Read by Tai Alexandra RicciDuration: 3 hours and 17 minutes
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 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.
My Thoughts: I am so glad that I stuck with this book. I was looking for a quick and easy listen to and found this children's book. The cover grabbed my attention because of the colorful socks (I love socks). Once I started listening though, I thought I made the wrong choice, but I told myself to be patient. Good thing I did because I ended up adoring this book.
So what was wrong at first? The main character Zoe got on my nerves. Don't get me wrong, the author, and especially the reader Linda Urban, did a wonderful job in capturing the personalty of a ten-year-old. Zoe's interests, complaints, and mannerisms were what many girls her age are like today. So again, what was wrong? Listening to a ten-year-old! You know what I mean? It didn't help that Linda Urban was super talented in being the reader for she knew how to change her voice to match the way Zoe felt. Let's just say that I cringed a few times.
However, my patience was rewarded. Zoe grew as the story progressed and she began to see and appreciate the important things in life. Her passion in wanting to learn the piano and keep practicing, how she came to accept and befriend Wheeler (the school's bully), and the patience she had for her eccentric dad and workaholic mother was admirable. I ended up liking her character by the end of the book.
To sum up, I found myself appreciating this book more after giving it chance when I thought I didn't like it. I loved that Zoe was able to grow as a person as time passed by. This will be an excellent book for young readers. I rate it:
This book counts for the Audibook Challenge.
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