When Dot feels nervous at her new school, she comes up with a clever plan using her pet tortoise, Monty, to make friends.

It's Dot's first day at a new school, and she is very nervous! She sits by herself at lunchtime, and at recess, she reads a book instead of playing with the other children. When the teacher asks the class if anyone has a pet, Dot tells everyone that she has a tortosaurus! Dot's tortosaurus (who's really her pet tortoise, Monty, wearing a costume) is a hit--everyone at school wants to take pictures with him. But soon, all the attention gets to be too much--and Dot finds that everyone at school is more interested in Monty than in being her friend. Will she ever make a friend?