With the help of his ghost friend, Hoover Porterhouse, Billy Broccoli wows his class with his "mind reading" skills, but Billy's newfound popularity leaves Hoover feeling left out.

When Billy Broccoli finds out that his ghostly best friend, Hoover Porterhouse, is failing Responsibility, he decides to give him a pet. The problem is that pets are scared of Hoover.

Failing fifth grade math, Hank must depend on Heather, the class brain, to help him get a "B" on the next test in order for him to be eligible to play the lead in the school play, "The King and I."

Efforts to impress a visiting student from Japan cause Hank to hide his dyslexia while the gang makes enchiladas for a Multi-Cultural Day lunch, and Hank is afraid he was very wrong about the amount of chili powder called for in the recipe.

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.

Fifth-grader Hank enters his dachshund Cheerio in a contest to choose a new mascot for his school.