A Crooked Kind of Perfect

I wrapped up my children's books month with a really cute middle grade novel: A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban. Ten-year-old Zoe Elias wants nothing more than to play the piano. She dreams of performing at Carnegie Hall. Her father, a recluse hooked on correspondence school courses, goes out and buys her a Perfectone electric organ instead. She is deeply disappointed, but starts taking lessons anyway. As she works her way toward the Perfectone Perform-O-Rama, she learns a lot of things about herself, her friends, and her family.

This quirky little book has the spirit of the old Beverly Cleary novels, and yet it's very current. I really liked that this brought a kids' novel into current times without adding the supernatural or adult themes. It has a good moral without feeling like a book with a moral. A very fitting end to children's book month. And now, as much as I love kids' book, I am looking forward to reading something written for adults!