Newbury medal winning author, E. L. Konigsburg presents this tale of a young boy, Mark Seltzer...a boy with a lot on his mind. He is struggling to study for his Bar Mitzvah while enduring his over-achieving older brother. At the same time his best friend moved away to the rich side of town and befriended the obnoxious boy they used to mock. Adding insult to injury, his own mother signed on to be the manager of his baseball team. Throughout the story, he is faced with choices and challenges, all helping him to learn what it is to be true to himself as he moves towards adulthood.