The Most Perfect Thing in the Universe
5 CD Set

Lauren Ezzo gives a wholehearted performance of this sweet and summery middle-grade novel, immersing listeners in Loah's world. Eleven-and-a-half-year-old Loah (named for an endangered bird) is a homebody, but home isn't as comforting as it used to be. Her house is in disrepair, and the elderly Rinker siblings, who are taking care of Loah while her mother, an ornithologist, is on an extended research trip in the Arctic, are getting older and frailer. And what's that mysterious hissing coming from the house's dilapidated turret? Listeners feel it as Loah worries about her mother, makes unexpected new friends, and is forced into situations in which she has to fend for herself. It's a satisfying story of family, friendship, and finding your own inner strength.

When Loah Londonderry’s ornithologist mother endeavors to find a supposedly extinct bird in the Artic, she leaves her daughter in the care of two elderly siblings, the Rinkers, just as she has done many times in the past. This time, however, Loah’s strength is tested when Miss Rinker and Theo are hospitalized, a housing inspector threatens to condemn her dilapidated home, and her mother’s life might be in danger while on her solo expedition. With the encouragement of a new friend, Loah overcomes her introverted nature in order to help the Rinkers and save her mother. Lauren Ezzo’s melancholy tone reflects Loah’s yearning for her mother, whom she fears may love endangered birds more than her own daughter. Ezzo's unique character voices for the children and the adults who help Loah bring hope to this story about birds, friendship, and finding your true family. Springstubb provides an informative author’s note about the effects of climate change on birds.