An Even Break

If the adult citizens of Wilma, N.C., feel sorry for Frisk Tilden for being fatherless and poor, the youngsters there envy the 12-year-old's good luck in landing a job at the town's only teen hangout, a billiard parlor located at the back of a hardware store. Although Frisk is teased unmercifully by his customers, he enjoys the benefits of his job, especially learning the game from Dan Breedon, the best pool player for miles around. Working diligently, Frisk accomplishes quite a lot during the course of the summer: he wins an eight-ball tournament, plays Cupid for his mother and Dan, befriends a misunderstood bully and earns enough money to buy a new bicycle. This down-to-earth novel (which explains the rudiments of eight ball in an afterword) is a departure from Hite's taller tales, Dither Farm and Answer My Prayer, yet the cast of homespun characters, the keen depiction of small-town life, and the all's-well-that-ends-well conclusion remain warmly familiar. From his humble beginnings, Frisk emerges nobly, a personable hero. Ages 9-12. (Oct.)