When faced with the challenges of sixth grade, Lila sees her "Great Ideas" backfire but soon discovers that good things can happen when they are least "eggspected" Grade 4-6-- McMullan capably brings life to the first few months of a sixth-grader's school year. In this third novel about Lila, she and her best friend face new challenges and handle disappointments as they tackle student council elections, care for hard-boiled egg babies, help with household chores for a back-to-work mother, and become interested in boys. The setting is St. Louis, but the description is so generic that it could be anywhere. However, the dialogue and feelings ring true for 11-year-olds just learning to act responsibly and think clearly. When Lila fears a boy is going to steal her best friend away, she confides to her egg baby, "Things don't always work out . . . and sometimes, no one wants to kiss you." The black-and-white illustrations nicely complement the preteen emotion and mishaps. Bunting's Our Sixth-Grade Sugar Babies (HarperCollins, 1990) is funnier, more substantial, and ultimately more satisfying. Nonetheless, Great Eggspectations is easier to get into, and the familiar themes will appeal to preadolescents, particularly with fans of other books about Lila. -Susannah Price, Boise Public Library, ID Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. In a third book about Lila, the girl sees all her Great Ideas go unexpectedly wrong during the first month of school. The likable Price School kids are excited about sixth grade. Lila is hoping to be student council president, but when best friend Gayle is nominated, Lila becomes her campaign manager-- with unfortunate results. Meanwhile, the class is taking care of egg-babies and Lila's day-care center fails after one of the eggs is kidnapped. With her mother distracted by a new job, and with friends Gayle and Michael excluding her, Lila pauses briefly to wallow in self-pity before taking charge of improving her situation. Some of her Great Ideas do work out after all: Gayle is elected, while Lila becomes editor of the school paper. De Groat's appealing b&w illustrations reveal a diversity in the class that's not evident from the text. Though light, this touches on serious issues of responsibility; McMullan deserves praise for creating its well-rounded, individualized characters. (Fiction. 8-12) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.