Tim Mulligan lives at 25 Rufus Street. You might be surprised to know that is his name because most people think his name is Tim Tie-Your-Shoelaces. But no matter how many people tell him, or how often, Tim never ties his shoelaces. One morning, just as Tim was leaving for school, his mom called, "Tim! Tie your shoelaces. Something terrible could happen!" This is the story of the something terrible that did. Sally Barton weaves a tale of mayhem and mess in this flip-flappin', street-slappin' first installment of the terrible things that happen on Rufus Street.