Ten-year-old Mickey doesn't remember his dad: he died when Mickey was a baby. But Mickey wants to follow in his father's footsteps and be a championship pool player. His best friend, Arlen Pepper, is a math whiz who helps Mickey calculate angles for his shots, but it's going to take more than geometry to win the upcoming Youth Championship Tournament. Then Joseph Alvarez, an old friend of Mickey's dad's, comes into town. He offers to coach Mickey, but Mickey's mom says no; she doesn't want her son being disappointed if Joe fails him the same way he once failed her. Warm, funny, singular characters, realistic family interactions, and enthusiastic discussions of vectors and angles characterize a novel that will make young readers smile. (Ages 9-11)

With the help of his grandmother, his dead father's best friend, and his own best friend—a math whiz—Mickey prepares to compete in the most important pool championship of his life, despite his mother's reservations.