With the help of his grandfather, underachieving fifth-grader Hank Zipzer finally discovers that he is good at ping-pong, but he is afraid to tell his classmates for fear of being ridiculed.

Hank must decide whether to attend tae kwon do or an after school reading program run by his favorite teacher, and when he meets an interesting girl at "Reading Gym," he gets into a complicated situation that even has him lying to his father.

Hank's mother's baby is coming early, but Hank, his sister, and their father are trapped in a snowstorm in Vermont and in order to get home they use any means necessary.