The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
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| The Best Christmas Pageant Ever | |
| Author | Barbara Robinson |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Novel |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
| Publication date | 1972 |
| Pages | 96 |
| ISBN | ISBN 0060250437 ISBN 978-0060250430 |
| Followed by | The Best Hallowe'en Ever |
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is a book written by Barbara Robinson in 1972. It focuses on the poorly-behaved children of the Herdman family, who discover the true meaning of Christmas through participation in a church play about the birth of Jesus.
The book was adapted into a television movie in 1983, which featured the first acting role of Fairuza Balk at the age of 9.
The Herdmans were featured in two sequels, The Best Hallowe'en Ever and The Best School Year Ever.
[edit] Characters
Grace Bradley: Mother of Beth and Charlie, and new director of the Christmas pageant. She's determined to make the pageant the best one ever, even with the Herdmans.
Bob Bradley: Grace Bradley's husband, is your average American father, but doesn't want to go to the pageant almost as much as the kids.
Helen Armstrong: In charge of the Potluck supper, Bazaar, and Christmas Pageant, until she broke her leg, and then everything went to the dogs, or, Herdmans.
Charlie Bradley: The cute younger brother that could never do anything wrong, until that fateful day Leroy stole his lunch...
Beth Bradley: (Narrator in the play version) the oldest Bradley child, who is somewhat like the voice of reason, at least a little bit.
Alice Wendelken: The goody-two-shoes girl that the adults love. Alice is just considered to be annoying to her peers, including her best friend Beth. She's always Mary in the pageant, but Imogene Herdman made her change her mind...
Maxine: The narrator in the pageant, just like Alice, just not as "goody-goody"
Elmar Hopkins: Son of the reverend, perfect kid, an example to his fellow students, and is hating every second of it. He's always Joseph, but he's too afraid of Ralph Herdman to argue.
Hobie Clark: The kid with all the excuses. He was already bored with the pageant, but now he has to share it with the worst kids in the world.
David: Charlie's best friend
Reverend Hopkins: Elmer's father, who basically doesn't want anything to go wrong, and can see nothing but that happening if the Herdman's are involved.
[edit] The Herdmans
Ralph: The biggest of the Herdmans. Always getting hit by Imogene and Gladys, He's Joseph, but he doesn't really know or care what that means.
Imogene: She tells them what to do, and they listen because, well, she's Imogene. She's Mary, and that's the way she likes it.
Leroy: The schoolyard bully who always steals Charlie's lunch. He heard about the refreshments at Sunday school and passed the information on to his siblings. Although he's sort of like a thug, he gives the gift of a Ham to Jesus.
Ollie: Always looking for trouble in anything.
Claude: likes to set people on fire.
Gladys: She's the smallest, but she's fast, and she's mean, and she bites. Gladys is now the Angel of the Lord, who she thinks is her favorite comic book character, the Mighty Marvo.
