Considered lazy and unathletic, twelve-year-old Ryan discovers a heroic side of himself when a kayak trip with his older brother goes horribly awry.

Tracy, her brother, and the new animal care volunteer at the Jefferson Science Center travel by boat to feed a dog stranded by flooding, and end up having a full day of dangerous adventures, which give them new perspectives about themselves and about each other.

Life in the remote town of Alder Creek, California, is boring for eighth-grader Sam and his friends, until his newly awakened ability to tell when a person is lying involves him in a series of mysterious events.

Two friends switch seats when their class has a substitute teacher and find that it isn't so easy to be someone else.