Mitty is in trouble. He has a research paper on the topic of infectious diseases due in about two weeks, and he hasn’t even started. His biology teacher is requiring an outline, a bibliography that includes four books, and ten pages of notes by the following Monday. Mitty’s procrastination is in stark contrast to his friend and object of a great deal of affection, Olivia. Unlike Mitty, she is always ahead in her schoolwork, eagerly tackling all of her projects. She has not only chosen her topic, typhoid fever, but also has done significant research at Columbia University’s medical school library. Mitty protests the need for books, assuming that he can do most of his research online. But Mr. Lynch, his teacher, insists his students use books for research, not just the internet, in order for the paper to be thorough. He reminds them to include “description and course of the disease, current treatments and ongoing research. Finally, if your disease has an application in bioterrorism, you will cover that also” (3). This last part finally gets Mitty’s attention and interest.

But Mitty promptly forgets all ambitions about doing schoolwork once he and his family have packed up and traveled to their weekend home in Connecticut.