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.