Anastasia Off Her Rocker

Anastasia's seventh-grade science project becomes almost more than she can handle, but brother Sam, age three, and a bust of Freud nobly aid her.

Seventh Grade Drama: Anastasia is thirteen, and she’s pretty sure it’s a disease. Her main symptoms? A disastrous science project, embarrassing parents, and the overwhelming need for a psychiatrist. Embarrassing Parents: Anastasia's mom is an artist with a phobia of rodents, and her professor dad keeps his poems in the refrigerator's vegetable crisper. It's a social nightmare. Sibling Rivalry: Her three-year-old brother, Sam, is a genius who can already read and type—which is almost as annoying as the preschool bully who keeps biting him. Pet Trouble: What starts as a simple science project with two gerbils quickly multiplies into a full-blown, furry crisis that threatens to take over the entire house.