Ravi has just moved to the United States from India and has always been at the top of his class; Joe has lived in the same town his whole life and has learning problems--but when their lives intersect in the first week of fifth grade they are brought together by a common enemy (the biggest bully in their class) and the need to take control of their lives.

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.

Stuck in summer school while his friends enjoy a "Passport to Hawaii," nearly-eleven-year-old Hank needs to earn an A on an oral report about Einstein in order to participate in Magik 3's talent show act at the luau extravaganza.