A HOLE IN THE WORLD

As punishment for telling a lie, 15-year-old Paul Shackleford has been "condemned to a summer of indentured servitude"—his parents send him to work on a farm owned by distant relatives. Although the city boy believes that his parents are overreacting, he is surprised at how quickly he grows fond of the enigmatic people he meets at the Vallenport farm. Less folksy and fantastical than some of Hite's previous works (Dither Farm; Stick and Whittle), this introspective novel retains the author's characteristic warmth, philosophical flavor and touch of rural romance. Readers will be moved by the generous, soulful country dwellers who take Paul into their hearts to fill the "hole" left by their dear departed friend: the wise, impeccably truthful Hennley Gray. As Paul gets to know the Vallenport clan and understand the depth of their grief, he strives to meet the standards of the much-admired Hennley. The ethereal aspects of the story—Hennley's ghostlike presence, the telepathic qualities of the dog he left behind—add an aura of mystery, but it is the more down-to-earth lessons Paul learns, about friendship and honesty, that will resonate longest. Ages 12-up. (Oct.)