Franklin tells his music teacher, Mrs. Panda, that he does not need to practice the handbell because he is taking piano lessons, but when his grandmother starts giving him lessons, he doesn't practice the piano, either.
When Franklin's favorite magazine sponsors a contest to see who can do the same thing for five solid hours, Franklin wants to compete along with his friends, but he cannot think of anything he can do for that long.
Desperately wanting to win a blue ribbon at the Fall Fair, Franklin is disappointed to learn that his pumpkin is too big to make a good pie and that there is no ribbon for largest pumpkin.
After seeing a performance by Marten the Magnificent, Franklin decides that he wants to be a magician, too, and charges his friends to see a show in which he promises to become invisible--even though that is a trick he does not know.