Isaac Babcock, whom everyone calls Icky, isn't looking forward to starting sixth grade. He's heard about how the eighth graders pick on the incoming sixth graders and he hopes he won't find himself stuffed into a locker on his first day of school. It is already bad enough that he lives in the shadow of his athletic, perfect older brother. But he and his best friend, CeCe, plan to get involved and make new friends. They want to look on the positive side and hope for the best. That is, until they meet mean and grumpy Mr. Thuan, who seems to have it out for them. Soon, they are caught up in a mystery that winds up teaching them something that they hadn't expected to learn this year. Inspired by John Paul II's New Evangelization, Icky, CeCe and the Mysterious Mr. Thuan will challenge children's views of others who are different from them, and give readers some insight into how to apply concepts related to social justice to their own lives.