"There is a fire," Chief Milton said, as he directed us firmly out the door. "Get to the open field as quickly as you can." Somehow I got to the fifty-yard line on the football field before I stopped and looked behind me to see what was happening. Then I stood there in disbelief, watching the black swirling smoke and breathing the acrid stench of the ruined day. My school was on fire. And Arby's plans for seventh grade have gone up in smoke along with his school. As if that wasn't enough trouble for one year, his grandma has fallen in love with Mr. Watson, Arby's next-door neighbor, and his best friend, Ray Sanchez, has enrolled at Hope School. Arby tries to reason his way through his problems until he realizes that his very best thoughts lead him straight to the wrong conclusion every time. Arby is no match for life as he knows it. - Back cover.