Thirteen-year-old Jake Semple seems to be on the road to self-destruction. After accidentally burning down his high school, Jake is sent to live with his grandfather in North Carolina, but the only school that will accept him there is the Creative Academy --a home school run by the extremely colorful Applewhite family. The Applewhites, who believe in creativity above all else, leave Jake mostly to his own devices but he finds his way when the Academy stages a production of THE SOUND OF MUSIC. The musical also allows 13-year-old E.D. Applewhite, the only non-artistic member of the family, to shine when she becomes the much-needed, attention-to-detail stage manger of the production. A 2003 Newbery Honor book.