Will Woodman has a hard time getting anyone in his family to listen to him, so he turns to his grandfather, who, it turns out, has more terrible sob stories than Will.
After the death of his grandmother, ten-year-old Spoon observes the changes in his grandfather and tries to find the perfect artifact to preserve his memories of her.
A Japanese American man recounts his grandfather's journey to America, which he later also undertakes, and the feelings of being torn by a love for two different countries.
With the help of his grandfather, underachieving fifth-grader Hank Zipzer finally discovers that he is good at ping-pong, but he is afraid to tell his classmates for fear of being ridiculed.
Junie B. is very upset when a boy in her class plans to invite everyone except her to his birthday party, but her grandfather helps her deal with the situation.