In 1948 Milwaukee, twelve-year-old Nick's expectations for summer crumble when he ends up working at a frozen custard stand at the zoo, but with a competitor who plays dirty tricks and a runaway polar bear Nick's summer turns out more eventful than he imagined.
In 1948, Nikko Spirakis, twelve, loves baseball but must get past his hard-working immigrant parents--and the rhino in the outfield--to become a batboy for the local minor league team.