A Crooked Kind of Perfect

A Crooked Kind of Perfect
By Linda Urban
224 pages
3 hours 17 minutes listening time

Grade A-

I did not read anything on this book prior to adding it to my list. I simply went off a recommendation off a book discussion board that I participate on. I didn't realize that this book was a very young reader, and that it was also very short. However, like I mentioned before, for every short book I read, I have an equally long one to follow up with. After starting this book, I wasn't even going to use it towards my count, but after listening to it, I will keep it in my count, simply because it was so enjoyable, I will probably listen to it again later.

So this book is about a 10 year old girl named Zoe, and she desperately wants to learn to play the piano. Instead, her harebrained dad gets her an organ. He sends her to lessons at the senior center, where instead of actually playing an instrument, she gets to practice on a cardboard picture of a keyboard. After four weeks of this practice, her dad decides that she can no longer take these lessons. Not because they aren't doing her any good, but because he worries about getting her to the lessons. On Monday, he starts worrying about the weather on Thursday. Will there be too much traffic, will they get lost? He worries so much, he decides he just can't drive her anymore and instead gets her a private instructor at their house, so he does not have to leave.

Her dad takes all of these home based courses that are just ridiculous to normal people. Classes that teach you how to cook for friends and family and make a profit, or various other oddness. But in this, he is blissfully happy. Zoe does not see these as short comings, but just ways that help make her dad great. I especially liked when they were at the hotel room, and her dad had packed his own cleaning supplies, or in the start of the book when Zoe goes into why her dad is not aloud to do the shopping because once he went out, and bought all the toilet paper at the store, because the deal was so great. He was so excited about the sale, that they have 498 rolls of TP in their basement.

Zoe reminds me of myself when I was 10/11. She was sort of awkward and didn't have many friends. The friends that she does have, tend to find cooler friends to hang out with, but give her the opportunity to still sit with them at the lunch table, of course, until she finds a new best friend.

Zoe's drive, motivation and dreams are enough alone to make this book so very worth the read, and why I am keeping it on my list, although it is very short. It was a very pleasant read, and I do recommend it.