A Crooked kind of perfect

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

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 mastering Beethoven on the piano. And the organ isn't the only part of Zoe's life in Michigan that's off-kilter, what with Mom constantly at work, Dad afraid to leave the house, and that odd boy, Wheeler Diggs, following her home from school every day.

Yet when Zoe enters the annual Perform-O-Rama organ competition, she finds that life is full of surprises--and that perfection may be even better when it's just a little off center.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Former bookseller Urban makes a highly promising fiction debut with this sweet, funny novel, relayed in short, titled entries. Ten-year-old Zoe dreams of becoming a famous pianist (as she says in "How It Was Supposed to Be," "A piano is sophisticated. Glamorous. Worldly"). But her quasi-agoraphobic father has one of his usual freak-outs as he attempts to shop for a piano and buys her an electric organ instead. How can Zoe possibly become the next Vladimir Horowitz if she has to play on a "Perfectone D-60"? Grudgingly, she begins taking lessons from Mabelline Person (pronounced "Per-saaahn"), who hands Zoe songbooks full of TV theme songs or hits from the '70s ("My piano teacher was supposed to be a sweet, rumpled old man," Zoe confides to readers. "I would call him Maestro.... He would discourage me from practicing too much and spoiling the spontaneity of my play"). But when Mabelline enters her in the Perform-O-Rama-her first contest ever-Zoe thinks for the first time that her dreams could possibly come true. Throw in an absurdly workaholic mother, a best friend who deserts Zoe for a girl with a rhyming name (Joella Tinstella), an underparented boy who blossoms overnight when Zoe's dad takes him under his wing, and Zoe's dad's eccentricities, if not to say full-blown neuroses; Urban controls these exaggerated elements through the evenness of Zoe's voice. No matter how outrageously her subjects behave, the author always sounds natural. Ages 8-12. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

School Library Journal Review

Gr 4-6-Zoe wants to play the piano more than anything in the world and, if given a chance, believes she can be a prodigy. But when her father comes home with a Perfectone D-60 organ instead of a piano, Zoe knows that her dreams of becoming a world famous pianist are slipping away in Linda Urban's novel (Harcourt, 2007). The fifth grader takes this in stride and works hard anyway, perfecting the 1970s tunes that are in her lesson book, which leads to her participation in the Perform-O-Rama competition instead of playing at Carnegie Hall. Zoe approaches other issues in her life with the same accepting attitude. She doesn't dwell on the fact that her father appears to suffer from a disorder that involves fear of leaving the house and interacting with others, and her mother is a workaholic. Tai Alexandra Ricci voices Zoe as a calm, level-headed child. Through humor and realistic situations, this story teaches youngsters about making the best of even bad situations and working hard to succeed.-Stephanie Farnlacher, Trace Crossings Elementary School, Hoover, AL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Ten-year-old Zoe longs to have a piano, become a prodigy, and play in Carnegie Hall like her hero, Vladimir Horowitz. But Zoe's father doesn't buy a piano. Instead, he gets her a Perfectone D-60 electric organ, complete with lessons and golden oldies songbooks. Disappointed but game, Zoe starts practicing. Her friend Emma dumps her, but soon Wheeler Diggs starts coming home with Zoe after school every day to hang out with her and, increasingly, with her dad, who is terrified of leaving the house. Meanwhile, Zoe practices for the Perform-O-Rama, where young Perfectone players compete before judges. In short chapters varying from a few pages to two words, this first-person narrative is immediately engaging and increasingly involving. Zoe's world is drawn with sometimes painful precision,  her emotions are revealed with empathy, and her story unfolds realistically, without the miracles she hopes for, but with small, sometimes surprising changes. The portrayal of Zoe's father is particularly fine. Sometimes funny, sometimes tender, this is a promising debut for the author.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2007 Booklist

Horn Book Review

(Intermediate) Ten-year-old Zoe Elias dreams of becoming a famous piano prodigy. She imagines wearing a ball gown and playing to cheering audiences at Carnegie Hall. But when her agoraphobic father braves the mall to purchase a piano for her, the bright lights and crowds are too overwhelming. Instead of a piano, he comes home with a "wood-grained, vinyl-seated, wheeze-bag" Perfectone D-60 organ. Zoe is "the opposite of excited," but as her weekly lessons progress, she finds she has some talent with the dual keyboard and the rumba rhythm switch. Even Wheeler Diggs, a weird boy from school who befriends Zoe when her best friend ditches her for the popular crowd, thinks her playing is "cool." Zoe's witty voice narrates the short chapters. Readers will identify with Zoe's insecurities, laugh at her quirky family, and feel her pride when she takes part in the Perform-O-Rama organ competition. While the premise is a bit iffy (Zoe's mother is a money-conscious comptroller unlikely to sanction the organ's purchase) and Zoe seems too mature for a ten-year-old, it's easy to overlook such details in this winning story about family, friendship, self-confidence, and dreams come (realistically) true. From HORN BOOK, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Book Review

All ten-year-old Zoe Elias has ever wanted is a baby grand so that she can become a star who dazzles Carnegie Hall. She doesn't know how to play, but that's a minor stumbling block. What she gets instead is an old, wheezy organ, a gift from her well-meaning, agoraphobic dad. While workaholic mom is hardly ever home, Zoe resigns herself to learning to play the instrument, all the while encouraged by her skittish father and a newfound supportive pal. Wouldn't you know that she turns out to be great at it and goes on to win in competition? There's a lot of knowing, child-friendly humor here, not the least provided by Zoe's hoot of an organ instructor. Readers should enjoy the fast-paced, brief chapters, silliness and tongue-in-cheek first-person narration. The author doesn't pull out all the stops, and the ending is pat, but this is still a satisfying read. (Fiction. 9-12) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.