Third-grader Robert Dorfman is having a triple-rotten day, one that's terrible for him but will be terribly funny for readers. First his brother, Charlie, hogs the bathroom. When Robert gets to school, his best friend, Paul, is absent. And-oh no!-he forgot he has an afternoon appointment with the orthodontist. A new palate expander means Robert eats baby food for dinner, much to Charlie's delight. And if that isn't bad enough, Robert loses a wire and thinks his dog, Huckleberry, has swallowed it. After an emergency trip to the veterinarian's, where Huck has a dog X-ray, Robert searches for his missing wire by emptying the (ugh!) vacuum cleaner bag. He decides it would be cool to teach Huckleberry to be a "wonder dog," like the ones he saw in a video, but Huck has other ideas. Fortunately, Robert's resourcefulness solves all of his problems in a surprising plot twist that earns him the respect of his teacher, family, and friends.