“The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” is about, wouldn’t you know it, a Christmas pageant. The story takes place in an unnamed town sometime in the hazy, nostalgic past. It’s a story that is instantly recognizable; like something we’ve all known our entire lives. Yet, Robinson tells it with such wit and heart that it feels fresh and new and brimming with deeper insights than a book this small has a right to hold. And at the center of the story, both in plot and in heart, are the Herdman children.

The Herdman kids are little terrors. They are bullies and thieves. They are rude, mean, disobedient, and disrespectful. They cuss, hit, smoke, and drink. But worst of all, they hijack the annual Christmas pageant. To be clear, they didn’t set out to take over the pageant. They actually started coming to church for the refreshments. It was then that they heard about the pageant, and as the Herdmans are wont to do, they opt to make life miserable for everyone around them by taking most of the lead roles in the upcoming pageant. The church and town are appalled and terrified and just the slightest bit concerned for their safety. It’s a fun time for everyone.