Shelly's Book Blog

I see that A Crooked Kind of Perfect, by Linda Urban has been nominated for the California Young Reader Medal in the Intermediate category. I say, good choice! This is a funny, sweet story about a girl named Zoe who wants to learn to play the piano. Her well-meaning father goes out and buys her an organ instead. Zoe's father struggles with various anxieties and spends most of his time at home, while her mother seems to work all the time. Meanwhile, Zoe dreams of being a famous concert pianist and playing at Carnegie Hall. She also deals with the typical issues 10-year-old girls face, such as fickle "best friends" and the difficulty of fitting in. Zoe tells her own story here and she is both charming and wise. I have not yet read the other two nominees in this category (A Friendship for Today, by Patricia McKissack and No Talking by Andrew Clements) so I'll have to hold off on deciding which I'd like to win. However, I can say that A Crooked Kind of Perfect is a strong contender!