When Ray decides to throw a party for his ninth birthday, in competition with another boy with the same birthday and more money, he asks his best friend Herbie to help him find an idea that is new, exciting, and free.
A friendless girl, teased mercilessly at school because her uncle manages the town dump, finds a friend in Mrs. Fish, the school custodian, and gradually life becomes more bearable.
Eleven-year-old Kate's ordinary life in a small Massachusetts town becomes quite extraordinary when she becomes involved with Maudie Schmidt and an inter-school reading project.