Twelve-year-old Steve Brixton, a fan of Bailey Brothers detective novels, is mistaken for a real detective and must elude librarians, police, and the mysterious Mr. E as he seeks a missing quilt containing coded information.
When Billy Twitters' mother follows through on her threat to buy him a blue whale if he refuses to obey, he finds himself the owner of an enormous pet that he must take with him everywhere, which does not make him popular at school.