As his class prepares to visit the school library for the first time, a young boy imagines the worst, based on stories he's heard about the librarian, Mrs. Beamster.

Twelve-year-old June Harper, shocked when her parents go on a campaign to clear the Dogwood Middle School library of objectionable books, starts a secret banned books library in an empty locker.

The Bailey School Kids need to do a report on England. Howie picks Camelot as his topic, which is how he knows the new assistant at the library, Mr. Merle, looks just like the ancient wizard Merlin! The kids discover a crystal ball in Mr. Merle's office and learn that he has a huge goldfish named Arthur, just like the ancient king. Then Mr. Merle transforms the library into a medieval castle and starts mesmerizing kids with the magic of reading! Something...

Mr. Kazarian, the school librarian, is actually an extraterrestrial (with a holographic disguise) studying the behavior of human children, and if he wants to continue his research he will have to find a way to convince the four students who have discovered his secret not to expose him--perhaps by helping their assignment on gas giants with a quick trip to Jupiter.