Turns out, this summer the family is staying put, in their hometown. Montreal, Canada. A "staycation," his parents call it. Charlie is doubtful at first but, ever resourceful, decides that there may be adventures and profit to be had in his own neighborhood.

And there are. A campout in the backyard brings him in contact with more than one kind of wildlife, a sudden summer storm floods the expressway, various pet-sitting gigs turn almost-disastrous, and a baseball game goes awry when various intruders storm the infield -- from would-be medieval knights and an over-eager ice-cream vendor to a fly-ball-catching Doberman.

Then of course there's looking after his little brother, Max, who is always a catastrophe-in-the-making.