When younger brother Ferguson displays her training bra in show and tell, Clarissa hatches a plan to send Ferg-face into outer space via helium balloons and a straight jacket.

In an attempt to get around her mother's mandate that there be no TV in the Darling home for a whole week, Clarissa connects her computer terminal to the cable converter and nearly blows up the house.

Clarissa decides that news is cool, and that she'd rather be Jane Pauley than anyone else in the world. Her first story is her mother's midlife crisis, which is triggered by a college pal showing up in town as a successful modern dancer.

Clarissa is faced with the terror of a visit from her Canadian Aunt Mafalda, who's capable of hugging the life's blood out of helpless young relatives. Clarissa enlists Ferguson's help in trying to scare Aunt Mafalda out of the house.

Using her deductive powers, Clarissa determines that her parents are having a baby. She orchestrates a series of demonstrations to try to dissuade them, only to discover they're actually adding a new room on to the house.

Clarissa is determined not to wear the same old blue cardigan and knee socks for her school picture and devises a scheme to outfit herself in the coolest clothes around.