Owen Foote wants to be a real scientist with a white lab coat. He’d like to spend the next school year in Mr. Wozniak’s fourth-grade class, where science is king. Owen figures that Mr. Wozniak will let him and his friend Joseph in if they can win first prize in the school science fair. But the “project,” a uromastyx lizard named Chuck, isn’t exactly cooperative. The boys come up with another idea that seems like a winner, but once again, unruly personal feelings seem to be undermining the scientific method. It takes an inspired blend of science and friendship to get them back on track.
Fast-paced and funny, this new story treats themes of competition, ambition, squeamishness, and loyalty in the appealing style Owen Foote fans have come to expect.