A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban

Zoe Elias longs to play the piano. She envisions elegant concerts at Carnegie Hall. But her agoraphobic father, who gets nervous whenever he leaves the house, buys her an organ instead. So, she gamely starts learning, even though her teacher gives her TV show themes from the 70s to play instead of classical music. Meanwhile her Dad spends his time taking correspondence courses in cooking, and visiting with this strange boy from school, Wheeler, who follows her home one day. Then she is invited to perform in an organ Perform-A-Rama. But her mom, who is always busy at work, has a crisis and can't drive her, so she has to rely on her anxious father to get her there. In her first novel, Urban gets the longing of the 10 year old just right in facing pages describing 1) what a piano recital would be like and 2) what an organ Perform-A Rama is like. A touching story about an odd family that comes together to support Zoe when she needs it most. A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban. Harcourt, Inc., 2007.