It isn't wise to hang heavy things on the wall next to the bed. Stanley learns this the hard way when a bulletin board falls on him while he's sleeping. Now he's half an inch thick, and the doctor can't do a thing about it.

So how's he doing? Just fine. In fact, he's enjoying it. He can slide under doors and slip through grates. When he wants to visit his uncle in California, he climbs into an envelope and mails himself cross-country. When he and his younger brother Arthur go to the park, they don't bring a kite—Stanley-on-a-string is all they need.

But being flat has its disadvantages. The kids at school start calling Stanley names, and now he's crying himself to sleep. Will his classmates' teasing convince him to find a way to un-flatten himself?

The answer is pages away in this entertaining book about a unique and lovable character who has inspired countless kids to create Flat Stanleys of their own to send around the world.