Sophia's Response to The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

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The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

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Barbra Robinson

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Sophia Oxenford's Reader Response

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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.

Brief Summary

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.

Hey mom, I have a list for you!

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

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

Of what?

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

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!'"