When Saint Louis School graduate and Academy Award-winning lyricist Dean Pitchford throws a party, he doesn't worry about having no one to invite.

But the main character in "The Big One-Oh" (Putnam, $15.99), Pitchford's first novel, isn't so lucky.

Charley Maplewood never thought of having a 10th birthday party until his father, a chef in Scotland, sends him an early gift with a card asking what he's doing for "the big day." After that, he becomes hyper-aware of his lack of friends and how others perceive him at this monumental point of transformation from single to double digits.

Pitchford, who now lives in Los Angeles and arrived in Honolulu Wednesday to promote the book, has himself long appeared as one illumined by success. His songs have become part of our cultural wallpaper, from "Footloose" (he also wrote the script) to "Fame," and numerous melodies crooned by such top performers as Dolly Parton, Whitney Houston and Kenny Loggins. But this is his first foray into the printed page.

Inspired by the universal appeal of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," Pitchford began thinking about other moments that connect us, and came up with birthdays. "When we're kids, it's the biggest day of the year," he says. "I thought there was a universal story to be told about one little boy and his very wacko birthday."

Such a tale wasn't likely to immediately interest film studios, so despite never before having written narrative, he turned to young adult fiction.

Pitchford confidently meets the challenges of working in a new form by drawing on his personal experiences to develop the story. "The book touches on moments from my childhood," he says, "of growing up without a father, feeling different and feeling outside the mainstream, and yet having passions."

He also admits that Charley's mother is a tribute to his own, and the girl with whom Charley is smitten is similar to his niece. Like Charley's, Pitchford's family grappled with the wounds of divorce. And while Charley collects monster comics and humorously but improbably cooks gourmet meals as a way to connect to his dad, Pitchford worked at his absent father's hobby of photography in his abandoned darkroom. When the developing supplies ran out, he began to sing and act with Honolulu's Community Theatre, Symphony Orchestra, and Theatre for Youth.

Though Charley, the book's narrator, is a bit savvy for his age, he sometimes sounds 50, not 10 — a jarring concession to Pitchford's aim to appeal to adults and children. The story suffers slightly because of this, but adults will still appreciate his sophisticated observations such as likening a pony ride to "as much fun as watching paint dry," and points of reference like Charley's freakish next-door neighbor.

Having grown up in Honolulu in the '50s as a haole artistic type, Pitchford can definitely relate to this shared experience of feeling different. And even though the story is set in Fresno, Calif., Hawai'i is never far from his work. "Over the years I've discovered how a lot of what I went through in Honolulu I've carried with me — mostly the music," he says.

Christine Thomas regularly reviews books for the Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle and Miami Herald.