Kids of the Polk Street School

Richard "Beast" Best wishes he could climb up the rope in the school gym like Matthew and Emily, but just the sight of it makes him dizzy. He hopes his friends will not find out his terrible secret. But the substitute teacher does find out.

Emily Arrow is class monitor and reports Sherri Dent for leaving her seat with out permission. Emily wonders what Sherri will do to get even.

Ms. Rooney's class is learning about money and saving, but best friends Matthew and Richard need to learn to get along after fighting about money on the playground.

Richard is determined to win the Thanksgiving Candy Corn contest by guessing the correct number of candies in the jar, but before he realizes what he has done he eats three pieces.

Summer for Richard Best, nicknamed Beast, means facing the two ordeals of summer school and losing his best friend, who is moving to a distant state.

Emily Arrow thinks it will be fun to have a new friend when Dawn Tiffanie Bosco arrives in class one day, but Emily discovers Dawn is a thief. No one will believe Emily.

Emily Arrow has two problems, trying to work in her invention group with bossy Linda Lorca in charge and thinking of a wedding present for Ms. Vincent, the student teacher.

When the kids in Ms. Rooney's class return to school after Christmas, one of them suspects he has found a magic ruler that makes wishes come true.

Each student in Ms. Rooney's room celebrates the December holidays by being a secret pal to a classmate.

Emily and the other children go to the class picnic at the park. Emily is lonely because she does not have a best friend. She wanders off and becomes lost.