The Great Ideas of Lila Fenwick

This collection of five stories is held together by fifth-grade Lila's creative solutions to problems and her imaginative ways of outsmarting ""Miss Perfect'' Rita Morgan. In ``The Bet'' Lila earns the money she needs to pay for a window broken at camp by getting all the girls to dare her to play a prank on a counselor. In another story, she finds the perfect farewell present for a beloved teacher. Sometimes Lila's ideas outdo themselves: when she cheers up a friend by designing a Halloween costume for her, it takes the prize Lila had hoped to win. Lila herself is the best idea in this book; she is spunky, loyal to her friends and quick to use her sarcastic brand of humor against herself when warranted. Readers will eagerly await a sequel. (8-12)