A king devises a frightful final competition for the three knights who have excelled in the quest for the hand of his daughter, who possesses incomparable inner and outer beauty, in order to determine which is truly worthy of her love.
For a chance to win a trip to Space Camp, James sets out to collect 10,000 Blast Off Energy Bar wrappers, grouping them as he goes to make counting easier, and soon the whole town is helping him out.
Fifth-grader Nina Zabin happens upon a strange powder that causes events in her life to change, and not always for the better, as the school's Brain Buster Extravaganza approaches and she takes her best friend's place as representative for their class.
In a futuristic world ruled by a totalitarian government called the Establishment, Lucian "Lucky" Spark and four other teenagers are recruited for the Trials. They must compete not only for survival but to save the lives of their Incentives, family members whose lives depend on how well they play the game.