THERE'S CHAOS IN THE JONES HOUSEHOLD this morning. Carter's little sisters are fussing, there's no milk, his mom is frantic, and the Jeep won't start. The last thing Carter Jones needs to hear is the doorbell. And when he opens the door, the last thing he expects to see is a bowler-hatted English butler, one Mr. Bowles-Fitzpatrick, standing on the front stoop.

The Butler calmly takes charge—even of Nate the dachshund, who throws up at exciting moments. He prepares the day's lunches and drives the Jones kids to school in a Bentley, a big purple car with leather seat covers and a statue on the front. So begins Carter's first day of middle school.

And he isn't prepared for what happens next.

Mr. Bowles-Fitzpatrick stays on to help the family, and Carter decides to resist—as the patriots in the American Revolution. But he hasn't counted on the Butler's gentlemanly strategies. And he hasn't even begun to face his bigger challenge: ignoring a painful secret he keeps hidden—even from himself.

Until he can't ignore it anymore.

From the dust jacket