The story begins in Dink Duncan’s bedroom, where he is frantically getting ready to go to a book signing at the Book Nook, a local bookstore. Dink’s full name is David Donald Duncan, but only his mother calls him that. He lives in a small town in Connecticut called Green Lawn. Dink’s best friend, Josh, is watching him get ready. Josh asks what is so important about the writer Dink is going to see. Dink tells Josh that Wallis Wallace is his favorite mystery writer and that he’s very famous. Dink tries to convince Josh to come with him because he is nervous to meet someone who is so famous. Dink has been in communication with Wallis Wallace and has invited the author to hold a book signing in Green Lawn. Josh jokes that he’ll go in exchange for Dink’s guinea pig but then agrees to go anyway.

The two boys remove 23 Wallis Wallace books from the shelf and begin placing them into Dink’s backpack so that the author can sign them. Josh notices that the back cover of one of the books, entitled The Poisoned Pond, says that Wallace lives in a castle in Maine. Both boys talk about wanting to live in a castle one day—Dink as a famous writer and Josh as a famous artist.