Hank is stunned when his father announces plans to take the family to a crossword puzzle tournament in North Carolina over the winter break, and things get worse when he learns he must complete a huge homework packet before they arrive if he wants to go to an amusement park with his mom and sister.
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.
Hank must decide whether to attend tae kwon do or an after school reading program run by his favorite teacher, and when he meets an interesting girl at Reading Gym, he gets into a complicated situation that even has him lying to his father.
Hank Zipzer makes a deal with his dad that if he gets a "B+" in math he can play the lead in the school musical; and he must rely on the class brain, Heather Payne, for help.
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.
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.
Fourth-grader Hank, while on a field trip aboard "The Pilgrim Spirit," tries to learn knot tying in his own unique way, which causes unforeseen problems.
Hank struggles through the ups and downs of friendship and the circle of life when he has a fight with Frankie and his sister's iguana lays forty-five eggs in their cable box.
