Chester Howard can't believe it! He's been to all sorts of schools as his mother's jobs moved round the world, but never anywhere as awful as Walbottle Manor. Everyone's so horribly nice, recommending him for blackboard duty, playing little skipping games at break. It's just awful. And Chester just has to get to work on the boy sitting next to him, Joe Gardener. He knows he's clever – Joe can build incredible models – but he can't get to grips with his school work and his desk is a mess beyond belief.