At the beginning of the novel, 12-year-old Mason Buttle finds a white tee shirt in his locker with “STOOPID” written on the front. He tells the story of the classroom spelling bee, in which he misspelled the word “stopped.” Mason accidentally spelled “Stoopid,” and the class roared with laughter.

Mason struggles under pressure and can’t read or write well—he reflects on this: “I have been with my brain for twelve long years. I know how it puts things wrong” (2). He wears the shirt in his locker anyway because he always changes at lunch—he can’t stop himself from sweating. He hopes no one will notice the shirt but doesn’t seem too concerned if they do. 

The kids look up at Mason in the hallway and laugh. They look up because he is the tallest kid in school. Mason avoids the cafeteria and goes to the SWOOF, or social work office. Ms. Blinny is the school social worker. She made the sign for the SWOOF, out of glitter and pink paint. She is messy, smiley, and kind. Mason feels safe with her. Mason walks into the office and breathes a sigh of relief: “I like the SWOOF.