When Rion Kwirk and his unconventional family head to his grandfather's funeral, he tries to uncover the truth about Papa Kwirk's complicated relationship with Rion's father.
When sixth-grader Mac discovers several words of his classroom copy of Jane Yolen's The Devil's Arithmetic are blacked out he is outraged, so he, his friends, and his eccentric family set out to do something about the censorship imposed by one teacher andthe school board.