Fourth-graders Hank, Ashley, and Frankie are excitedly preparing for a magic show at the Rock 'N Bowl when Hank's creative alternative to an English essay lands him in detention and grounded the week of the show.

The pressure is on when Hank Zipzer is chosen as pitcher for the softball team at Public School 87's annual Olympiad, the most anticipated day of the school year.

Everyone in Hank's class has to write and perform a poem, so when his family goes camping, Hank finds plenty of inspiration in nature, even when a rainstorm threatens to ruin their night.

Hank's mother's baby is coming early, but Hank, his sister, and their father are trapped in a snowstorm in Vermont and in order to get home they use any means necessary.

When a well-known author visits their school, Hank and his two best friends get the chance to be her guide for the day and introduce her at an assembly, but the situation forces Hank to find creative ways to hide his struggles with reading.

Hank's cousin Judith Ann is an excellent cook, and does not let Hank forget it, but when Hank enters a cooking competition with her he finds out that she has trouble in school, just like Hank.

"An out-of-control pizza party. A lizard-feeding mishap. An overdue school project. What could go wrong? The world's greatest underachiever is back! Hank Zipzer has a few tips for hosting an epic pizza party. No parents at home? Check. Pizza and ice cream galore? Accomplished. Friends invited? Check. History homework finished? Er, not quite. And Hank may have forgotten his vow never to pet-sit a lizard -- especially a live-locusts-and-mealworms-eating...

An engaging, inventive hero for the reluctant boy reader "Boys who struggle in school will especially appreciate the story, but this enjoyable, fast-paced novel will draw other children as well." - Booklist. "Humor, magic, a school bully, a pet dachshund named Cheerio, and a pet iguana that slurps soup at dinner add up to a fun novel with something for everyone."

Not only is Hank Zipzer the world's greatest underachiever, he's also a master at making lists. Now readers can revisit their favorites with this hilarious collection, which compiles some of the best lists from the books in the Hank Zipzer series.