Just before school starts back, the hunk of Jennie's grade, Nick Lazzarri, returns from a juvenile detention facility. Jennie has a huge crush on Nick and decides that this is the year she has to become cool and make a move.
Jennie's mother has been chair-bound for weeks after a spider bit her leg, but the doctor assesses that her problem is her morbid obesity. Cassandra however, is more concerned with the wellbeing of her new cat.
For Jennie and her friends, Amy Lee and Nigella, the Maths Olympiad is the highlight of their academic calendar, but when it seems that Amy Lee has found a boyfriend on an opposing team, Jennie becomes jealous.
Jennie needs to raise $10,000 for her mother's stomach stapling operation. Cassandra starts a Bonsai Cats franchise and ropes Jennie into selling them for her
Cassandra is sacked as a professional carer due to her negligence but discovers that one of her charges, Marilyn, has won a colouring competition and that Cassandra will need Marilyn's help if she's to collect the prize for herself.
Cassandra uses Jennie as a 'replacement mong' in order to collect the prize for the colouring-in competition. Jennie enlists Nick into her dance battle team.