Lucas Cott is one of the smartest kids in Mrs. Hockaday's third grade—but he is also the most rambunctious. Lucas doesn't mean to be the class clown, so he promises to try to behave, even though it doesn't sound like much fun. With the best intentions, Lucas still manages to cause the unexpected when he accidentally lets a yardful of autumn leaves loose in his classroom, gets his head stuck in a chair during a school assembly, and even makes a daring bet with Cricket, the class brain. But when Mrs. Hockaday assigns him the part of a clown in their class circus, Lucas knows he would be better as the ringmaster. Can he convince his teacher, or will he always be just the class clown? This is a warm and funny story about a boy who learns that there's a time and place for everything—even humor.

Nine-year-old Cricket's expectations of being, as always, the teacher's favorite student are dashed by the arrival of an unusual new girl in her fourth-grade class.

The fifth-grade class election is shaping up as a close contest between class clown Lucas Cott and onetime teacher's pet Cricket Kaufman. It's just possible that the student with the greatest leadership ability is Julio Sanchez, but Julio's too busy running Lucas' campaign to notice. Or is he? And how can Julio throw his hat into the ring without betraying his best friend? Johanna Hurwitz introduced Julio, Cricket, and Lucas in Class Clown and Teacher's Pet, earning a ringing vote of confidence from Publisher's Weekly: "Hurwitz masterfully demonstrates why she is one of the premier practitioners of the humorous school story genre." In Class President, she has backed these delightful characters with a winning ticket of humor and insight.

Julio and other students at Edison-Armstrong Elementary School organize to prevent the closing of their school.