It's the morning Sullivan Brewster is going to make his debut in high school -- and, frankly, he's terrified. Even more so when he looks at himself in the mirror soon after waking up and realizes all his facial features have rearranged themselves in a most grotesque way. It's the first scene of a story that could be seen as a hilarious romp, or, more likely, a harrowing account of what those early high school days can feel like. Sully very quickly becomes the target of school bullies -- even though no one else actually sees the facial disaster Sully himself perceives. It's just that he sets himself up to be a target for whatever mayhem the main bully, Tank, and his accomplices decide to cause him. No matter how he wishes otherwise, Sully seems to step into situations that turn out badly for him -- and there's not even much relief when it comes to some of the adults in his life who don't realize what he's dealing with. In the end, of course, Sully discovers that he has it in him to override the teasing and the bullying, and he also sees the value of the support offered by his friends. He also learns how to read some interesting symbolic figures that he finds perching on a fence in the neighborhood he goes through on his way home each day -- small doll-like figures that he realizes reflect some of the highs and lows of his own daily exploits.