The Best School Year Ever

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of bullying and child abuse.

The Best School Year Ever is the second book in Barbara Robinson’s series The Herdmans. The first book, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, was published in 1972. This popular novel is narrated by an unnamed elementary school girl who—in light of the subsequent novels—can be presumed to be Beth Bradley. This narrator shares the story of the mischievous Herdman children’s involvement with the town’s Christmas pageant and her own realization that, far from destroying the annual tradition, the Herdmans actually improved it with their fresh perspective. Like The Best School Year Ever, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever was adapted into a children’s play.

In 1994, Robinson published The Best School Year Ever, and in 2004, she added The Best Halloween Ever to the series. In this final story, the town’s mayor bans trick-or-treating because of the Herdman children’s behavior on previous Halloweens. The Herdmans have bullied other children and stolen their candy for years, and the mayor hopes to prevent a recurrence. The school principal, Mr. Crabtree, announces a school-sponsored Halloween event as a substitute, but it does not sound like much fun.