The Sugar Creek Gang suddenly becomes the opposite of teacherﾴs pets when the new substitute, Mr. Black, comes to town. A wrongful accusation gets Bill into trouble with his parents and creates more questions in his head than answers. Why does Mr. Black keep taking pictures of people, who poisoned Mr. Blackﾴs beautiful horse, and will those beech switches in the classroom actually be used on the gang? How do a barn full of pigeons, a ladder, a new book, and a baseball game lead to a fire in the schoolhouse on Sunday afternoon? To find out, join the Sugar Creek Gang as they try to avoid trouble with the teacher!