A young girl narrates her family's move from the city to the country, where they have bought a piece of land and live in a trailer while they build a house from the ground up, with help from relatives and friends.
When Emmy discovers that she and her formerly loving parents are being drugged by their evil nanny with rodent potions that can change people in frightening ways, she and some new friends must try everything possible to return things to normal.
Ten-year-old Emmy wants to be an ordinary girl, but the evil nanny Miss Barmy, now a rat, has trapped five of her former charges and when she uses them to steal jewels belonging to Emmy's parents, it is up to Emmy, Joe, and their rodent friends to stop her.
When his parents separate, Daniel very unhappily moves to a cottage on While-A-Way Lane, but neighbor Tilda Butter helps him discover he has a special gift like hers.--