Jesse Hardaway is used to things being his fault. It¿s just him and his mom at home, and she¿s always yelling at him. School is like home, only about ten times worse! He¿s in fifth grade special education and has to battle ADHD and an anger/behavior disorder every day. If he isn¿t in trouble, he¿s getting into it. The only thing Jesse is sure of is that the world is against him, and he is ready to give up. One good thing Jesse has in his life is his best friend Davess, who never stops trying to look out for him. At school, Mrs. Abogar and Ms. Dubose try to look out for him too, though Jesse doesn¿t know why and wishes they would stop. Here it comes, Jesse thought, the thing that drives me nuts. That irritating thing that they are so known for. That thing that makes you wonder whether you should hug them or yell at them. The famous Punishment-with-a-Smile. I hate it¿ But very soon he is about to discover that these two women not only understand him, for some reason they actually care about him.