Nicky Nutz, who turns eleven this morning, is not a happy camper. And not just because his birthday is a sad reminder of the freaky car accident that took his mom's life last year. It's because he still has no idea why his dad, Big Nutz, decided to up and buy an auto junk yard, moving them from Chicago to Houston, Texas, just weeks later. The junk yard, and the rusty trailer that Nicky must now call "home," are two secrets he hopes the kids at ALE--Abe Lincoln Elementary--never uncover. But Nicky has other worries, as well. Like, will The Wall, his nemesis at ALE, ever stop bullying him? Why did Ms. Piven, his peppy art teacher, decide to make fifth grade SS--Seriously Stinky--with her dumb art contest? Will the soles of Nicky's sneakers, his mom's last present to him, continue to hold up, if he keeps adding new duct tape to the cracks? And does Big Nutz blame him for the accident? Nicky just needs to hold on, because the answers are coming. But will he like them? As his best friend JB--Jimmy Black--likes to ask, "Wanna place a ten-dollar bet?"