It is the early 1980s and Lance Sanderson is beginning fourth grade in Granger, Washington. Compared to his old home near Seattle, Granger is a strange place of farms, desert, and baptists. But after two years, Lance is no longer the new boy. He has friends, a church, and favorite places. But now Granger has another new kid, a boy named Simon. And Simon needs a friend.

Lance writes about everything: holidays, Native Americans, pastors, and grandparents. He writes how his brother grinds his teeth and why he thinks his dad should have been a professional baseball player. He writes about escaping justice during the "Pine Cone War" but finding trouble at Christmas. He writes about how a birthday present trapped him at his desk. And he tells of the small adventures that turn strangers into family.