A boy in Illinois remembers the homefront years of World War II, especially his two heroes--his brother in the Air Force and his father--who fought in the previous war.
When Emmy discovers that she and her formerly loving parents are being drugged by their evil nanny with rodent potions that can change people in frightening ways, she and some new friends must try everything possible to return things to normal.
The mummy that Andrew creates for his fifth grade project seems to have special powers and helps him to understand his feelings about himself, his dead mother, and his stepbrother, who he calls Mr. Gifted.
Friends Rachel and Kirsty help Hayley the rain fairy retrieve the last magic feather needed to restore the powers of Doodle, the rooster that controls the weather in Fairyland.
Clarice Bean tries to glean useful advice from the "Ruby Redfort Survival Handbook" as she deals with several worries, including "largish" spiders, Robert the pest, and, most of all, sudden change.