Sophia's Response to The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

Barbra Robinson

Sophia Oxenford's Reader Response

Why do people perform Christmas pageants?

I think people perform Christmas Pageants because they need to tell the audience the story of Christmas and how Jesus was born because it was just so amazing. Also they want to celebrate Christmas in a special way.

What do you think will happen next?

I think that the Herdmans are going to turn the Christmas pageant around someway. They will probably make it horrible and not about the real Christmas. Because they do horrible things like burn down buildings and smoke cigarettes.

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Brief Summary

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The Herdmans decide to join the Christmas Pageant. Everyone is worried. The Herdmans are just plain bad kids. The director of the pageant "broke" her leg and someone has to takeover the job. The narrator's mom ends up with the job. She has to do it. The narrator's mom tells the story of Christmas to the cast. The Herdmans argue with the story. Alice Wendelkins spreads rumors about Imogene Herdman. It's the last pageant rehearsal and everyone is a little (A lot) nervous. It goes terrible and everyone knows it. They haven't gone through it once without restarting. Everyone has basically given up on the idea of a nice Christmas Pageant. The night of the pageant rolls around and they can't stop it. The pageant starts. Every thing ends up fine in the end and nobody got hurt. Imogene learns about Christmas and cries about something. The Narrator thinks she learned Christmas is magical.

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Hey mom, I have a list for you!

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Of all the bad things that are happening at the pageant rehearsals!

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(says in her mind) This is gonna be good! (Says out loud) Oh honey why did you do that?

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Of what?

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Imogene smokes cigarettes in the girls bathroom again
Conversation about pregnancy at rehearsals
Arguing about the Christmas Story
Conversation about murdering Herod
The minister running around in his pajamas

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Bad Things That Happen At The Rehearsals

Big Idea

Identity

Examples:

Alice wanted to be Mary for this year's Christmas Pageant. She was Mary every year though. All the Herdmans were cast except for Imogene. When the director asked Alice she said no. So Imogene got the part and Alice wanted it back. She thought the part of Mary would give her an identity as a holy, calm, and graceful little girl. So she wanted to get Imogene OUT of the Christmas Pageant.

"One day I saw Alice Wendlekin writing something down on a little pad of paper, and trying to hide it with her other hand. 'It's none of your business' she said. It wasn't any of my business, but it wasn't any of Alice's either. What she wrote was 'Gladys Herdman drinks communion wine.' 'It isn't wine,' I said. 'It's grape juice.' 'I don't care what it is, she drinks it. I've seen her three times with her mouth all purple. They steal crayons from the Sunday-School cupboards, too, and if you shake the Happy Birthday bank in the kindergarden room it doesn't make a sound. They stole all the pennies out of that.' I was amazed at Alice. I would never think to go and shake the Happy Birthday bank. ' And every time you go in the girl's room," she went on, ' the whole air is blue, and Imogene Herdman is sitting in there in the Mary costume, smoking cigars!'"

Limerick

The Herdmans always made me frown.
Imogene said, "You're going down!"
She always blackmails.
Gladys hits me with nails!
Though they turned the pageant upside down!

Alice Wendelkin

I bet Imogene is going to make a horrible Mary. In fact, I know she is going to be a horrible Mary. I should be the one up there on stage playing Mary. Not that crazy Imogene!

The text says "One day I saw Alice Wendelkin writing something down on a little pad of paper, and trying to hide it with her other hand."

"It's none of your business. I don't care what it is, she drinks it. I've seen her three times with her mouth all purple. They steal crayons from the Sunday-school cupboards, too, and if you shake the happy birthday bank in the kindergarten room it doesn't make a sound. They stole all the pennies out of that."

The text says she should play Mary because she is all holy looking and pretty

Narrator

The Herdmans were abolutely the worst kids in the history of the world. They lied and stole and smoked cigars (even the girls) and talked dirty and hit little kids and cussed their teachers and took the name of the lord in vain and set fire to fred shoemaker's old broken-down toolhouse.

"It isn't wine, it's grape juice"
"I don't know why not,"
"they did not. it came from their food basket, and if they wan't to give away their own ham i guess they can do it."

She effect others because she is the Narrator and she has a very nice attitude and speaks for herself.

She does nice actions and behaves very well.

She looks very nice and pretty normal. Doesn't have any crazy features

Imogene Herdman

Why didn't they murder herod? he totally desverves it! I would of ran off with the baby jesus and let Joseph kill herod.

"no, i want to mary"
"And next spring, when the pussy willows come out, i'll stick a pussy willow so far down your ear that nobody can reach it. and it'll sprout there, and it'll grow and grow, and you'll spend the rest of your life with a pussy willow bush growing out of your ear."

She effects others alot because she blackmails people and burns down buildings and bully.

The text says " The Herdmans lied and stole and smoked cigars (even the girls) and talked dirty and hit little kids and cussed their teachers and took the name of the lord in vain and set fire to Fred Shoemaker's old broken-down tool house."

She looks mean and is mean. She would probaly wear ripped jeans( ere not ripped when she bought them) and an old t-shirt. Her hair would be messy and knotty.