In "The Marble Crusher," Albert is new at school and believes everything the bully Sid tells him about the principal--Mr. Manners--and his terrifying marble-crushing machine. Albert feels desperate when his marbles are confiscated, but Mr. Manners finds a way to turn the joke on Sid. In "Colly's Barn," Annie must find a way to stop the farm's old barn from being torn down. Nothing, it seems, can save it--until Colly the swallow and Screecher the owl help Annie save their home. In "Conker," it's the time of year when conkers--the hard fruit of the chestnut tree--ripen. That means it's also time for conker fights, and Nick desperately wants to win. With a little help from his grandmother, he becomes a very special conker champion.