A Crooked Kind of Perfect
Linda Urban, , read by Tai Alexandra Ricci. . Listening Library, $25 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-7393-5961-7
Sounding a bit like a younger Rachael Ray, Ricci has a slight throaty rasp and a deadpan quality that well suits the personality of newcomer Urban’s protagonist, 10-year-old aspiring pianist Zoe Elias. Zoe endures all manner of humiliation—including losing her best friend and playing “Hits of the ’70s” on a “wheeze-bag” of an organ in competition—by reminding herself of her goal of performing piano concerts at Carnegie Hall. Short chapters prove a great way to shine the spotlight on Zoe’s wry, just-short-of-sarcastic observations and will likely keep listeners hooked. However, Ricci’s sometimes halting delivery and forced-sounding inflection mar the rhythm of the proceedings, taking some of the snap out of Urban’s often laugh-out-loud humor. Listeners may also wonder why this recording, which has so much to do with music, contains nary a note. Ages 8-up.
Reviewed on: 10/29/2007
Genre: Audio
Compact Disc - 3 pages - 978-0-7393-6144-3
Downloadable Audio - 1 pages - 978-0-7393-6145-0
Hardcover - 224 pages - 978-0-15-206007-7
Open Ebook - 224 pages - 978-0-15-206669-7
Paperback - 224 pages - 978-0-15-206608-6
Prebound-Glued - 213 pages - 978-1-61383-078-9
