up. You'd never get anywhere.” — 12 people liked it

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