Casey is tired of living in her older sister's shadow, and wants to become popular in her own right. Her friend, Walter, is getting tired of writing to his pen pal, Tracy. And a boy named Gunther Reed keeps pestering Casey, almost as if he has a secret crush on her! In order to actually become popular for real, Casey tries out a bunch of short-lived ideas, such as trying out for class president, or working out and becoming stronger, but when the fourth grade creates the official school newspaper, she sees her opportunity and immediately gets involved.