 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
The Best Halloween Ever
- By Barbara Robinson
- Genre: Humor
Common Sense Media says
The awful Herdman kids are back, but watered down.
Parents say
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that adults cancel Halloween festivities out of concern for the behavior of one family's kids.
What's the story?
The six wild Herdman kids, a destructive force in town at any time, tend to really let loose on Halloween, and the town has had enough. So the Mayor cancels Halloween, and the PTA decides to put on a "safe and controlled and peaceful and boring" celebration at the school. The kids have mixed feelings -- it means no Herdmans, but also no candy, and possibly no fun.
But when the Herdmans get wind of it, and of the town's desire to have a Herdman-free Halloween, they make their own plans.
Is it any good?
"Safe and controlled and peaceful and boring" could well describe this book. The Herdmans hardly make an actual appearance at all, and most of the book is just a talky lead-up to Halloween. By then the author has built up so much anticipation that the actual event is a big letdown -- tame to the point of being lame.
We get to know the characters so little that many young readers, if they haven't read the first book, may not even realize that the narrator is a girl until well into the story. Virtually nonexistent characterizations, the thinnest of plots, and the mildest of humor make this a sad sequel to the funny and touching Best Christmas Pageant Ever.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about what makes a great Halloween. They also can talk about what constitutes misbehavior and how adults should control it.
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bam82
there is a family that the kids act up so i sugest thatthat if your kid would act up after reading that then they shouldnt read it.
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AGE
KIDS NEED TO STAY GOOD IN THIS WORL YOU NEED TO KEEP IT THIS WAY
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My 6 yo enjoyed
This certainly isn't the finest piece of literature ever written but my 6 yo enjoyed it. I'd recommend it for parents whose kids are interested in chapter books but aren't ready for the complex language found in some of them. No the Herdmans aren't the model of good behavor but there are plenty of worse role models out there.
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I laughed!!
This was a great book!! It is a great sequal to The Best christmas Pagent ever!!
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AGE
I remember that book.
Sc*** Common Sense Media.
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Kid, 12 years old
November 11, 2009
AGE
Great Book
I love this book I have read all of the books with the heardmans in it I have the book with me when I'm typing this. I go to Pleasent Hill Elementary in Olive Branch Mississippi and I found this book in the school library I was so exited to read it. I'm the best reader in my class. I'm even doing a book fair project on The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. It was the very first one I read. I even have the movie.
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Kid, 12 years old
November 11, 2009
AGE
Great Book
I love this book I have read all of the books with the heardmans in it I have the book with me when I'm typing this. I go to Pleasent Hill Elementary in Olive Branch Mississippi and I found this book in the school library I was so exited to read it. I'm the best reader in my class. I'm even doing a book fair project on The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. It was the very first one I read. I even have the movie.
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| Author: | Barbara Robinson |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Humor |
| Publisher: | HarperCollins Children's Books |
| Publication date: | October 2, 2004 |
| Number of pages: | 117 |
| Hardcover price: | $14.99 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 8 - 14 |
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