Middle school student Roy A. Eberhardt (Logan Lerman) and his family (Neil Flynn and Kiersten Warren) have just moved to Coconut Cove, Florida from Montana. But Roy is mercilessly teased and bullied at his new school by Dana Matherson (Eric Phillips), until he accidentally breaks Matherson's nose while getting harassed on the school bus and is struggling to get free. As a result, Roy gets suspended from riding the school bus for three days and must write Dana an apology letter as a punishment. Roy slowly becomes friends with Beatrice "The Bear" Leep (Brie Larson), and her stepbrother "Mullet Fingers" (Cody Linley).