TIE-BREAKER: A NOVEL Jack Batten. Toronto, ON: Clarke, Irwin, 1984. 184pp., paper, $8.95. ISBN 0-7720-1448-5. CIP. Grades 7 and up / Ages 12 and up Reviewed by Janet E. Goldack. Volume 12 Number 6 1984 November Consistently denying that it was his idea to be a hot-shot junior tennis player, sixteen-year-old Brad Fraser is tossed into big time tennis and a relationship with dancer Emily Abrams who accepts the challenge of anchor in Brad's life graciously. Even though his sister, Karen, says ". . . adolescence can be fatal," Brad is able to work through contemporary problems, parental approval, honesty, drugs, competition, romance, and survive brilliantly. All characters are realistically portrayed and appear to grow as a result of their experiences in this fast-moving story packed with breath-taking tennis action sequences and genuine concern / warmth for fellow human beings. The Kipling quote over the archway to the Wimbleton tennis courts, "If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster and treat those two imposters just the same," exemplifies Brad's struggles and triumphs as well as his failures. Throughout his first teenage fiction attempt, author Jack Batten displays his love for tennis as well as his sympathetic understanding of the teenager in today's rapidly changing and challenging world. Janet E. Goldack, Grant Park H.S., Winnipeg, MB.