Meet Tom Gates. When his teachers dont have their beady eyes on him, he likes to draw pictures and write about stuff, like last summers worst camping vacation ever (five merits!), or how much he hates sitting next to nosy Marcus Meldrew, the most annoying boy at school. All Tom really wants is to score tickets to see the best band ever, Dude3, when they come to town, and to impress Amy Porter, who is very nice and smart (but is currently ignoring him). Toms teachers think he is easily distracted and "lacks focus, " but thats a bit harsh can he help it if his grumpy big sister, Delia, made him late for school (again), or that last nights homework had to be sacrificed to stave off a vicious dog attack? Master of excuses, creative storyteller, and middle-school comedian extraordinaire, Tom Gates is guaranteed to get kids turning the pages and keep them laughing.