Follows the adventures and misadventures of Nate Wright, an incompetent, spirited and rebellious sixth-grader. He has two best friends, Francis and Teddy, who occasionally get in trouble with him. Other characters include a variety of teachers and students at Nate's school, Public School 38. Nate hates social studies teacher Mrs. Godfrey, whom he considers his nemesis and calls her names like "the school's Godzilla". He has a love-hate relationship with Artur, a foreign exchange student who is the boyfriend of Jenny, Nate's crush. Nate also loathes Gina, a "teacher's pet" who gets good grades and is constantly acting like a suck-up to Mrs. Godfrey. Peirce occasionally focuses on Nate's home life with his single father, Martin, and girly sister Ellen.