Billy Broccoli wants a lot of things - to be accepted in his new school, to be cool, to have his stepfather stop talking about dental floss. But the one thing he never wanted was his own personal ghost.
The pressure is on when Hank Zipzer is chosen as pitcher for the softball team at Public School 87's annual Olympiad, the most anticipated day of the school year.
Fearing that he may be failing fourth grade, Hank enlists the help of his friends, and even his annoying younger sister, in an effort to prevent his parents from attending a parent-teacher conference.
As he is preparing to attend middle school, Hank, who has learning differences and academic difficulties, gets an unexpected opportunity to audition for a performing arts school where his creativity and humor will be appreciated and nurtured.
Hank Zipzer is not at all excited to hear that his mother is going to have a baby, and decides that in order to prepare for being a big brother, he needs a pet spider to help him learn responsibility.
It's time for Moorepark Middle School's annual Demonstration Derby, and Billy thinks he's got it made. All he needs is a little help from his best friend Hoover Porterhouse--the ghost with the most!.
