Boy, does Andy have troubles! His gerbils escaped and are scampering all over the basement. He's late for school and he sure doesn't want to give that boring Ms. Roman another excuse to call his parents. And he planned to ask his parents today if his good friend Tamika could live with his family until her parents fully recover from a terrible accident. It is definitely not a good day for gerbil troubles. And when Andy learns that his mother is pregnant, he knows he'll have to do some really fancy footwork if his family is going to make room for Tamika. If gerbils threaten to foul up his plan, his meddlesome sister, Rachel, could make matters even worse. It's a good thing for Andy that he's charming and full of bright ideas. As this first chapter book in a new series unfolds, it's clear the Russell household is in for more trouble--and lots of fun!

Andy Russell tries--he really does. But his teacher, Ms. Roman, can be so boring. He daydreams in class and forgets about tests, and finally Ms. Roman has had enough. Andy always knew she had it in for him! But when Ms. Roman is out sick, Andy's class gets a fishy substitute teacher and things turn from bad to worse. Guess who is sent to the principal's office when someone starts playing tricks on the sub!

When Andy and his friend Tamika travel to the city for a weekend with Tamika's aunt, they arrive in time to rescue hamsters parachuting down from Aunt Mandy's building! Andy resolves to uncover who's behind the troublesome incident, but first he must endure trips to fancy restaurants, museums and the ballet, made more unpleasant by annoying Jason, a young friend of Aunt Mandy's, who she invited along. The big-city fun he was expecting turns into some surprising discoveries for Andy in this engaging mystery - container.