Animal-lover Lulu knows her animal-averse teacher Mrs. Holiday is serious about trading their guinea pig for stick insects if anyone brings another creature to class. It was a rule invoked after Lulu’s dog followed her to school, and it left Class Three “silent with shock. No more cheerful interruptions of squeaks in quiet lessons … No more useful sausage shaped guinea-pig poops to flick around the classroom.” Now Lulu faces a dilemma: She rescued a duck egg on a field trip to the park. Can she keep the egg a secret from Mrs. Holiday until the end of the school day? With the help of her cousin and best friend Mellie, it seems she can … until the egg starts to hatch. No one does funny like Hilary McKay, here turning her attention to newly independent readers in an easy chapter book full of rich language and abundant humor rooted in both situation and characters. The boundless enthusiasm of brown-skinned Lulu, and the strained patience of Mrs.Holiday, are a particular delight. (Ages 4–8)