Bert has been noticing some worrying things - his skin seems to be turning green, his breath smells of sulphur, and he's having alarming cravings for things of a most unsettling nature. Only the mad grocer, Whicker, knows the truth ...Bert is the new Beast of Baloddan! And now Bert's in even more trouble - Whicker's weaselled his way into Bert's mum's good books, and she's allowed him to send Bert away to the nearby boarding school. The headmaster's just died in mysterious circumstances, and Bert and his friend Ruby are sure that the new head is up to something. Then Ruby goes missing ...