Precocious 6th grade student, Valerie Marzdin can't wait for Middle School where the boys aren't babies and the work isn't boring. That was before Winter Break. Post Winter Break is something else entirely. Val and her classmates participate in a project that challenges their ingenuity and stimulates their imaginations beyond anything they've done so far. The best part is; they get to run the project themselves. But what good is learning if you can't test it out in real life? Val decides to do just that. Applying the economic principles of the free enterprise system to solve her family's money problems poses a challenge she hadn't anticipated. Friendship, trust and family ties are put to the test this year, but Val wouldn't trade this experience for anything, not even a free pass to Middle School.